Iceland
Sunday, April 24. Our adventure began that day. We set off from Lubliniec to the airport in Wrocław at 10 am. All procedures at the airport went very smoothly, as did the flight itself. We landed in Keflavik, and then we took the bus to Hafnarfjörður where our hotel was located. We spent this day mainly unpacking and making first acquaintances with students from Turkey and Germany who also participated in the partners meeting.
The first day is always stressful, but not for us! The week started very intensively - as befits a real Monday, we spent it at school in Hafnarfjörður. We introduced ourselves to each other and then we started with presentations about our school, city and country. Then we moved on to the main topic - Equality in Poland, Iceland, Turkey and Germany. During this day we made our first friends and we went on a tour of our town. And that was just the beginning of our adventure.
On Tuesday we visited the main building of the Icelandic school which is situated in Reykjavik. We had an opportunity to prepare and create our own tote bags, use a photographic studio or music studio. Then we spent a great time with German, Turkish and Icelandic friends in a park. We also visited the Perlan Museum. It is an exploratorium where you can learn all about Icelandic nature. You can gen up on e.g. seabirds, ocean-life, volcanoes, glaciers and northern lights there. We were also admiring the view of the capital city of Iceland from the top of the museum. The landscape was breathtaking.
On Wednesday we did a full-day tour along the so-called Golden Circle with three of the most important sights, including one of the largest waterfalls of the Gullfoss, a geothermal field with hot springs and geysers in the Haukadalur Valley and the Þingvellir National Park. No doubt each of these places dazzled us with its beauty, but the sight of the only geyser active today – Strokkur – was delightful. The park of Þingvellir is interesting for its geology, visible reefs and tectonic plates, as well as for its history, as it is of great importance to the Icelanders. It was here that the first parliament was convened and executions were carried out. After our return we had dinner together with students and teachers from the partner countries in a traditional Viking restaurant. We tasted the local food and shared our impressions of the tour.
Thursday is another day full of impressions. This time we had the opportunity to enjoy the VR show FlyOver Iceland, which gave us a glimpse of the wildest, but also the most beautiful corners of the island. We also visited the Walmuseum, where we learned a number of interesting facts about the life of these amazing mammals. On that day, we had lobster soup for lunch, a very tasty dish that belongs to the traditional Icelandic cuisine. Then the students went to the swimming pool in Hafnarfjörður, because you were not in Iceland, unless you visited one of the many outdoor pools where you can enjoy a hot but also ice-cold bath all year round. On Thursday evening we visited the homes of our Icelandic friends, where we had dinner.
On Friday, 29 April all Erasmus participants met at the hotel to do evaluation of the stay and activities. We also did a questionaire about our project expectations and information we learned about our partners during the stay with them. After that we had some free time. In the afternoon we all had traditional Icelandic lunch in the restaurant. Later that day we went to the city centre of Reykjavik to do some sightseeing.
Saturday, 30 May 2022 was an extra day for our Erasmus group in Iceland, so to take advantage of the time, we had planned a sightseeing tour that would make us even more familiar with the natural wonders of this amazing island. The program included a walk to the retreating Sólheimajökull Glacier, the black beaches of Reynisfjara and Vik and the Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls. We were particularly impressed by the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, whose most distinguishing feature is a pathway that stretches around it. In the evening, exhausted but happy we returned to the hotel to pack our luggage and prepare for the upcoming departure.
Sunday, May 1. It's time to say goodbye to Iceland. In the morning, after breakfast, each of us finally packed, then we checked out of the hotel and walked around our town for the last time. We hadsome delicious food as part of the dinner, then a bus picked us up to take us back to the airport. The journey was very pleasant, the flight was very smooth. When we were dropped off to Lubliniec, everyone went to their homes and that's how our adventure ended.
