Journey to Iceland: And Travels in Sweden and Norway |
Common terms and phrases
Althing animals appearance arrived basin beautiful Bernhöft boat boiling building caldron castle Cattegat Christiania church cliffs colour contains Copenhagen covered crowded dangerous Danish Danish language dark Denmark distance Dresden Elbe English miles.-Trans eyes feet florins four Geiser half Hamburgh handsome harbour Havenfiord Hecla height hillocks hills horses houses hundred Iceland Iceland horses island jokuls journey Knudson Kongsberg kreuzers lake lava light little town little village looked Lubeck magnificent meadows morning mountain neighbourhood never night Norway o'clock obliged once palace passed peasants plain Prague priest rain reached Reikjavick remarkable ride river road rocks royal scene scenery seats seen ship shores side sight Snorri Sturluson soon spot spring steamer Stockholm stone stream streets surrounded Sweden Swedish Sysselmann thing Thingvalla tion to-day traveller Travemund valley Vienna walls whole wide wood wooden worthy
Popular passages
Page iii - A number of notes have been added, for the benefit of the reader, who may not be familiar with the currency or distances, and a few other terms used by Madame Pfeiffer, in the course of her narrative.
Page 178 - ... spot, and as the waters boiled over as usual, and the noise died away, I thought I was doomed to disappointment again ; but the last tones were just expiring when the explosion suddenly took place. I have really no words to do justice to this magnificent spectacle, which once to behold in a lifetime is enough. It infinitely surpassed all my expectations The waters were spouted with great power and volume ; column rising above column, as if each were bent on outstripping the others.
Page 178 - I had recovered in some degree from my first astonishment, I looked round at the tent — how small, how diminutive it seemed, compared to those pillars of water '. And yet it was nearly twenty feet high ; it was lying rather lower, it is true, than the basin of the Geiser ; but tent might have been piled on tent, — yes, by...
Page 179 - ... wonderful scene was ended, the peasant went with me to examine the basin and caldron ; we could approach very near them without the least danger, but there was nothing further to be seen. The waters had entirely disappeared from the basin, into which we entered, and walked close up to the caldron, where they had also sunk to the depth of seven or eight feet, though they were still boiling and bubbling with great violence. I broke off a few pieces of .crust from the interior of the basin and caldron...
Page 65 - Icelandic. They are small and low, built of lava blocks, filled in with earth, the whole sodded over with grass, and they might easily be mistaken for natural elevations in the ground, if the wooden chimneys, the low doors, and almost imperceptible windows, did not betray that they were tenanted by human beings. A dark and narrow passage, not more than four feet high, leads on one hand to the dwellingroom, and on the other to the store-room, where the provisions are kept, which is also used in winter...
Page 66 - ... as well as the beds. Poles are fastened in the walls, to which clothes, shoes and stockings, and other things of that kind are suspended; and a little shelf, with a few books on it, is generally found in each hut. No stoves are needed in these crowded rooms, which are sufficiently heated by the warmth of their numerous inmates. ' There are also poles in the fireplaces to hang up the wet clothing and dry the fish. The smoke often spreads itself over the room, and finds its way very slowly out...
Page 178 - ... feet high ; it was lying rather lower, it is true, than the basin of the Geiser ; but tent might have been piled on tent, — yes, by my reckoning, which may not have been perfectly accurate, however, — five or six, one above the other, would not have reached the elevation of these jets, the largest of which I think I can affirm, without any exaggeration, to have risen at least to the height of a hundred feet, and to have been three or four feet in diameter.
Page 224 - ... Heaven ! I did not see a single woman in that condition. Snuff-taking is another of their masterpassions ; and this habit seems to have as great a charm for them as smoking has with us. They also chew incessantly. Their manner of taking snuff is so peculiar, that I must be forgiven for describing it. Most of the peasants, and even many of the priests, have no boxes, but they make use instead of a piece of bone, turned in the shape of a little powder-horn ; and when they wish to indulge themselves...
Page 95 - The governmenthouse is brilliantly lighted up with wax-candles on this occasion. Some speculative head has established a clubhouse here, by which is to be understood a couple of rooms, where the citizens assemble in the evening and regale themselves with tea-water, bread and butter, and a glass of wine or a bowl of punch. In winter these same rooms are used for the public assemblies, to which the admittance is twenty kreuzers.* All ranks meet there, and every thing is said to be on a very republican...
Page 280 - A few of the burghers' wives had little caps like those worn in Suabia, with a small, black, embroidered veil thrown over them, which did not conceal their faces, however. I noticed here, what had already struck me in Copenhagen, a number of boys among the drummers and musicians, who could not have been more than ten or twelve years old. The king remained two days at Gottenburg, and during that time all the windows were illuminated, and festooned with fresh flowers every evening. A few transparencies...