Today we started off by heading to the glacial lagoons, Fjallsárlón and Jökulsárlón. These were especially neat because they were a place for seals to congregate and escape from predators due to how shallow the water is. We even got to see one swimming around. He tried to elude us a few times by ducking underneath, but he eventually resurfaced and we were able to catch a photo. Next we explored Diamond Beach which has the black sand and pieces of the glacier strewn across its shores. It still amazes me how beautiful these landscapes are here in Iceland.
After the glacial lagoon, we headed to the Svartifoss waterfall which was very iconic due to the hexagonal shaped Basalt columns that formed around it. They were formed when basalt lava flows in and thermally contracts. On the walk there it was pretty icy so I’m definitely glad I had my crampons with me to give me some extra grip!
The next stop on the journey was to see part of the bridge that got destroyed during a massive glacial flood. It is amazing to see how nature can easily twist up a massive piece of steel. It really shows how we think we can control and protect ourselves from the environment, but in the end we are in Mother Nature’s control.
After this we went to a place with some more basalt lava formations. I even got to climb around on some of them which was awesome. The fact that nature can create such perfectly shaped hexagons all on its own is fascinating. Plus in some sections it looked like a steep ravine which made me think I was in a cave.
To round out the day we went back to the hotel and then I walked to a waterfall which had an extremely icy path leading up to it. It was kind of like ice skating! The waterfall was pretty cool and I even got to skip some rocks and take in the vastness of God’s creation.
Lastly we went out after dark and got to see the Northern Lights! They were pretty cool and I’m definitely glad we got to see them on this trip! The way they just fill up the sky really amazes me. I’m so thankful I got to see them!
Swanson School of Engineering 