How many of us have dreamed of standing before Kirkjufell, Iceland’s iconic church-shaped mountain, with the Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall tumbling in the foreground? For years it lived on my list of places I had to see with my own eyes.
My chance came unexpectedly. On my way home from Switzerland to San Francisco, I had a stopover in Iceland: one night and one day. It wasn’t much time, but it was enough to chase a dream.
A Midnight Drive
Dreaming of the northern lights, I made a spontaneous decision. Around 10 pm, I left the comfort of my Hilton hotel and set off into the night for the roughly four-hour drive to Kirkjufell.
The road was empty and the darkness complete. Somewhere along the way, my GPS led me astray, and I found myself pulling up to a prison. Standing there in total blackness, with a fierce wind howling around me, it felt more chilling than any movie scene. I turned around, kept searching, and finally found my way to the mountain. A small local hotel kindly took me in for what was left of the night.
Sunrise at Kirkjufell
The next morning, I joined about a dozen photographers from around the world at the falls. We stood side by side in the cold, cameras ready, and watched the sun rise slowly over Kirkjufell and the vast Icelandic landscape beyond. After the long, strange night, that quiet sunrise felt like a reward.
I took this photo with a 28mm lens. If you go, bring something even wider; the scene is so expansive that a wider lens lets you take in the waterfall, the mountain and the sky all at once.
And don’t rush the drive. The scenery along the way is truly out of this world, worth every stop.
