A Norwegian Island in the Arctic Sea???
Are you effing kidding me???
(...now we know why nobody ever let Roger Lovegrove plan family vacations...)
The weather station on Jan Mayan says it is a balmy 9 degrees there right now.
Yes...won't be needing the bikini or sunblock here either.
Lovegrove had strange ideas when it came to Islands, I guess.
I prefer mine with 85 degree days, sunshine, sandy beaches and umbrella drinks.
But here we are.
sigh
Let's take a (cold) look around.
It is 34 miles long...connected in two parts by an isthmus and around a volcano.
But what you will notice immediately (besides the mind-numbing cold) is the starkness. The black and white of this place.
Black volcanic rock.
White glaciers.
Eighteen people call this inhospitable rock home. All of them work in some capacity for the Norwegian Service, or the Meteorological Society.
Gravel for Norway is it's only resource.
With the exception of sea birds who use it as a breeding ground in the summer months...nothing lives here.
(...remind me why we are on this godforsaken spit of land again...)
It's highest temperature is 43 in August to -6 in February.
Then by September or October, things return to black and white.
Including us.
Hope the next island is better...but won't be spending any more time i n this desolate place.
Next up:
Mykines
See you there!