This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 Today was a busy and a bit sad day. There was lots to see and do on this day, but it would also mark the last day of our 14-person group. After today, we would shrink to 4 and the guide. But today was all…
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 Today we traveled along Iceland’s south coast to see waterfalls, black sand beaches, a formation of above-ground basalt columns, and more lava fields. Our first stop was a Seljalandfoss. Given how close this 200 foot waterfall is to the Ring Road, it is one of…
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 Today, we ventured forth from Reykjavik to move up the coast. Our plan for the day was to visit the Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar), a group of 16 islands with only the main island (Heimaey) being populated with around 4300 inhabitants. Our primary goal in going…
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 Today we were off on our second day trip out of Reykjavik, this time to the Reykjanes Peninsula. But the surroundings could not be more different than what we saw in Reykjavik or the Golden Circle. Unlike the lush vegetation in the Golden Circle, the…
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 Today we headed off on our first day trip from Reykjavik — The Golden Circle. It refers to a circle of roads that leaves from the city and travels a loop of about 190 miles through the Icelandic countryside that provides access to some of…
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 Today, we started the third phase of our Nordic journey — a two-week trip around the Ring Road of Iceland, a 828 mile, two lane road that encircles much of the country. We have really been anticipating this part of the trip, both because of…
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 Well, our destination has changed again. We were originally scheduled to go to Vigur, Iceland to look at the extensive bird colonies there. Given the lateness of the season, it turned out that most of the birds had already left. Instead we went to Patreksfjordur,…
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 Today, we visited the most isolated town in one of the most isolated countries in the world — Ittoqqortoormiit in Greenland (the nearest town is about 500 miles away!). It is located on the north side of the mouth of Scoresby Sound, the entrance to…
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 Today we made it to Greenland. Even though it is well south of the polar ice pack we visited, it is 10-15 degrees colder here. That’s because Svalbard has the Gulf Stream that skirts it, while Greenland gets the cold polar currents from the north. …
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Today we visited Jan Mayen Island, a tiny volcanic island in the North Atlantic that is 600 miles west of Norway and 350 miles north of Iceland. It is a territory of Norway, has no native population, and only has 18 rotational people who run the weather and radio stations. The skyline is dominated by…
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