Elder Son says that when he calls us from Iceland the phone rings in Icelandic.
He was calling from here, Hauganes, on the northern fjord, but had to cut the call short because their whale-watching boat was about to leave.
He told us about doing laps in a pool heated by hot water springs with a view of mountains and oceans, also about maybe going Grimsey Island, which lies 25 miles off the north coast. Part of that island lies above the Arctic Circle. If they do go to there he plans to jump into the water just so he can say he swam in the Arctic Ocean. To which I say, “Brrrr!”
They arrived in Iceland on the first day of nautical twilight in Reykjavik, nautical twilight being when the geometric center of the Sun’s disk is between 6 and 12 degrees below the horizon. Read about the different phases of twilight here.
Great post 🙂
I lived in Inuvik, Northwest Territories for 2 years, a mere 20 kilometres or round 15 miles from the Arctic Ocean. The sun set in November and did not rise again until around January 10th so we had mostly Polar Night. On the first day that the sun rose around 10:15 in the morning, most workers went outside and stood while it rose and set in less than 2 minutes. Cheers could be heard. Those 6 weeks without the sun were excruciating to me emotionally and physically. I had very little energy so I overate carbohydrates to get some and gained weight I have never lost. However, the opposite phenomenon happened in the summer when there was 6 weeks of Midnight Sun, all day and night. All the sunlight over-energized my body. I felt revved up and shaky as if someone had force-fed me pots of strong coffee. Some people stayed up all night partying with the ensuing fights, so there was very little quiet. Some children ran around town all night. I felt exhausted and one the verge of tears a lot. This is called Seasonal Affective Disorder. The quality of the sunlight would change and at a certain time of night the birds would become quiet. It would be a lovely place to visit for a week, but living there was harsh for me.
Fascinating information on nautical twilight! I did not know about it – so that you for that new tidbit of information!
Brrrrr indeed!