7
Location: Húsavík
Our group had another long, fun day today. It was an early morning with everyone waking up at 7:30 am. We all walked over to the boys’ cabin so we could eat some delicious scrambled eggs and perfectly cooked bacon. The bacon required some blood sweat and tears, but the Czech managed it like a champion. After listening to Icelandic tunes in cabins, our group got on the bus at 9:30 am.
Our driver, Auden, started our day off with dropping us off at Ásbyrgi, the crater left behind by a hoof-print from the Norse god Oden’s horse. We walked through the Icelandic birch trees to be treated with a sweet surprise, Ovi, the trumpet player. We gathered around and enjoyed his peaceful music as we overlooked the crater surrounded by rugged rocks. The songs brought people together, singing the happy tunes of “Hallelujah.”
The next stop included echo-rocks. As we looked up the huge rocks, it looked like scales. Hiking up the rocks brought us to a marvelous place overlooking the rushing water from the two waterfalls.
WATERFALLS!!!! We visited two waterfalls, Dettifoss and Selfoss. Our first waterfall, Selfoss, was the smaller of the two but just as gorgeous. We sat on the edge and could almost feel the water rushing. This is also where our dear friend Snyder fell in the water. Snyder then had to wear Lulu’s flared bottoms (this was quite a laugh). We then headed over to Dettifoss, the larger of the two waterfalls. Here we could feel the mist from the big downfall. It was a very beautiful, powerful place that no one will ever forget. This was also Jammi’s favorite waterfall (which made it so much better).
Lunchtime was finally getting closer. However, we still had one more stop before: Hverir. Mud pots were gurgling, rocks were smoking, and to bring it all together, it smelled like a very rotten egg. Lulu and I also took a cool slow motion video of us walking through the smoke. It was like a movie!!
Lunch!! We stopped by the hot pots where there was a restaurant. Unfortunately, we did not have time to swim in the hot pots, but the lunch was delicious. And guess what? I finally got the coffee that I have been craving for the longest time. Not to mention, it was fantastic.
After lunch, we made a few fun stops. However, the most exciting event was the whale watching. It was three hours of pure enjoyment. As we got on the boat, we all put on weather protection suits that made us look like Oompa Loompas. Thirty minutes into the trip we saw our first whale, and then they just kept popping out of the water. The group bonded even more than ever before.
For dinner, we stopped at the gas station near whale watching. It was a great meal, and we finished the night off with a quick squeeze session. At this moment, we are on our way home waiting to play our traditional game of cards (bullcrap).