Icelandic Adventures: Summer 2017

Hello from the icegang of Iceland! Tak (that means thank you in icelandic) for keeping up with our blog. We started with the breakfast in the hotel, and headed out for an adventure (a nice drive, spent napping, of course). We started out the adventure at the basalt columns (Gerouberg). We got to climb up some muddy trails, everyone got their hands dirty, but we survived. The top was glorious, the clouds were so close it seemed like we could touch them. Look at those lovely columns! Next we went on a hike to Eldbord. It was a long, muddy trek to get there (with a sheep ladder), but the view from the top was well worth it. After the fantastic view at the top of the crater, we climbed a baby cinder cone (don't get us wrong, it was smaller than the other, but it was still an effort). A group member recorded around 14,000 steps round trip. Twinsies Next, the icegang took the coach to Ytri Tunga to see some icelandic seals. Though the rocks were treacherous, the seals

Phew! Day 4 is over! The ice gang tackled a jam-packed day that left everyone freezing and completely soaked. But the beautiful views and adventurous excursions definitely outweighed the wet clothes we were left in at the end of the day. Our day started after an hour and a half drive to a farm that lays directly below an active volcano. Some of you may remember the 2010 volcanic eruption at Eyjafjallajokull that left people stranded in European countries for weeks before being able to return home. Here, the ice gang watched a movie that documented the effect of the eruption on the locals. Skogafoss Waterfall- The ice gang chose whether to hike up the hefty staircase (430 steps isn't that bad, right?!) to the top to see the view from above, or to walk right up to the edge of the water at the bottom and get a little wet. Vik and Reynisfjara Beach- The ice gang pulled up to this black sand and pebble beach and were completely blown away. We continued the tradition of

Hello Friends and Family! After a full night of sleep we were all refreshed and ready for a full day today. After breakfast we hopped on the bus to go see the Rift Valley. This place was very cool because you could stand on the north american plate and see the Eurasian plate from a higher viewpoint. While at the Rift Valley, we were told the story of the "Drowning River". This beautiful river had a rather disturbing past. A few centuries ago, the citizens of Iceland would put female criminals into a bag and were thrown into the river, with icy cold temperatures, immediately sinking to the bottom and drowning. while the men were hanged. Eek! This is Gollfoss. It is a waterfall that was created by two floods, which eventually carved the way for the water to pass through. Thus it makes this waterfall overall amazing. After eating some Icelandic soop, we traveled to view the Strokkur Geyser. The Strokkur Geyser goes off almost every 10 minutes, many people gather ar

Hello family and friends, we have completed our first official day of Iceland exploration! The places we saw today far exceeded our expectations. Even though many of us were running on little to no sleep from the plane ride, learning about the city of Reykjavik finished off by embarking on a hiking trip caused the entire group to forget about their tiredness and focus on the ins and outs of Iceland. Iceland gang rolling out of the 'shire onto O'hare airport. After a sleepless flight, the gang still coming out strong at Keflavík international airport. Ice-gang eating their first Icelandic breakfast at the local bakery, Bakarmeistrinn. A mixture of sweet and savory makes the perfect breakfast. The cheese on the sandwich was a great start to our day, with its original Icelandic taste.  Mountain view was awesome, and no one got pecked by the notoriously aggressive Arctic Terns. Had fun on the beach, but got our shoes dirty. It