The wondrous Aldeyjarfoss waterfall marks the start of the epic Sprengisandur route, which cuts through the heart of Iceland from south to north. This natural splendour is in itself a surreal symphony: the water plunges with powerful elegance from metres high between countless basalt columns, creating a mesmerising play of waves below that comes alive with the right camera settings. This is the cadence of the Aldeyjarfoss.
For a long time, I searched for the deeper meaning behind the name of this waterfall. Last year, by chance, I stumbled upon the idea that it could well mean "wave waterfall". Further sleuthing might trace the origin to a more down-to-earth "Old River Waterfall" - a title that, of course, does not sound as poetic as Aldeyjarfoss.
However, an Icelandic lady I met shared a different story: the waterfall is said to be named after a woman named Aldís. Regardless of the origin of the name, when you stand there at the foot of the waterfall and are mesmerised by the hypnotic cadence of the crashing water, the origin stories fade into nothingness. The hypnotic spectacle and gentle murmur drag you into an unexpected trance. Before you know it, you've been trapped for minutes in the mesmerising sight of this wondrous creation of nature.
My name is Gerry van Roosmalen, photographer and author with a passion for images and stories that touch. After years in the corporate world, I followed my heart and chose photography in 2002. I completed the Fotovakschool in Apeldoorn, specialising in portrait and reportage photography.
Documentary and landscape..
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