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Queen Emma’s Summer Palace

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Queen Emma’s Summer Palace on the Pali Highway

I had originally planned to see it on last year’s trip to Hawaii, but I didn’t know how to get there using public transportation at that time. This year, I did additional research and found it involved a single bus transfer near the Iolani Palace. It turned out to be easy, as it was on the main line from downtown Honolulu over the mountains to Kailua.

After Martine’s ombrophobia (fear of rain) as exhibited during our visit to the Lyon Arboretum on the first full day of our trip, I made sure that she brought rain gear with her. At the Arboretum, it rained lightly on and off about thirty times during our visit; and I expected the same at Queen Emma’s Summer Palace, as it was also high in the hills. (Fortunately, we did not encounter any rainfall.)

In fact, that was its reason for existing. Honolulu is hot and humid most of the time, so King Kamehameha IV and his wife, Queen Emma would spend time at her hill “palace” (it was actually more of a house) because it was cooler there. We ourselves found the temperature to be considerably cooler than the coastal lowlands.

Unfortunately, King Kamehameha IV did not reign long before he joined his ancestors. Nor did the heir, Prince Albert Edward. As a widow, Queen Emma continued to live at the Summer Palace while her brother-in-law ruled as Kamehameha V.

The grounds are run by the Daughters of Hawai’i, who offer informative tours of the building.

Iceland 2001: Rainbows and Waterfalls

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Rainbow in the North of Iceland

Rainbow in the North of Iceland

We were in the north of Iceland, somewhere between Ásbyrgi and Húsavík. By we, I mean our guide Illugi from Lake Mÿvatn, a group of European twenty-somethings, and me, hobbling around with a cane due to severe osteoarthritis. It was a gorgeous day: Bright sunlight interspersed with rain-bearing clouds. A perfect day for rainbows. It was one of those days when one is likely to behold almost more beauty than a human being can stand.

Iceland does that to me. That’s one of the reasons I am bringing up these photographs from twelve years ago. The image of a place that is at once wild and beautiful keeps coming back to me. On a long bus ride along the famous Ring Road, one sees endless waterfalls cascading down from mountains and glaciers; and the changeableness of the weather makes rainbows frequent and spectacular. Sitting here in Westwood during the endless repetition of foggy mornings and hazy sunshine in the afternoon that is typical of L.A. spring weather, I yearn for the crystalline wide open spaces.

Soon. Soon.

The Falls at Dettifoss

The Falls at Dettifoss

Earlier on the same day that I shot the rainbow above, we visited Europe’s most powerful falls at Dettifoss along the Jökulsá á Fjöllum River, one of Iceland’s largest and longest.