Nordic Little Red Riding Hood
Exploring Iceland’s second-largest lava field, Eldhraun, was like being transported into some moody Nordic fairytale. Discovering and photographing Eldhraun was an unexpected joy in southern Iceland. I wouldn’t have found this highly photogenic area without the help of my photo guide, Jorunn of Iceland Photo Tours who took Anastasia and I here on the first day of our Two Day Photo Tour of The Glacial Lagoon.
Scenes from Eldraun: Woolly fringe moss grows thick as a futon over lava rock
Moss has grown thick as a mattress on the rocky craters of lava, which date back to an eruption from 1783-84, when Iceland was still part of the Danish Kingdom. The Eldhraun lava field covers about 218 square miles (565 square kilometers) of ground in southern Iceland.
Anastasia exploring Eldhraun
A crevice in the Eldhraun lava field
Now there is plant life peeking through the woolly fringe moss (scientific name Racomitrium lanuginosum) adding unexpected pops of color to this already moody and magical landscape.
Yellow leaves in the wooly moss
With the skies shifting colors, I keep expecting to see Jon Snow, or at least a wildling or five.
Ana wandering through Eldraun
Red rain coat in Iceland’s second largest lava field
Having Anastasia wear a red raincoat added some extra contrast and interest to the landscape and transformed her into a Nordic Little Red Riding Hood.
Plant life amidst the wooly moss of Eldhraun
The crew of the Apollo 11 (US astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins) practiced before their moonlanding on this otherworldly landscape.
Searching for trolls in the Eldhraun
In 2014 a new eruption created the Holuhraun lava field, which is now the biggest in Iceland. It’s also located in the Icelandic Highlands.
The starkly beautiful moody landscape of Eldraun
Eldhraun means “fire lava.”
Red Rain Coat in the Eldraun Lava Field in Iceland