Today was one of the coolest days of the trip so far. Our first stop was Seljalandsfoss. This waterfall was beautiful! The weather was really nice while we were there and you can tell how powerful the waterfall is.
After that we went to Skógafoss, one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland. It was incredibly powerful, and the mist coming off the water was so strong that it felt like rain. I definitely got soaked but it was worth it! You can get really close to the base of the waterfall, which made it even more impressive. We were lucky enough to see a double rainbow at the bottom of the waterfall, which made for amazing pictures. We then hiked to the top which was quite the cardio! It was amazing from the top and we only had to hike a little bit further to see another waterfall!
Next, we visited the Skógar Museum, a regional heritage museum just a short walk or drive from the falls. It’s a cultural history museum with extensive collections showing how Icelanders lived and worked in the past, including traditional tools, turf houses, fishing implements, and historic buildings from different periods. It was really interesting how tiny the houses were! There was a super cute cafe in one of the buildings so I of course had to get a coffee before our next stop.
Then, we visited the glacier, Sólheimajökull Glacier. It was amazing to see such a massive sheet of ice up close. The glacier had deep cracks and streaks of black ash from past volcanic eruptions, which made it look really unique. We were able to see people hiking on the glacier which really put into perspective how big it was because the people looked like ants! .
Final stop was Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach near the town of Vík í Mýrdal. The sand is completely black because it comes from volcanic rock, which made the whole beach look really dramatic. The waves were huge and powerful, and they really sneak up on you! We stopped at a grocery store to load up on snacks as our next hotel is quite remote.
Overall it was an amazing day seeing some of Iceland’s most famous natural sights.
- Aubrey M
Swanson School of Engineering 