Just a little warning, this is going to be very picture heavy as I want you guys to fully experience what I enjoyed.
Okay, so in my life so far I have travelled quite a few places. I obviously aim to travel many more places because I love to experience things that I cannot in day to day life in the UK. I went to Iceland on a school trip. Which, if I am being honest, meant I was restricted to the places I saw. My boyfriend and I both want to travel as much of the world as we can and Iceland is definitely on the list!
Anyway, My trip consisted of five days (that includes travel) and I saw many places that was so cool and that I highly recommend. I'm going to skip the first part of the plane ride and all the travelling and just dive in. The first place was the first black sand beach that was a few minutes away from the airport. It was so cool as someone from England I never thought I would have the chance to see environments like this. Next we went to the spot where two fishermen killed the two last Great Auk's in the 1840's. It was so cool to see as not only was it beautiful landscape but it also commemorated the loss of these adorable birds.
So this is what the Area looks like in the evening as that was the time we got there. It was October at the time and was only a couple of degree's so it was freezing. If I am being honest I was not prepared for that kind of weather. This meant that my trainers got soaked and I highly recommend a warm hat (preferably with a bobble on top!) It was really interesting to hear from our tour guide (Tim) about the events of what happened with the Great Auk birds. I would highly recommend looking at this website https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/with-crush-fisherman-boot-the-last-great-auks-died-180951982/ if you are fascinated with what happened to them and the history of Iceland. After this we drove to the hotel to get settled in. For the purpose of enjoying the experience this hotel was great! It was called the Viking Village Hotel and it was so rustic. There was the main hotel rooms and then there was separate cabins. I stayed with my friends in the separate cabins and it was so cool and spacious. I would highly recommend staying there. Now as this was all inclusive with the school I do not know the price but I would say it is good value for money.
This is the hotel. It is located in a spot that had access to the main part of the town with shops and everything is a drive away which was very beneficial if you are thinking of travelling there for sight seeing and having an insight of Iceland's rich history.
The next day we all got up early and headed off to different locations, this included; rivers, waterfalls, blow holes and more. Just an extra piece of information for you before you go, some of the areas smell very strongly of egg so I would bring a scarf to cover your nose as it stinks! Okay so one of the places I loved was the first river that connected with waterfalls and because it was autumn it was rich in dark colours and fog and was not a 'generic' beautiful and I loved it. I must admit, it was not my favourite place of all but it was still very pretty. I thought it looked similar to an acrylic painting.
Now, if your looking for the winter feeling but don't want to endure a large amount of snow then I would recommend going in October. I must say we did endure very harsh weathers like storms, hail and high winds. But there was some beautiful cold and light snow that made you feel like you are really experiencing life as you don't get this kind of weather in the UK.
Now on the third day, we went to a geothermal power station. We went here mainly because it was a science and geography trip. Now if I am being honest, it was my least favourite place to visit. Mainly because it smelt so strongly of egg but also because power stations aren't my main interest, I love naturally made things like waterfalls and glaciers. It was still a good insight into how Iceland gets their power. If you are someone who is into man-made scientific structures like power stations I would highly recommend looking into visiting one of them.
Next we visited a massive waterfall, that I LOVED. It was so cool as it was so eye opening due to its size. Within this section we visited two waterfalls, one we could walk under, the other we couldn't. It was so cool but also very cold and wet as it was raining very heavily and it was very windy. I would highly recommend water proofs and many many layers to keep you warm.
This was one of the waterfalls and it was HUGE! I would highly recommend seeing this one as you can walk up to the top and watch the water fall as well. This was stunning and it really makes you grateful for the opportunities you get to experience.
So, once we walked up the waterfall we all took photos and I called my mum and sister to show them the amazing views and what they are missing out on! It was so thrilling to be stood just a few metres away from the top of a very high waterfall. This had to be one of my favourite places.
After this we got back on the bus to go to our next destination (yes our days were packed with activities) and this is when Tim, our tour guide, told us a story about the hill trolls and how they settled in Iceland as mountains. If I am being honest with you guys I cannot remember the story but I am sure it is out there somewhere, if you want to give it a read.
We then got to our next stop black sand beaches, we visited two. These were so cool to see as it is not typical at all and very fascinating to look at.
