Thomas Tsang recalls the recent Geography fieldtrip to Iceland.
Day 1: Thursday February 9th : The trip began when we all met at Manchester airport for a 12.30 flight. We landed in Iceland at 3pm. We then got the coach to Reykjavik and visited the Perlan, where hot water is stored for the city. We went to the roof and took lots of photos. We then traveled to Hotel Cabin and I was very pleased with the hotel. That evening we then visited a geothermal swimming pool -2C outside but 30C inside the water! After the swim we went to the beautiful Icelandic Hamburger Factory – the restaurant had stunning decor and a tally counter of the number of Icelanders. We then went back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.
Day 2: Friday February 10th : We left the hotel for a 9am coach tour of Reykjavik, then off to complete the Golden Circle Tour – which included Thingvellir National Park – where the two plates are moving apart, the wonderful Gulfoss waterfall and Geysir. I managed to video Strokkur going off and it looked amazing!!! We then had lunch at the cafe. Then we traveled to one of many Icelandic waterfall sights, the views were breath taking and it goes without saying that Mr Douglas was filling us with geographical information throughout the trip. We traveled to the next hotel at Selfoss and which was remote and smaller than the first, however I still loved it and found it to bring our class closer. We had dinner at 7pm and the friendly vibe made the trip that much more magical, never before did I feel this close to everyone in my school.
Day 3: Saturday February 11th: Breakfast at 8am and we set off to the Glaciers. We arrived and got kitted with crampons and helmets, I also loved the ice picks; they were awesome. The guide told us lots of facts about how the Glaciers where retreating due to climate change and about the impeding Katla eruption. He also let us chop some ice with our axes and I really liked that part of the trip. We then watched the video of the Eyjafjallajokull eruption and it was ever interesting and I learned a lot. Then we tracked through some breathtaking Waterfalls. The pictures that we took couldn’t capture their true beauty. My favorite waterfall was Seljalandsfoss. We even had the choice to wade through a freezing stream and stand at the bottom of one of the waterfalls. We went back to the hotel for another chilled out evening.
Day 3: Sunday February 12th: We left the Icelandic countryside and headed back to Reykjavik via a geothermal power station that was interesting but also smelt of Sulphur!! I tried the earthquake simulation and it was awesome. We traveled to the Reykjannes Peninsular where the Mid Atlantic Ridge rises out of the ocean. Here was a statue of the Great Auk, an extinct bird, which Tom Cummaford and I hugged and took pictures with. We walked across the bridge between the Eurasian and North American plates, then stopped off at Gunnhevar – a hot mud-pool area with 80-100 degrees C steam (and sulphur!). The long-awaited visit to the iconic Blue Lagoon followed. The Blue Lagoon was fantastic and so peaceful. I also tried the silica facemasks and found them to be very rejuvenating. We then went back to the Hotel Cabin to unload our luggage, and then set off to the Italian restaurant for pasta and pizza. We celebrated Kate Emmott’s 16th Birthday with a delicious cake. That night we all went back to the hotel wishing that it wasn’t our last night in Iceland.
Day 5: Monday February 13th : Was a sad morning, up at 3am and the last few hours in Iceland, the trip had been like no other and a privilege to experience. We had breakfast at 4am and then set off to the airport, and as we drove on through Reykjavik in the early hours of the morning, I already began to miss Iceland, the land of fire and ice had been everything I ever wanted it to be. The plane took off at 8am and the emotions where still strong in my heart, as Iceland became a smaller and smaller image as we flew away into the distance. We arrived back in Manchester airport and I could honestly tell my Mum and Dad that this trip had been the best educational and exciting trips I had ever taken.
And I wish a massive thank you for Crompton House School for providing this trip and an even bigger thanks to my Geography teacher Mr Douglas. Written by Thomas P Tsang year 11.
