After a very early start most of us slept en route to a snowy wonderland overlooked by Europe's largest glacier Vatnajokull. We stopped along the way to view frozen waterfalls, glacial out wash plain and stunning glacial tongues. Our destination was the Jokulsarlon iceberg lagoon - the setting for many a Hollywood blockbuster, where we were entertained by a group of grey seals and bright blue icebergs, calving off the the glacier and drifting out to sea. We made a detour to the black volcanic sands of Vik where we dodged huge Atlantic waves and marvelled at the trolls (or sea stacks). After a very competitive Icelandic team quiz, we made a hasty exit thanks to our NDHS lighting expert - Tom Williams who spotted the Northern Lights from the window. A vibrant celestial display topped off an amazing trip.
Just a quick update after a very long day...
We began the day driving towards two of Iceland's most active volcanoes and wandering between and climbing 350 steps up several stunning waterfalls. We stood at the base Eyjafjallajokull and watched a short film about the impact of the 2010 eruption. We then donned harnesses, helmets and crampons and climbed up onto the top of Solheimajokull glacier learning all about glacial erosion and Icelandic mythology. After a well earned hot chocolate we had a quick visit to a beach to view basaltic columns and sea arches and stacks. A delicious dinner was followed by a geographical brainstorm relating what we've seen to exam questions. We were even enticed by a tiny glimmer of the Northern Lights before they hid away. Off to bed an early start ahead... Students were surprisingly chipper rising early in pitch dark to prepare for our first full day in Iceland. As the sun rose after 8 a.m. it glistened on snowy peaks and revealed moss covered basaltic lava and the students were in awe. We had a packed day visiting the mid-Atlantic ridge, geysers, frozen waterfalls, volcanic caldera and even had time for some souvenir shopping. This was topped off by an open air picnic lunch in -9 wind chill factor! They can now proudly call themselv |