Author Archives: jennings@princeton.edu

Monday, July 26 Although we woke to light rain, the forecast was promising and we planned a full day. Our first stop was Skogafoss, yet another massive waterfall that tumbles out of the huge cliffs that line the ring road on the south coast. We hoped to walk the waterfall trail that follows the gorgeContinue reading “Glacier!”

Tuesday, July 27 As we start the day, we’ve driven a good deal in the interior, but we aren’t far along the Ring Road, only having driven the south coast. In the next two days we will drive the southeast coast, which is defined by the enormous Vatnajökull glacier. The largest in Europe, the glacierContinue reading “Glaciers…and this time we mean it!”

Wednesday, July 28 Our last glacier day dawned…foggy and overcast. Sue went for a walk on a path below a glacier while I finished yesterday’s blog post…I had played hooky! She started out on the lowest of the red paths on this map, hoping to walk to the snout of the Skalafells glacier. This givesContinue reading “Do lobsters live in glacial lagoons?”

Thursday, July 29 And drove and drove and drove… It was a long day in the car as we drove most of Iceland’s eastern reaches. And it wasn’t Sue’s favorite day, as we had to traverse three high mountain passes with narrow lanes and sheer drops. At least the Icelandic government had saved money onContinue reading “They Drove Through Beauty”

Friday, July 30 The name says it all: Myvatn, lake of the midges. Thank god that, unlike the no-see-ums that can plague us in Maine, these little critters don’t bite. They just fly into your mouth, eyes, ears, you name it. We of course both brought midge nets to wear over a hat, but doContinue reading “Midge Lake”

Saturday, July 31 Another day with brilliant sun; although it only reached 54 degrees, many Icelanders were out sunning themselves on patios and balconies. We started the day with a drive around the lake. The western end is green and rolling, home to an enormous variety of birds. The south end is dominated by “falseContinue reading “Thar she blows! In two senses…”

Sunday, August 1 We encountered another lovely day; some clouds in the sky but plenty of sun! We had a relatively short drive ahead of us, with plenty of time to explore. First stop was another…surprise…waterfall! But this was a good one: Godafoss. It isn‘t called „God‘s Falls“ by accident. One of the early lawContinue reading “It‘s a long way to Akureyri (sung to the tune of…)”

Monday, August 2 The drive from the far north to the Snaefellnes Peninsula in the far west took a bit more than five hours. The opening stretches, down the west coast of the Tröllaskagi Peninsula, included some spectacular stretches high above the Arctic Ocean. Much of the rest of the drive saw us rolling throughContinue reading “A Driving Day Redeemed by Birds”

Tuesday, August 2 The Hotel Budir is located, surprisingly, at a place called Budir, which turns out to be the hotel and a well-known church…well known because it is black and visible for many miles round about. We packed up and left the hotel fairly early, hoping to grab a coffee and roll before weContinue reading “Into a National Park…and Closing the Ring”