Breathtaking, Fascinating, Cold, Fun, Unforgettable: Year 10 – 13 Iceland Trip
By Isabel H, Year 10 Journalist Leader
The Year 10 -13 geography trip to Iceland over the February half term was without a doubt the experience of a lifetime. Across a span of 5 days, we were fortunate to see large areas of the country’s most wonderful sites. If I had to sum up our trip in five words, this is what they would be: breathtaking, fascinating, cold, fun and unforgettable.
Breathtaking. I use the word breathtaking but even this cannot begin to give justice to the outstanding scenery that constantly surrounded us. From the Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss and Gullfoss majestic waterfalls, to the greatness of Sólheimajokull Glacier and the unheard beauty of the Raufarholshellir Lava Tunnel, incredible views were a constant as we explored Iceland. Perhaps the most memorable view we witnessed (in my opinion at least!) was the landscape we were met by at sunset in Thingvellir National Park after a tiring but enjoyable hour-long walk. The stunning panorama we observed offered a newfound appreciation for the beauty of the natural world we live in. And I can say for certain that our camera rolls are now flooded with photos of Iceland’s breathtaking landscape.
Fascinating. Our first stop in Iceland after touchdown was the Bridge Between Continents. Now this could easily have been described as fun or unforgettable but I think of it as better suited to being fascinating. What may be represented as a line on a map, was in fact a several metre wide gap in the Earth between the North American Plate and Eurasian Plates which was demonstrated to us at this destination – which was also a great photo opportunity. Our visit to the Perlan Centre and Hveragerdi were additionally interesting in developing our understanding of Iceland’s geographics; after all, this was a geography trip! And not to forget driving past Mount Hekla – one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes, but thankfully not the one that is currently erupting.
Cold. It is no secret that it can be very cold in Iceland and us geographers were able to experience this first hand in temperatures reaching -7 degrees celsius. I say ‘cold’ though, and not ‘absolutely, unbelievably freezing’ as the many clothing layers our teachers made sure we had kept us slightly warmer! Nevertheless, the penetrating winds we battled against were often brutal, pushing against us and driving the cold air straight through us.
Fun. It is not every day that you get to swim in the Secret Lagoon with your friends. Like swimming in a bath, it was the most unusual sensation for half of our bodies to be almost too hot whilst above the water exposed skin is being nipped away at by the icy air. The very entertaining Flyover Iceland experience felt like a snippet of Disneyland, soaring over Iceland. We also learnt of some Icelandic folklore – their belief in trolls before our existence. If that’s not enough, we were lucky enough to be given the freedom to wander the streets of Reykjavik in small groups and explore the Icelandic capital (many of us chose to instead sit in a cafe and have a rest!). And after long action-packed days, we looked very much forward to having fun by simply hanging out in our rooms at Hotel Cabin.
And last but not least, unforgettable. Never will I forget sprinting excitedly with my friends and many other geographers down corridors of our hotel to the rooftop where we all crowded desperately to get a glimpse of the most astonishing aurora, the Northern Lights. Tremendous thanks are in order to Mr Livings, Miss Cagnino, Miss Motyer, Miss Newman, Miss Lindsay and Miss Gamberini for accompanying us on this trip, for making it a possibility and for making it such an enjoyable experience. Thank you also to our tour guides, Rob and Ralph, for helping us to make the most of our trip and ensuring we were always kept informed on the most important geographical aspects.
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