RAINY BUT SPECTACULAR ICELAND: Guest Post by Owen Floody

52 Places to Go: Week 41

Sigöldugljufur waterfall gorge, Iceland

With many thanks to Owen Floody for another exceptional contribution to The Intrepid Tourist.

Just back from our re-entry into international travel.  Perhaps this itself deserves some comment.  Our travel preparations did include some tasks and requirements (most notably Covid tests shortly before departure and return) reflecting the new pandemic or (optimistically) post-pandemic world.  But the trip itself was as smooth and efficient as could be, culminating in a return to Newark that was at least 30 min ahead of schedule.  In part, these achievements must reflect the relatively small number of international travelers these days.  But they also suggest effective organization and work by United Airlines and Iceland’s travel officials. 

Not coincidentally, our trip took us to one of the safest places in the Covid world, Iceland. More specifically, the trip took the form of a 6-day Autumn Highlands photo-tour of Iceland, led by Haukur Snorrason, of Iceland Photo Tours.  This was my third photo-tour with Haukur and won’t be my last.  He is good company and a great guide, able to present you with one amazing sight after another, even in the most challenging weather.  He also is a skilled professional photographer, able to convey tips for the improvement of your efforts without ever being overbearing, or even overtly instructional.

Marina area of Reykjavik

We stayed briefly in the marina area of Reykjavik (Icelandair Marina Hotel) and enjoyed this location, which we explored early on our one full day in town.  Soon thereafter, we connected with Haukur and the four other members of our group to begin our photo-tour.  This jumped around a bit, reflecting generally very rainy weather and Haukur’s efforts to avoid, or at least minimize, our exposure to the raindrops. 

Fjallsár and Jökulsárlón glacier lagoons

The tour included much of Iceland’s southern coast and some familiar sights, including the Fjallsár and Jökulsárlón glacier lagoons and Reynisfjara Beach at sunrise.  But the most impressive and rewarding parts of the tour were the stretches through the highlands, an inland area that was largely new to me.  It is impossible to do this area justice in a few words and pictures, but I will try to convey a taste by describing a few of the highlights.

Reynisfjara Beach at sunrise

One focus of our attention in the highlands was the Veidivötn (Fishing Lakes) area.  This is a small area packed with beautiful crater lakes (about 50 of them in an area of approximately 36 square miles) that attract fishermen going after the resident brown trout and Artic char.   

Veidivötn (Fishing Lakes) area

Also memorable were the many streams, rivers, canyons, and waterfalls that litter this and other parts of Iceland such as sunrise over the beautiful Sigöldugljufur waterfall gorge and the Leirá River, cutting through a lava field as it bears runoff from the Mýrdalsjökull Icecap.

Leirá River

Nevertheless, despite this beauty, I found the most eye-popping sights to be those in the black sand “desert” surrounding the Maelifall Volcano.   

Black sand “desert” surrounding the Maelifall Volcano

This is a landscape that just can’t exist, and yet there it is, courtesy of Iceland’s unusually high levels of volcanic and glacial activity.  A bonus for us, given the rain that followed us throughout our trip, was that these conditions may have made the desert even more dramatic and attractive than usual, with blacker-than-usual sand, greener-than-usual vegetation, and an even greater-than-usual contrast between the two.

Maelifall Volcano

Obviously, I enjoyed and recommend this trip, along with all of Iceland Photo Tours’ other offerings.  Wonderland tends to elicit such reactions.  But I do need to throw some caveats in here.  I hope that some readers will consider travel to Iceland as a result of having read this column and viewed these images.  And some of the sites we visited would be easy to find and access in one’s own rental car.  However, this would not be the case for many of the sites we most enjoyed.  For example, it struck me that much of the black sand desert that we toured required frequent crossings of significant streams that could not be negotiated safely by a standard SUV or other car.  I am sure that there are ways of getting into this area that would not require a photo-tour, but I think that some local knowledge and expertise would be highly advisable.  Rest assured that the scenery to be visited is well worth the trouble!  Happy travels.

To read Owen's post about his trip to Iceland in May 2013, click HERE.

 

HAWAII TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN: Hilo, Hawaii by Caroline Arnold at The Intrepid Tourist

 52 Places to Go: Week 16

Heliconia bihai, Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, a treasure trove of tropical plants from around the world and a photographer’s delight, is one of our favorite places on the Big Island. We have been there three times, including on our recent trip to Hawaii two weeks ago, and each time we have had a different experience–depending on weather, time of day, and the growth and addition new plants as the garden is maintained.

View from trail of Twin Rocks in Onomea Bay 

The garden is planted along a steep, narrow valley with a walkway descending 500 feet from the top of the garden (120 feet above sea level) to the ocean below. The top portion is densely planted along a boardwalk and is the perfect place to be eye-level with some of the taller plants. As the walkway reaches the lower part of the garden various side trails lead to waterfalls, a lily pool, a bird cage, orchid garden and more. Actually, orchids have been strategically placed throughout the garden and almost everywhere you look their colorful blooms pop out of the background.

Onomea Waterfall

The sheer variety of plants in the garden is overwhelming with shapes, patterns and colors more like modern art than Mother Nature.  I was reminded of the paintings of French artist Henri Rousseau (who was inspired by the plants he saw in the greenhouses of the botanical garden in Paris.) Among the goals of the garden is to collect and cultivate tropical rain forest flora of every nature and origin, with emphasis on species threatened by extinction.

Patterns of green plants

Although plants are the main emphasis of the garden, the valley is also home to a variety of wildlife. As we walked the garden paths, cardinals and other birds flew overhead, insects buzzed around the flowering trees, frogs called from inside bromeliads, and lizards scampered along the large leaves.

