Trøllkonufingur - Faroe Islands

Arjan Wilmsen September 29, 2018

Trøllkonufingur, which means the Troll woman’s finger, is a 313 m tall monolith on the south-east side of Sandavágur. Only 11 people are known to have reached the top.

THE LEGEND OF TRØLLKONUFINGUR

Legend has it, that Trøllkonufingur is the finger of a witch that came to throw the Faroe Islands to Iceland. When she came to the sea south of Vágar, the sun came up and she was turned into stone and fell into the ocean.

She was so big that when she reached the bottom of the sea, the back of her head and her finger were above the surface. The back of her head is the island of Koltur, and the finger is Trøllkonufingur.

It is said that in 1844 a member of the Danish royal entourage climbed Trøllkonufingur. At the top he waved to Crown Prince Frederik, as he sailed past it. As climbing down, he realized that he had left one of his gloves at the top. He decided to climb up again to get it. Having just climbed it the first time he was tired and stumbled and fell into his death.

(text from: http://visitvagar.fo/)

Iceland: Gaukshöfði, Vik, Laxa i Kjos, Strandarkirkja

Arjan Wilmsen August 23, 2018

In this blog post I will share 4 images, of 4 amazing locations in Iceland. Some well known and "touristy" others a little more undiscovered.

Gaukshöfði

A small detour from the Rte 32, a steep climb up the rocky cliffs — and you’re rewarded with fabulous views over the wide aquamarine Þjorsá river. In the distance is the low mound of Hekla volcano.The overlook point, with narrow trails on two rocky hills, perhaps 300 feet tall, is named for Gaukur, a 10th century resident of nearby Stong, a viking longhouse. The stories say he was murdered by his foster brother. Bones and weapons were found at the base of the cliffs, which everyone assumed must belong to the combatants.

Vik

Iceland has several volcanic beaches along its coastlines, but Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach is by far the coolest and most famous on the island. It is easily accessible from the main road running through Vík í Mýrdal and taking a walk on the black sand beach is a must. Together With basalt columns, unique lava formations, towering cliffs, and caves the area is a nature lovers delight.

Laxa i Kjos

The Laxa i Kjos is the centrepiece of one of the most stunning glacially forged valleys in Southern Iceland. A narrow upper canyon splays into a gentle, peaceful, arable valley before cascading down the final falls and pools into the sea. This exceptional river and its beautiful tributary can be reached within an hour’s drive from Reykjavik.

Strandarkirkja

Strandarkirkja is a Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish church in Selvogur, on the southern coast of Iceland. The church, rising from the coast and pointing its tower towards the heavens, has been a beacon for those travelling at sea. It has more supporters all over the world than any other church in Iceland and is often referred to as the 'miracle church' with the locals' longstanding belief that it has profound, divine powers. Many miracles have been attributed to Strandarkirkja and there was a time when it was one of the richest churches in Iceland from the donations of Icelanders coming from all over the country in hopes of having their prayers and wishes realized.

Kerið

Arjan Wilmsen August 22, 2018

Kerið is a volcanic crater lake located in the Grímsnes area in south Iceland, along the Golden Circle. It is one of several crater lakes in the area, known as Iceland's Western Volcanic Zone, which includes the Reykjanes peninsula and the Langjökull Glacier, created as the land moved over a localized hotspot, but it is the one that has the most visually recognizable caldera still intact. The caldera, like the other volcanic rock in the area, is composed of a red (rather than black) volcanic rock. The caldera itself is approximately 55 m (180 ft) deep, 170 m (560 ft) wide, and 270 m (890 ft) across. Kerið’s caldera is one of the three most recognizable volcanic craters because at approximately 3,000 years old, it is only half the age of most of the surrounding volcanic features. The other two are Seyðishólar and Kerhóll.

Daytrip to Germany

Arjan Wilmsen February 21, 2018

So after not doing too much over the holiday times, with christmas and all that I recently thought it was time to go out on a decent daytrip again. Because it has been a while. Time to kick off the new year with a decent daytrip!!

Vertical panorama out of 11 separate shots.

My buddy Tom and me took off early in the morning again. To Germany. We spend the day at several locations. We started out down at the water over at the Rursee in the Eifel area. We went to the pretty town of Monschau, and to end the day we went to "Bieley" (that rock on the German/Belgian border where I've been before) We had some decent conditions for photographs. Not the sunset we were hoping for, but hey... at least it did not rain or anything. Take a look at the photographs below, and leave me some feedback/comments. Thank you!

Faroe Islands

Arjan Wilmsen December 21, 2017

Hi all, I am super stoked to announce that I will finally be going to the Faroe Islands!! Its officialy going to happen later on in 2018. I will go out on a 9 day trip, exploring this amazing country that has been on my wishlist for quite a while now. I am beyond excited!

And this is only the first of a few other amazing announcements I have coming up for 2018. Next year is going to be so awesome!