The Land of Fire and Ice: Week Number Two

My first full week of school. I can't complain, at the moment I have one class a day, though Volcanology has proved to require much more brain activity than one would think. Who would know you can spend an entire week learning about bubble formation? In my Marketing Plans class we are required to partner with an Icelandic business in order to form a working marketing plan for them. This could potentially be what I am doing for the rest of my life, therefore I am trying to pay attention as best I can. I am very excited, however, for my Icelandic Nature and Culture Legacy class. We will be going on numerous trips to different parts of Iceland to experience the "nature and culture". I promise, I am working hard and learning lots. On Monday I ventured to a wonderful new coffee shop called Reykjavik Roasters. They make one tasty cappuccino and have a lovely atmosphere to top it off. The rest of the week went by in somewhat of a blur; class, starting homework, spending quality time doing this and that with the housemates. Today is the main reason this post is being written. We went on an adventure! Between the eight of us, we rented a car for the day and set out to explore a little of the country outside the city on a path called the Golden Circle. The three main events were the geysers Geysir and Strokkur, the waterfall Gullfoss, and the national park Þingvellir. Going the opposite way most tour books suggest, we started with the geysers. The air was heavy with sulfur, creating a smell of rotten eggs throughout the area. I have never seen a geyser before this trip and I now think I have seen enough for a lifetime. They are interesting, don't get me wrong, but for about a minute. From there we drove to one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen. Gullfoss is breathtaking. Half of the falls were frozen solid, making the sight that much more majestic. I believe we would have stayed for hours if it wasn't for our hands turning blue from the cold. As the sun began to set we started off towards the national park. We stopped once within the park to see a portion of the continental plates that are dividing. This entertained some of the group more than others. Finally, we headed home to surprise one of our housemates, Janina, with Icelandic pizza and a birthday cake, as it was her 24th birthday today! I'd say it has been another successful week :)