Beauty in Black and White

Many parts of Iceland saw heavy snowfall a couple of weeks ago, and photographer Ragnar Axelsson used the chance to go out of town to take some pictures. He didn’t have to share the road with many people.

Hardly a car was in sight on the entire Ring Road. Here and there, a lone person could be seen taking a walk, such as on Kjósaskarðsvegur road, where a woman was walking her dog. One man could be seen jogging in Hvalfjörður. He had the whole road to himself.

In Húnaþing, Northwest Iceland, a herd of horses was fenced off, enjoying being outdoors with plenty to eat. They appeared not to have heard of the two-meter mandatory distance. Or possibly, they were aware that the rule does not apply to them.

Since these pictures were taken, the snow has melted, but health authorities asked Icelanders to travel indoors over Easter weekend to minimize the risk of accidents when hospitals and health care centers are busy caring for COVID-19 patiens. Most people heeded the advice, for traffic out of Reykjavík before the weekend was considerably less than last year. On Wednesday, 40 percent fewer cars drove out of town than last year, and on Maundy Thursday, the reduction was even more noticable, or 60 percent.

The Easter holiday is traditionally a major travel weekend in Iceland. Chief Superintendent Ásgeir Þór Ásgeirsson tells mbl.is that clearly, many people are at their cabins this long weekend, but he believes people are using the cabins in a different way this year. Instead of inviting the extended family there, only the household members are included.