The first one we went to told us that there are sneaker waves that have been known to kill people so you have to avoid going near the water and we actually did watch a couple sneaker waves come in but luckily no one got hurt. The waves were quite big this day so it was very fun to listen to and we all had to take a photo in front of those huge cliff like rocks. (If you want to see a picture you can just search 'black sand beach Iceland' and it should come up.) It was also raining this day so it was quite refreshing to get off the bus and see these places, but if I am honest, the bus was a lot more relaxing as it was wayyy warmer!
The next place we went was a geothermal heated swimming pool. This was so fun as it was four degrees outside so the water was a lot nicer and warmer. There was also a slide and hot tubs which was nice. Although getting in it when there is a random chubby Icelandic man in there wasn't the most appealing. Also, if this is a place you would like to go, keep in mind you have to shower NAKED before you get in so they know you are clean, and the showers are in no way private. This was quite interesting when you went with people who weren't your best friends and you were only just making new friends on this trip. The swimming was a lot of fun though.
After, this it was time to head to a new hotel for the night, it was one known for seeing the northern lights, unfortunately we didn't see them. But I hope when I go with my boyfriend that we will pick the optimum time and go and watch them. Now, all our clothes were soaked so we had some of them dried and we had to use a hairdryer on the rest. Trust me, damp clothes the next day are horrid. We went to bed early knowing we had a filled day tomorrow.
The fourth day started off going and seeing a glacier. This was so interesting as I loved natural geography and glaciers was one bit that fascinated me so seeing this was awesome. I found it so mind-blowing that you can look at how it has formed throughout the years and how this one was retreating. One thing I did learn was they aren't as clean and crystal-like as I thought they were, this glacier was covered it black soot from volcano eruptions many many years ago and can see it cemented deep into the ice.
As you can see there is loads of black marks over it, this is all the soot and dirt filled within it. Also, it's not shown in this photo but there are chunks of ice floating within the water that have been left after the glacier has retreated showing us the water would be mind-numbing cold! As we started to walk back to the bus it started to snow, and for me thats when I really felt lucky as I got to experience some really beautiful things. It may have been freezing but I had my bobble hat to keep me warm.
The second activity was we went to a huge waterfall, much larger than the last and it took a lot of walking to get up there but I was lucky enough to experience a good spot for photos and watching the water fall off the hug cliff face. In this photo it does show the size of it if you compare the size of the people on the path to the size of the waterfall.
Next, we went to a huge explosive blow hole. We had to wait 10 minutes to watch the big one go off but we wandered round while we waited to watch the smaller ones, these too all smelt like gross egg. The big one was the worst to be honest.
Okay, the fourth activity for the day was swimming in a geothermal heated lagoon. No, we didn't get to go to the famous fancy one with the face masks. We went to one that was similar to a pond, I felt like a frog in a pond. It was all rocky and slippery with moss at the bottom and was way hotter in some areas that others. I must admit it was quite fun and it was a warm activity for once instead of standing outside in the rain and wind. It was fun to try out the different temperatures within the pool. But we did end up getting out of the pool with moss and algae covering our bodies and swimsuits which was kind of smelly and gross.
We then went back to the viking hotel to settle down for the evening and try to get our clothes and ourselves clean again. For dinner, we ate at the viking's restaurant where we had a band play some fun Icelandic music for us while we ate and then we went back to our rooms for some much needed rest.
The final day, we started it by packing all our stuff up and loading everything onto the bus. We then travelled to a little path that took us to some beautiful places. This includes river and estuaries and a beautiful view of the nature in Iceland in Autumn. It was so scenic and I loved it. It really wrapped up the amazing trip well and it was like a summary for the trip to get a good view of Iceland.
After, this we moved onto shopping time! This is where we picked up gifts for our families and snacks and stuff for the plane ride home. I just bought my family keyrings and hand sanitisers and a bunch of snacks for myself.
We then got on the plane, now I had only been on a plane once when I was three years old so this was still quite nerve wracking for me. So, I just chewed gum and put some music on. There was some turbulence but it was alright to be honest. When the sun set the view was stunning. This view was so pretty and it made my heart melt.
Once the plane ride was done we got back onto our new bus and then headed for a service station to get some dinner! I had a KFC chicken burger and after the long bus ride it was lush. We then had a long journey home and then I was finally reunited with my mum at about two in the morning. Then I got back into my own bed and slept for what felt like three days!
Thanks for reading,
Jessica-Jayne.
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