Entry 5: June 28, 2008

My last breakfast in view of church and volcano and under 50°f. This picture shows our students in Thingvellir, the valley where the Parliament of Iceland met beginning 1,078 years ago. It is now a national park and heritage site. The valley itself, like all of Iceland, has been formed by the slow separation of two continental plates -- the North American and the Eurasian. This separation gives Iceland volcanoes, geysirs, geothermal energy for heat and hot water, and also the occasional earthquake. Our students here span the gap: to the left are hills and mountains on the North American plate, while to the right are mountains on the Eurasian plate. Congratulations to all concerned!

Entry 4: June 25, 2008
It is widely believed here that if a troll is caught out of his/her cave in the daylight he/she is turned into stone. (By the way, Icelandic trolls are good natured types, not the sort who hide under bridges and scare billy goats.) One of our students -- Chelsea Cummings -- saw this one and used some kind of software to help us all see it. I also attach Amanda Eubanks preparing for her first ever transatlantic horse ride.

Entry 3: June 2008

Hi, All!

On the night of the solstice, Eloise, Steve, Michael Grathwohl and I went up the local volcano for the best look we could get and the solstice. Although the sun did set, it still produced something remarkable: sunrise taking place before sunset had finished. This is about 1:15 a.m. and we are about 800 feet above the valley where we are staying. Another 300 feet up is the caldera of the volcano, now filled with water as clear as glass. Glaciers made the valley, about 15,000 years ago. Right behind us you see a river that beginsin a glacier, and flows by at a temperature of about 34 degrees. Far to the left you can see a more normal river, which joins the glacial river 1/2 mile below where we stay. One is light blue, the other quite dark, and it takes them every bit of five miles to mix together into one color. (You can see this on Google Earth if you tell it to find Skálholt, IS. The colors are those of the Carolina Panthers.)

To the point. Over Eloise's right shoulder is what remains of the sunset from 40 minutes earlier. Over my shoulder, where you see the deep notch in the mountains, is where the new light of the dawn (due about 2:15 a.m.) begins. The sun is just under the horizon, right about in line with the sheep I am holding. I have never had such an experience in my life.

Oh -- and it was very, very cold. We spent much of the time as shown in the second picture, sitting on mosses in various stages of primary conversion, which Lindsey Cooke will explain to us all when we get back.

More soon,
Michael and Eloise

Entry 2: June 6, 2008

Some great times today with the geysers and a waterfall, both within 20 miles of our home at Skalholt. We took turns standing with our backs to the big geyser, Strokkur, which blows about every seven minutes without warning. Teams of photographers tried to catch the expressions of the surprised standers right at the moment they felt it go off. Our own Brittany Wuester, Katie Nagel and Brittany Forlidas exhibit nice varieties of expression. We also got Emily King at her very first waterfall, Gullfoss (Golden Falls), where she was quite pleased to find herself. Also VC Tharrington and Brittany Forlidas being gnomes emerging from the spray of the falls.

And, deceptively pretty, the White River, which is formed by glacial ice melting. It looks so calm, but has a current so fast and so powerful that they have yet to find car or driver from a teenager's unfortunate entry into the river two months ago! And the volcano Hekla, which puts no one at risk and stands visible from our dorms, (pic to come) is absolutely loaded with lava and will certainly blow in the next few months. The priests are all rooting for it, as are our students, because it is such a great spectacle.

More soon from the land of fire and ice.

Skalla

Entry 1: May 31, 2008

We have arrived safe and sound at the beautiful church school at Skalholt, which has been in continuous existence since about 1055! Today we walked down to where two rivers join (one regular and dark, once glacial and blue —call up Google Earth and enter Skalholt, IS, back out a bit and you'll see them just to the south). Right there is a boiling creek (see pictures) —literally, 100C. The tradition here is to walk down before breakfast and hard boil an egg in the creek, which I plan to do tomorrow. Meanwhile, it is 9:30 p.m. and as light out as at midday. Sunset will be at 11:30 p.m., sunrise at 3:30 a.m. What a very strange place.

Tomorrow morning, in Iceland's oldest church, they will conduct most of the service in English to welcome us here. It now serves a parish of about 350 souls.

More soon.
Michael Novak

Photo Information:
In the front of the picture is Amanda Casper, in the back Skalla-Grimur's ghost. You'll have to Google that name to figure him out.