Heliconia along boardwalk

Tickets to enter the garden are purchased at the gift shop next to the parking area. An annex to the gift shop has interesting displays of items collected by the Lutkenhouse family (who built and founded the garden) that reveal some of the early history of the area. Dan and Pauline Lutkenhouse founded the garden in 1978 and opened it to the public in 1984. It is now operated as a non-profit corporation. Admission for a day is $15 for adults, children ages 6 - 16 are $5. Children under 6 are free.

Lily Lake

Directions: The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is located on the 4-mile scenic drive off of Highway 19 (turn off just after the 7 mile marker). The scenic route goes through dense rainforest. This side of the Big Island is the rainy side, and, in fact, there was a small shower just before we arrived at the garden on our recent visit. (The gift shop provides umbrellas if needed.) But, whatever the weather or time of day, the garden is always worth a visit.

This article was written after my visit in 2018. For more about Hilo and the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden go to my post I wrote in April 2012.

Entrance to the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

All text and photos copyright Caroline Arnold.

TEMESCAL CANYON HIKE: Nature at the Edge of the City, Los Angeles, CA

Trail to waterfall from Temescal Gateway Park, Pacific Palisades, CA

On a recent weekday afternoon, we set off for Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles for a hike in Temescal Gateway Park and from there into Topanga State Park (part of the Santa Monica Mountains.)

A kiosk at the entrance of the park displays a helpful diagram of the park on one side and a map with hiking trails on the other. Temescal Gateway Park encompasses a large grassy area and a wooded complex used as a conference center. (Due to the pandemic, the conference center is closed and few people were around.)

A map provides a guide to several trails that branch off from the park.

After parking in the large lot just off Sunset Boulevard, we followed the road through the conference center to the Temescal Waterfall trail head. (A parallel path follows the creek bed.)

Nasturtiums have gone wild along the shady forest floor.

The park was first developed in the early 20th century and has been preserved as a natural area ever since. The trees are enormous, growing tall to reach the light from the bottom of the canyon. They also provided shade for most of our walk, making this a pleasant excursion on a warm summer day.

Giant pines, oaks, and eucalyptus tower over the path.

Elderberries and other plants along the path. Chapparal covers the upper slopes of the canyon.

After walking along under an archway of ancient trees and  passing a shaded picnic area, the path narrowed and began to climb, opening up to provide a view of the top of the canyon. A variety of summer flowers were in bloom and elderberries were ripening in the sun. A red-tail hawk soared overhead.

The history of Temescal Canyon goes back to the early days of Pacific Palisades.

We were running out of time so stopped just short of the waterfall–which in summer is barely a trickle–and retraced our steps back to the parking lot. Had we continued, we would have crossed a small bridge and returned to the beginning of the trail on the other side of the creek. Next time we’ll start earlier, and do the full loop! Or, perhaps, try one of the other trails into the park.

The branches of a California live oak are thick with age.

For directions and a description of the hiking options in Temescal Canyon click HERE.

BEAUTIFUL LAKE COMO at the Base of the Italian Alps

View of Lake Como from Villa Vigoni, Menaggio, Italy

More than two hundred years ago, Heinrich Milius, son of a German banking family, came to Italy and established a successful business manufacturing silk in Milan. Like other wealthy Italian businessmen of the time, he built a summer home at Lake Como, one of the several large lakes filling the narrow valleys at the base of the Italian Alps. There Milius and his family could enjoy the cool fresh air and mountain scenery and walk in the surrounding gardens. A patron of the arts, he filled his home with elegant furniture and paintings and sculptures by the leading artists of the time.

Portraits of the Milius family

When Milius' last descendant, Ignazio Vigoni, died in 1983, he bequeathed the family property to the Federal Republic of Germany, with the purpose of creating an intercultural meeting place. Today, the estate, Villa Vigoni, is a conference center dedicated to promoting cultural and scientific interests.

Menaggio

In early October, I spent two days at Villa Vigoni when my husband Art was attending a conference. While he was at his meetings, I explored the Villa gardens and the nearby village of Menaggio. The early fall weather was sunny and warm, perfect for walks down to the lake shore.

Cobblestone walkway to the village

Following a cobblestone path downhill, I passed the walled gardens of other hillside homes. Far below I could hear the rushing water of Fiume Senagra, the river that tumbles down the steep gorge from the mountains above. Rather strangely, the banks were covered with stands of bamboo, a plant that evidently grows quite happily in the northern Italian climate. Fall wildflowers bloomed along the rock walls lining the path from the villa to the town.

At the bottom of the gorge the Fiume Senegra rushes toward the lake.

Near the bottom of the gorge was a small waterfall before the river emptied into the lake. Like other towns along the shores of Lake Como, Menaggio is a vacation destination for tourists, with restaurants and hotels lining the main street.

Promenade in Menaggio

An elegant promenade along the lake is popular for strolling or bench sitting to enjoy the lake view. A monument honoring silk weavers has been erected at one end of the promenade. For families there is a playground for children, and a miniature golf course. Although there is a small swimming beach, the water in Lake Como is too cold most of the year for swimming.

Monument to the silk weavers by Francesco Somaini

Menaggio is a picturesque town. As one walks along its streets, one feels transported back to another century, when time moved more slowly and was marked by the church bells ringing out the hour.
For a short history of Menaggio, click HERE. Guided tours to Villa Vigoni and its extensive park are available every Thursday afternoon from March to October (except in August). They must be booked in advance.

Villa Vigoni