Study Abroad: When I say "Ice" You say "Land"

Week 9&10: The Adventures of Niceland.

Above photo (and others) cred: Winnie Knight.

Where's week 9? I'd like to know too. I was robbed of a perfectly good week by an evil, conniving sinus infection. So in my books, week 9 doesn't exist. But anyway, on to week 10: mother freakin' Iceland.

Day 1

Flying into Reykjavík was quite the experience. We few over the largest glacier on Iceland and danced with the wind in the sky. (That’s my nice way of putting “Shit was rocky and turbulent.”) After finally landing it was time to hop in our lil Hyundai and make our way downtown.

Reykjavík is adorable. The streets are lined with little art shops and cafes, perfect for our afternoon stroll. Definitely do-able in one day because of its size, but well worth exploring! Winnie, Charlotte and I grabbed dinner before heading to our airbnb for the night to plan out our road trip!

Day 2

Now, I don’t think of my self as claustrophobic, but Iceland made me question that. As we toured up north towards Akranes, what we thought was a short tunnel actually lasted about 10 minutes. We went underwater in a tunnel and I still shudder thinking about it. Why, I don’t know, but it happened and we made it through alive. I’m very proud of Winnie for keeping her cool behind the wheel.

Before picking up Dan and Nicko from the airport, we walked through the Icelandic Opera House which was über modern chic.

Then it was time for the Blue Lagoon! I highly recommend going for the upgraded packages. At least the Comfort package, a towel and drink never hurt anyone.

The Blue Lagoon is super chill. Between the swim up bar and face masks, it was almost too good to be true... ..We believe the pipes will be found soon.

That night we checked the Northern Lights forecast, and at about 11:30pm we jumped at the opportunity to chase 'em. I want to say we waited for about an hour playing Would You Rather and debating whether a cloud was the lights or in fact a cloud until they finally appeared.

It was awesome. They were dull at first until all of a sudden they were so bright and sparkly! Seriously, so beautiful. I tried my hand at getting some pics, but not having a tripod made it a little difficult. We had a good laugh about them at least (:

**About to get real senti** There was a moment when I was watching the sky twinkle in natural phenomena that it hit me how lucky I am. There are so many extraordinary things in this world to see and so many wonderful people to meet. This semester has allowed me only a glimpse into all there is, but that’s a glimpse more than a lot of people will ever receive. I’m so incredibly thankful for this opportunity, and I will not let it go to waste. I texted my mom and dad saying thank you over and over that night.

Be thankful, major key🔑🔑

Day 3

Saturday we ventured out for The Golden Circle. The laundry list of stops include Pingvellir National Park, Strokkur geyser, Gullfoss waterfall, Flúdir and the Kerid Crater.

What's great about Iceland is that a lot of it feels so untouched. That's why when you pull over in the middle of nowhere to have an impromptu snowball fight, you feel like a bad ass.

Rebels with a cause, but still jump when the geyser unexpectedly blows.

Dan won the "Who can throw a rock far enough to land in the middle of the crater" game. Hats off.

That night we kicked it in our Airbnb having dinner and introducing the boys to Dutch Blitz. Even drinking 1 liter beers, they fended pretty well.

Day 4

Iceland is super groovy. Sunday we ventured out to the south coast seeing Seljalandsfoss waterfall, Sólheimajökull Glacier, Dyrhólaey Beach and Skógafoss Waterfall.

After lots of exploring and picture taking by our favorite fellow tourist woman, we stopped by Sægreifinn in Reykjavík for the city's best lobster soup. It was good but the whale was not.

Moral of the story, if you see a big winding road up a steep incline and your not sure if your little 4-door can make it, go up it anyway--it'll make for a good story. ("Life's a climb, but the view is great." -The Hannah Montana Movie).

See ya next week, ya filthy animals.

-Mads