After months of anticipation the wait was finally over. With bags packed we got to school for 6:30am, much to the dismay of those who aren’t “morning people”. A four hour plane journey later and we had arrived at Keflavík Airport. Iceland – the Land of Fire and Ice – lived up to all expectations. We were first greeted by the warm and luxurious Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa, one of the 25 wonders of the world; and a wonder it was! The 40°C waters made for a relaxing start to a wonderful trip.

Day two was packed filled with activities; however the two that stood out were the visit to Seljalandsfoss Waterfall and Sólheimajökull Glacier. We hopped on the coach out of Reykjavik and visited the waterfall in as much waterproof clothing as we could get our hands on; we walked up and behind the waterfall to take some absolutely stunning photos. Beautifully violent would be the only way to describe the view – it made the group realise just how incredible the world is outside of Burnham.

Following the waterfall, and a change of clothes, we headed to the glacier, proving Iceland deserves the title of “land of fire and ice” – unfortunately no fire was in sight whilst we were there, however ice was in surplus and it was breathtaking. The glacier has a thickness of 250 metres and the core is 200 metre thick making for such incredible photos. With aching feet and lots of yawning we made our way back to the hotel for a nice dinner and an early night waiting for what the following day had in store.

Day three came with plenty of moody faces and half awake responses as we got ready for another jam packed day. We started the day with a brisk 45 minute walk to see the Sólheimasandur Plane Crash wreckage from 1973. The vision was surreal, after running out of fuel the plane had an emergency landing on the beach and the remains have been there ever since. We followed this with a trip to Gullfoss Waterfall, part of the Golden Circle Tour. The water plummets down 32 metres and is fed by Langjökull, Iceland’s second largest Glacier. Jaws dropped to the floor we reluctantly got back on the coach to one last stop of the day, The Great Geysir. This geyser stopped spouting in 1916 unfortunately, but its neighbour Strokkur spouts water every few minutes at a height of between 10-40m. The phenomenal height of the water jet came with plenty of “ooo”ing and “aah”ing.

Our final day consisted of a trip to Thingvellir, home to the bridge between the two continents, Europe and North America. We took plenty of photos and climbed the rock faces before jumping back on the bus and heading to the airport to go home. Experiencing Iceland and its beauty made for one of the most interesting, breathtaking and compelling trips. Lastly, without Mr Banin, Mr Bainbridge and Mrs Donnelly this trip would not have been possible so a warm thank you from us all for organising such a fantastic time.

By Charlotte Flower, K3