Today I think has been my favorite day we have had so far. The first place that we went to was the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. This waterfall stood out vividly against the flat land surrounding it, with water cascading down, and if you get close enough, it mists over you. If you walk further down the trail, there are multiple other small waterfalls that you can get a bit closer to, which were beautiful as well. At one point, we turned around to look at the flat lands, and there was a double rainbow shining brightly over a small house in the distance that felt very Wizard of Oz-esque. We then drove on to go to another waterfall called Skógafoss. Somehow, this waterfall was even more beautiful than the last one. I did not believe that to be possible, but it happened. As we walked up to it, another rainbow appeared out of the mists of the cascading waters in front of Skógafoss. This one, we were actually able to stand under the rainbow and get very close to the falling water. It felt like I had been transported to a magical realm of peace and joy. I truly transcended. After that, we went to another magical place, which was the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. Being able to see a real glacier after learning about them my whole life was a gratifying experience to say the least. I honestly felt honored to see it with my own eyes, as we know that many of these glaciers will be almost completely melted away if our climate conditions keep changing as rapidly as they have been. It felt like seeing an endangered animal, bittersweet. We ended the day with the Skogar museum, which was amazing, especially if you are a history buff like me. So many of these items truly represent Icelandic culture and its values, like practicality and preservation. Honestly, one of the top 5 days of my entire life.
Swanson School of Engineering 