Iceland 2002

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Iceland 2002

• Queensbury School

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Why go to Iceland?

• Iceland is a place that few if any of our
  students would visit.
  
• In the middle of the Atlantic it is a very
  special place to visit
  
• Geographically it is magical
• If you believe something is possible then you are
  half way to doing it.

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The Blue Lagoon

• Our first taste of Iceland was swimming in the
  Blue Lagoon.
  
• The sun came out and no longer did the place
  resemble Queensbury

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Day 1

• After swimming in the Blue Lagoon it was off to
  the Youth Hostel in Reykjavik
  
• Evening meals were taken at a local café
• Settling in involved a table tennis tournament
  and talking to the other residents.

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In the mountains east of Reykjavik

• We walked in the volcanic mountains where we
  started to get a feel of the landscape

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Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Station

• It was like being on the set of Doctor Who
  walking through the power station past boreholes
  and past boiling hot pools of water

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Pingvellir-Rift Valley and ancient parliament site

• Pingvellir is between the North American and
  Eurasian tectonic plates.
  
• It is an important historical site in Iceland.

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Gullfoss Waterfall

• One of the most amazing sights is the Gullfoss
  waterfall, which is fed by glacial melt water

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Geysir
The spectacular displays of the geysir were a
fabulous sight
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Northern Lights

• After a great day out we were treated to the
  spectacular display of the Northern Lights
  
• The next day we packed to set of and visit the
  South-Eastern part of the Island.
  
• Our first stop was to walk along a lava tube.
  This is an underground channel through which lava
  had flowed

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Lava Tube
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Seljalandsfoss
An abandoned cliff gave rise to this waterfall
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Visiting Solheimajokull Glacier
Getting to the Glacier needed a coach driver of
great skill as he drove through rivers swollen by
recent rain
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Proglacial Lake Solheimajokull Glacier
A lake forms in front of a glacier when terminal
moraine creates a barrier in front of it.
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An action packed trip, but still time to chat
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The Snout of the Glacier
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Glaciers
It was quite safe Mr Bentley our driver was
very good
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After a night at the farmhouse accommodation in
Vik
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The beach at Dyrholaey proved a great attraction
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Basalt Columns were spectacular
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The group all fitted as well
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From the beach at Dyrholaey there is no land
until you reach Antarctica
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As a result large waves crash against the beach
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Providing sport for some of our party closely
supervised by Mrs Morrissey
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In contrast to the beach we had a fascinating
tour around the local museum. The turf houses
were Tolkiens inspiration
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Our final afternoon was spent in Reykjavik
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Thanks

• My thanks go to all the staff and students who
  went on the trip.
  
• It was the combination of excellent students and
  the desire to get the most out of every
  experience that made the trip so good.

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And of course Teddy