Day 1
After a long day travelling, we have safely arrived and checked into the hotel in Reykjavik. We have been well fed and had a wonderful time at the Blue Lagoon. Early start tomorrow to visit waterfalls and walk inside a glacier!
Day 2
The first 48 hours of our trip to Iceland have been eventful – accidentally opening a door that we thought was an exit and turned out to be a sauna – but simultaneously breathtakingly beautiful. As we write this, part of the group are outside watching the northern lights and the other half are relaxing indoors, exhausted from our incredible 4hour glacier tour this afternoon. In every direction surrounding us, there are dramatic contrasts between the untouched snow on the mountains and the dark volcanic rocks that seem as if they have just stopped steaming. Similarly, there is a stark difference between hot and cold – today we saw natural water at 100°C in a thermal spring and then at 0°C in the glacier.
Yesterday evening we washed off our travel in the awesome Blue Lagoon as the sun set, complete with face masks and slushies (all the while learning about Geography of course) and settled in for our first night. Refreshed from the sleep, we drove through the panoramic Hvalfjörður (Whale Fjord) as the sun rose before exploring a crater. We look forward to the rest of our stay!
Day 3
Our second day in Iceland was a blast! Literally! – with geysers and volcanoes. We all had so much fun! We began with an early start crossing continents via tectonic plates at the mid-Atlantic ridge whilst watching the sunrise over the mountains. Gullfoss was our next stop and everyone was in awe of the majestic, aggressive waterfall. After this, we embarked on our journey to Geysir and enjoyed the geothermal explosions whilst simultaneously capturing photos. After lunch and some shopping, we all headed off to the lava centre with a quick rest stop at a riverbank. The lava centre was very enjoyable with a short film about the volcanic eruptions and then an exhibition about the geography and history of Iceland’s previous eruptions. We arrived at our lodge for the night with some downtime before a delicious meat and potato dish for supper. All in all, we all had a wonderful day!
Day 4
We started our morning by visiting the breathtaking waterfall Skógafoss. We climbed to the top of the waterfall while counting the steps on the way (we counted 467, although everyone got a different number). Next, we took a hike on top of a glacier. Beforehand, we received an ice axe and crampons (spikes underneath our walking shoes). We also had to wear helmets and a harness. We then started climbing the glacier whilst being careful not to slip on the way. The guides who took us up the glacier were really nice, funny and informative. We continued to learn about the formation of a glacier and listened to old folk stories about the farmers and their sheep, who lived nearby. After we reached the top of the glacier, we witnessed a spectacular view. On our descent we ventured into a crevasse! We then visited a black sand beach at Reynisfjara formed from volcanic ash and took beautiful pictures despite the harsh weather. Finally, we went to Seljalandsfoss, which is a waterfall and we’re able to explore behind the waterfall which was a different experience.
