I find myself one of the many thousands of people around the world stranded because of the volcanic ash cloud emanating from Iceland. I am in Bergen, having nearly made it out before the ash struck, after a very successful trip to Selje (where we had a postgraduate conference) and the island of Selja, famous for the Seljumenn and St Sunniva, the patron saint of Bergen, and Norway's only female saint. Selja is a very special place, with a medieval monastery down below and up above the cave where Sunniva and the Seljumenn were saved from the murderous locals by being crushed to death by a fall of rocks. In front of the cave is an amazing terrace and a small chapel. The island as a whole was the finding place of at least four runic inscriptions. And, as you can see from the photo, a glorious view over Stadlandet. Highly recommended!
I wish the conference had been there last year too, it looks like a fantastic addition to Balestrand. And sunny again! I hope being stranded is not too stressful for you all and that you manage to enjoy the extra time in Bergen.
ReplyDeleteWe're coping! But it's not sunny any more - torrential rain today...
ReplyDeleteNot trying to make being stranded worse, but I found this article interesting:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18786-get-ready-for-decades-of-icelandic-fireworks.html
They also know how to accent vowels over at New Scientist it would appear.
Hope you're not stranded too long!
Kay
Thanks to everyone expressing concern! We are now moving at last, though slowly and mostly overland. Have currently reached Oslo. The New Scientist is indeed accenting the right vowels, but hasn't yet got the hang of 'ð'.
ReplyDelete