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Tuesday 7 April 2015

Iceland: LONDRANGAR CLIFFS





10 km north of Arnarstapi, 
its Cafe and its basalt cliffs,  is another natural attraction - the cliffs of Lóndrangar. 





At one point in time they were a part of a plug in an ancient volcano, but as the millennia passed the elements eroded the softer rocks. Only two towers of hard basalt, 75 and 61 m tall, have been left standing. They are visible from quite a distance away.



Lush, green grasses belong to elves. Reportedly, the farmers leave the fields untouched.



And the cliffs belong to birds many of which nest on the cliffs. The one below is probably a kittiwake - belonging to the gull family





Cameras ready, all one can do here is hope for nice weather.


The area is guarded by a handsome lighthouse.

Nearby, some sheep make their living in the vast lava fields.


















The way out and to the highway is dotted by many kinds of tough plants, many of them in full bloom.



Soft tops of Arctic cotton grass, Eriophorum scheuchzeri, cover vast areas of the landscape.
And lively streams of muddy water are rushing towards the ocean, carrying away the precious soil.



We are back on the road - bearing witness to never ceasing wind and its enormous strength. 




On the way to our end-of-the-day destination we are passing and extremely tall tower. It is the Hellisandur radio tower that, at its 412 meters, has the distinction of being the tallest man-made structure in Western Europe.

I know that it is silly, but I feel a bit better when we are past the 500m mark. Just in case! 











Survived! And we are off to the fishing town of Ólafsvík
.