Travel Diaries: Iceland

Francesca Harper
Jun 30, 2017
4 min read

On Monday 13th July 2015 I embarked on a trip I will never forget to... Iceland!

Iceland was never a country that I had considered going to before. It had never really come into a conversation when talking about where I would want to go in my lifetime; however, now I would go back in a heartbeat.

As soon as I stepped off the plane the smell hit me. Egg. I really couldn't understand why everywhere smelt so horrible, but then I soon discovered it was as a result of all of the renewable energy they produce (it is quite amazing actually).

Because our trip had to be 'educational', the first things that we did saw us visiting power stations across the country. I firstly dreaded visiting them, but when I understood the magnitude of what the Icelandic people were achieving, it was quite incredible.

Some of the best experiences I had in Iceland were when we visited natural phenomenons. Seeing how two types of water met visibly, black sand beaches, amazing natural rock formations, hot springs, waterfalls, glaciers, seeing where two continents join and so much more was breathtaking, and will leave a lasting impression on me forever.

Outdoor Swimming: One of the activities we did was outdoor swimming (which sounded crazy because we don't even swim outside most of the time in England!). The experience was so much better than I expected, and something I ended up doing a second time whilst I was there. The swimming pools were heated at different temperatures, making a nice contrast with the bitter cold air and droplets of rain.

On the second visit to the outdoor swimming pool, it rained. You would think that people would run inside, but no. People (including myself) stayed, and the experience of soft raindrops hitting the pool water was mesmerizing!

Waterfalls: During our four days in Iceland, we visited a couple of different waterfalls. When we visited the one, we were able to walk all of the ways to the top, where you could amazingly see over the waterfall. The hike was so difficult, but we all pushed through the difficulty and the reward when we got to the top was immense when the view could finally be seen.

Not only did we get to look at the waterfall, but we also got to stand under it. That experience is one I cannot forget. My totally embarrassing waterproof trousers were put on, and my waterproof coat was definitely zipped up!

Walking on Glaciers: Towards the end of the trip, we were given the opportunity to walk on some of the glaciers. Wherever you looked, you could see snow covered mountains (which turned out to be ice) and this became more apparent as we got closer to where we would get off the minibus.

Omar - our wonderfully crazy tour guide/driver) had taken us on a terrifying, bumpy road to get to where we could actually park. We just hopped out the bus and started walking. As soon as we got onto the ice, I could not stop looking around. Everything seemed so clean and pure, and somewhere that was like and arctic paradise.

As we continued to walk, my teacher decided it would be a good idea to go first, just in case. He then proceeded to fall into a sinkhole, with his entire left leg going under the water! I couldn't help but just stand there and laugh :p

We then found out that the water that was flowing through wasn't normal fresh water, but it was glacier water which was carrying the volcanic ash from a volcanic eruption hundreds of years ago. (I found out that this is what causes the black sand beaches, as the volcanic ash gets washed up on the shore).

Seeing where Vikings stayed: I would say that the most unique part of the entire trip was when Omar (our guide) took us completely off plan and decided to show us where he used to explore as a young child.

The journey began by driving into completely unknown territory for us, that was really scary! The bus was shaking, and we feared for our safety for a good twenty minutes. Once we got there and parked (basically in the opening of a forest) the mammoth hike began. We walked and walked and walked through the forest. We had to push trees back and swat flies (I totally felt as though I was in 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Her'!!).

All of a sudden we got to this elaborate hut-type shelter. When we got inside there was a visitors book which had been signed by so many different people, and there were remnants of where people had once lived. Omar told us that where we were was where the Vikings stayed at some point. You could see how they made space to sleep, space to cook and generally live. It was surreal that we were standing in such a historical place in the middle of nowhere.

That same forest is where the Icelandic people believed that Adam and Eve were first created. One thing we all found fascinating whilst we were there is how much Icelandic people believe in myths and legends. They 100% believe that fairies, trolls and headland people (to name a few) exist, and even put little houses in the mountains for them!

We thought that the hike there was eventful, but nothing could compare to the hike back. On the return journey, we walked along fast-flowing rivers, under waterfalls and even had to climb over rocks and squeeze through holes! (I can understand why that part of the trip wasn't scheduled by the school! :p)

I hope you have enjoyed my first 'Travel Diaries' post. I love to travel and explore new and exciting places that are a bit out of the norm, and it is nice to share those experiences with other people. This post has been a bit longer than normal, and there is still so much I could say about the amazing country of Iceland! I hope you have liked to read about some of my favorite parts of my Icelandic adventure!

Thank you for reading...

Francesca <3