35 students and 4 teachers finally landed at Keflavik Airport tired yet excited to be here in Iceland. Months of eager anticipation, asking their teachers what it would be like, if it’ll be snowing and whether there really were Icelandic elves?
Unfortunately yesterday’s snow and bright blue skies were something of a distant memory and the group from Bury C of E High School were welcomed to Iceland with the best wind and rain that Mother Nature had to offer. My colleague Jackie has been to Iceland more times than she can even remember and she says she has never experienced wind like it! None the less, the group battled the elements and headed for the Blue Lagoon.
Working in the marketing department, I’ve seen pictures of the Blue Lagoonand written about it numerous time but I was astounded by the beauty of what emerged from behind the lava field. A milky, blue water flowed alongside the road as steam drifted widely in the forceful wind. The colour of the water is what surprised me the most, light blue, almost white – I couldn’t wait to get in and neither could the group. After all, what more could you ask for after a long day travelling?
It’s Sunday, and there’s no rest for the wicked as we are ‘up and at ’em’ at 9am heading for the Geothermal Park here in Hvergerdi where eggs boiled in the hot springs were combined with a cup of coffee, Pringles and a box of celebrations – perhaps this was a home comfort?! We drove over the Hellisheidi Pass, stopping at a very snowy power plant before dropping back down towards Reykjavik. The sun came out and the snow cleared just in time for our stop at the Bridge Between the Continents – the perfect place for a photo opportunity…and a picnic!
If you asked me for my highlight of the day however it would be the Krysuvik Mud Puddles. The colours or the rocks, the sounds of the bubbling mud, the trickling streams and the gushing waterfalls, and dare I say it, even the smell, combined to provide a phenomenal atmosphere. Geography at its best!
So I’m half way through my Icelandic adventure… What have I learnt so far?
- The weather changes quicker than I can take off my walking boots. We’ve seen all four seasons in one day…and sometimes more than once.
- Even when you’ve travelled the same coastal road numerous times it always has something to show you. Day vs night, snow vs sun; everything feels so familiar yet at the same time so unfamiliar.
- Geography is all around you – and it constantly reminds you! Crashing waves, steaming pore holes, bubbling hot springs, crashing waterfalls, flowing rivers…and that only scratched the surface!
I am not sure what Iceland has to show me tomorrow, but one thing’s I do know for certain, I won’t fail to be impressed and enthralled!