The Lagoon is Blue, The Land is Full of Sagas - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

I don't think I was quite prepared for Blue Lagoon when approaching a scene with columns of white smoke evaporating into the angry sky.  Quite contrary to the likely misconception of us people that are used to the idea of air pollution, what I saw was steam coming from Svartsengi geothermal power station, one of Iceland's five largest.  And Blue Lagoon is the byproduct of such plant.

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At a land of fire and ice, geothermal power heats 89% of the houses in Iceland and over 54% of the primary energy used in Iceland comes from geothermal sources.  And the plan is to turn Iceland into a 100% fossil-fuel-free nation in the near future. 

While renewable energy is music to my ears, instead of letting myself being soaked in silica-and-sulfur-rich water, I went around and seek eye candy.  Who knew, I would end up rescuing a little beauty from the gnarly lava field?  There you have it, my contribution to the modern sagas of Iceland.

What would the title be?  The best answer will be rewarded. :-)

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Run, lundi, run... - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

Every spring and summer, Iceland becomes the breeding home for 60 percent of the world's Atlantic puffins.  Being there at the end of summer means that we were there at the tail-end of the season.  Despite an unsuccessful earlier attempt to meet the "clowns of the sea", we were lucky to have a gander at the highly anticipated lundi (the Iclandic name for puffins), even if it means missing dinner, because the colony is most active at evening, before heading out to sea to roost.  

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Despite its large population, Atlantic puffins have been listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in its Red List of Threatened Species.  Causes of population decline contributed by human activities may include the introduction of rats, cats, dogs and foxes onto some islands used for nesting, contamination by toxic residues, drowning in fishing nets, declining food supplies and climate change, etc.  

It's not an easy task to photograph puffins in flight as these little cylindrical bodies (average 13 inches long) propel into the air like torpedos with no prior warning, with their wings that are adapted for swimming fluttering up to 400 times per minute.  On a morning that only happens in dreams, I met this puffin appearing to soar high into the sky, higher than the mountains and the cloud.  I knew it was some puffin chick's parent, rushing to the ocean to catch fish of the day for its only baby of that year.  Dear puffin, may you be successful in raising more clowns of the sea, year after year.

Run, lundi, run...  

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Paradise, lost... - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

This medieval town stole my heart.  Yes, it took a hair-raising journey to get there. Yet, in a matter of two days, I was in love.

I was in love with being waken up by the melodious sound of the sheep jingling by our window in the morning, the galloping horses grazing in a scenery that can only come from a set in a movie, the mountains that move in lines that dance, and the mystical play of light and the ever-rolling-and-ever-dispersing clouds...  

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On the morning of our departure, when I put away my camera one final time and turned around, tears rolled down my cheeks.  I thought I was sad from the good-bye.  My heart longed to come back to be close to this paradise again, soon.

Two weeks ago, when the earthquake struck central Italy, I was in a country with restricted access to news in the world.  When I finally got back to free land, my heart trembled at what had happened - The town was reduced to rubble (in face, the ground is now as much as two feet lower), the already difficult road was shaken to be almost impossible to drive on, and the Apennine Mountain surrounding the Grand Plane (Piano Grande) showing crack line running across it.  

Castelluccio di Norcia, may you rise above the shambles and be rebuilt with more charm in your heart.  May your people stay strong and, hello, horses and sheep of this beautiful land, may you stay safe and resilient in the sub-zero temperatures.  I wish to see you all again soon, in the town that appears to be perched above the cloud!    

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