Hannah - Iceland: August 21, 2015

This morning we woke up around 7:00. Breakfast was at 8:00, and we had to leave at 8:30. Breakfast was small, but good. There were options like toast, fruit, cheese, some meats, vegetables, bacon, real eggs (not the powdered kind like in Stockholm and on the ship) and tea. I had toast with strawberry jam, tea, and some cheese and cucumber. Oh, there was also pickled fish, but I passed on that. After breakfast we got a ride from the grandfather at Kriunes to another hotel where a small mini bus picked us up and took us to Greyline Tours bus terminal. We got our tickets and got on the bus. It was a bus of maybe...30 people. Our guide, nicknamed Abba, was a wonderful guide. She's actually an actress, when she's not leading tours. We signed up for the 8 hour golden circle tour, so we went all over Iceland. Our first stop was a photo stop overlooking a gorgeous valley. (With geothermal power plants and hot springs dotted here and there) because Iceland is a volcanic island, there really is no grass. Instead, there's moss. 80 different kinds to be exact with the thickest ones growing up to 60 cm. walking on the moss is like walking on a sponge. It's a wonderful sensation. After our photo stop, we drove for about 45 minutes to this place where we got to walk between lava rock walkways. We also got to see a wonderful pond with a waterfall. However I later found out that the waterfall and pond area was used for drowning women who had been charged with terrible sins or accused of witchcraft. A lovely way to cap a walk in an Icelandic valley. We walked for about 40 minutes before meeting our guide again in the bus. We drove some more for about and hour and 15 minutes. All the while Abba was telling us Icelandic folk stories and history. We arrived at the golden waterfall around 1:00. We got some lunch before walking down to the largest waterfall I've ever seen. Sumner and mom got traditional lamb soup. They said it wasn't bad...just very lamb-ey. We walked to a viewing platform. The spray from the waterfall was so great that we actually go wet. Not just lightly misted on. We also got to walk right next to the waterfall. It actually was a double waterfall. After we'd observed the waterfall, we got back on the bus and went to see geysers. The biggest geyser wasn't active at the moment, but when it is it can shoot up to 70 meters. The one that we saw 5 1/2 times still shot an impressive 15-20 meters. The amazing thing about the geyser (well, it was all amazing) was that it would bubble and boil while it built up pressure. Then right before it spewed, a huge dome of water formed over the hole...then the geyser exploded upward, spraying down on the people who were down wind. The temperature of the water can be a whopping 80 degrees celcius to 130 degrees celcius! After the geysers, we went to a little church where the first bishop of Iceland was...well first bishop. The church wasn't the most impressive, considering all the cathedrals we'd seen, but it was pretty with the Icelandic landscape. We were only at the church 10 minutes before we drove for about an hour to the largest geothermal power plant in the world. Ok, I'm glad some people like this...but for me it was a bit...ah...confusing and slightly...boring. But of what I understood, it was interesting how they use geothermal energy. Electricity is super cheap in Iceland, so during the winter months there is plenty of light. (December 21 there is only 30 minutes of daylight!) Iceland does have tons of greenhouses where they grow all of their own vegetables. But they do have to import fruit. They also grow so many rose we that they actually export roses! So, next time you [my dear reader] buy roses, they could be from Iceland. :)  when our tour was complete, we got taken by mini bus to a hotel where the grandpa picked us up and took us to Kriunes. Dinner was chicken, potatoes, corn, salad, bread, and rice. A good yearly home cooked Icelandic meal. Tomorrow we fly home. This will be my last post in Europe.

Goodbye!

~Hannah~