3
Location: Golden Circle
Our first full day was packed full of fun activities. We all woke up at around 8:30am ( all being very tired from the previous day of travel) and made a hearty breakfast consisting of Skyr (Icelandic yogurt), granola, fruit, and cereal. The bus picked us up at 10:00am, where we met our amazing bus driver and guide for the day, Rami, who was from Argentina. We drove about an hour to a grocery store called “Bonus” to look at where an earthquake had hit and created a huge crack in the floor. Next, our group headed to Geysir, (Icelandic for Geyser) and arrived at Noon. This was a very interesting place, with a Geyser that erupted every 6 minutes called “Strokkur”. Afterwards, we had lunch at the local food court. We then headed to Thingvellir National Park to observe a huge waterfall called Gullfoss, getting up close and taking some great pictures. Another hour on the bus took us to a great hike near Thingvellir Lake where Game of Thrones had been filmed, getting to look at some beautiful views. This included a waterfall called Oxarafoss, famous for its historical role in Old Icelandic Parliament. Our last activity of the day was definitely the highlight. We snorkeled at Silfra, a trench where the North American plate and Eurasian plate are pulling apart. The water is filtered from a glacier through volcanic rock and takes 30 years to reach Silfra, making it prime for drinking. We all got decked out in full gear to keep us warm in the 3 degree Celsius water. We snorkeled through the trench for around 30 minutes, observing the clarity of the water and the funky silly string like algae. Finally, we drove back to Reykjavik at around 8:00pm and hugged Rami goodbye. Back at the apartment we ended the day by making a delicious dinner of spaghetti and salad, reflecting on what an awesome day it had been and looking forward to the adventures ahead.
Luke Combi