Sunday, February 18, 2007

Jan Mayen rocks!

Yeah, I'm really getting into this! No reply from the volcanic rocks yet, but I did try to contact some islanders by email. I guess they are enjoying the weekend too (much to do on Jan Mayen, I'm sure). In the meantime, let's have a look at some lava rocks from this island - real nature sculpture... (click pics to enlarge). I borrowed these intriguing pictures from this website and hopefully I will soon receive a reply from a crew member of Jan Mayen's weather station. If you can find some things that I really need to know about this island, please do leave a comment!

10 comments:

Carolanne said...

I'm enjoying it too!
What do you really need to know about this island, taht you don't already know??! Everything I know, I learned from you and the sites you've given us.

Because of you I've learned about Jan Mayen and also a bit more about Holland. :)

When do you start the next island tour?

Carolanne said...

By the way, Paul, I've decided to do a post about geography and included a link to your blogsite. I had to include Jan Mayen and Holland of course!
I haven't quite finished it yet - give me about 15 or so more minutes. :) But I suspect you're probably in church right now.

Paul said...

Yes I was in church... that is, in the prison church service. Strangely enough I had to think about little communities living on an island while I was doing my volunteer job in the prison. There are some similarities, but I think it's always better to be free - even if you can't get of your island easily!
Of course I will have a look at your geography post too!

Vicki said...

I'm really enjoying these geography lessons! I hope you and Carolanne keep it up!

I like to use Google maps to orient the location of places (like Jan Mayen) to places I am familiar with (like Holland).

Art said...

Never heard of Jan Mayen before but I'm loving the account and the pics. Keep it up!

little david said...

Hi Paul! I found your site from Carolanne's and was so impressed that I added a link to your site from mine. I will try to check in often, because it looks like you are doing some interesting work. Thanks for publishing.

Anonymous said...

Hello Paul and thank you for your e-mail. I will try to adress some of your questiones about life at Jan Mayen. As you might have seen we are 18 people living here, where 14 are employed by the Norwegian army. The 4 others are employed by the Norwegian meteorological instistute, where I also work as an meteorological officer. The climate here is very special as it is almost always cold (usually between -5 to +5), but because of the almost constant winds it can get severely cold. Nevertheless outdoor activities are among our greatest hobbies, and as we have several cabins spread around the island, we can go for longer trips and stay overnight. The scenary is breathtaking and you never grow tired of walking outside. The ocean contrasts to the barren black mountains, which in summertime are covered by green moss. There is not much wildlife here except for thousands of birds. They keep up in small mountain posts but they are much less reserved than other birds as they have not learned to fear us. You can almost touch them when walking in the mountains. However, there are sometimes whales that come close to the shores here, and you can sometimes spot seals as well. It is dificult to describe living on this magnificent island, because I find it hard to know where to begin. It is a very special experience that changes the lives of the people coming here. This is a known phenomenon called the artic bug. The artic life enters your heart and will be there for ever. I have never regretted coming here, and it is highly likely that I will return at a later point. Six months here have flown passed, and I know that when I'm back at the main land I will miss this place. Ok, I think that's all I can say right now. Keep up your nice page:) Greetings from Elise at Jan Mayen Meteorological Station.

Anonymous said...

Hi Paul and thanks for your mail. Nice to see you that take interest in this beautiful island. Your blog is wery nice. I think dutch people have some kind of addiction to wild nature, I keep meeting them on strange places. You might have found my personal website before, but anyway, there are more about Jan Mayen.
Keep up the good work!
Johan:)

Anonymous said...

Link to my site: www.hustadnes.net

Paul said...

Yes, Johan, the Dutchies are everywhere ;-) Even in the wild wild world of the blogosphere! And - I hate to admit - i have been to Finland, Sweden and Denmark, but not to Norway yet. I know, I know, I must visit your beautiful country soon, but maybe I am just saving the best for last. But I will surely visit your website again. Thanks for your kind reply, my friend.