Advertisement
The Beginnings
The 2pm meeting time at Seattle Tacoma International Airport came quickly, too quickly for some parents and exchange students who struggled to say goodbye. It seems like just yesterday that we were in the very infancy of planning for this event. At that point, and for many subsequent months to follow, it didn't truly seem real. Posing for the group pictures and making our way through the security line with parents continuing to snap copious amounts of pictures, it really sunk in. We are departing on a defining moment in the young lives of our students. An experience that will serve to challenge, enrich, and inspire them for sure. It's going to be an incredible three weeks with an incredible group of kids!
As I type this portion of the entry, we are somewhere over Greenland en route to Iceland. Everyone is plugged in and watching movies, playing games, reading, or trying frantically to catch a few hours of sleep.
Fast forward 14 hours and we are in The City Hostel in Reykjavik. It's been an incredible day! We departed the plane and grabbed our luggage without a hitch and found our driver waiting dutifully for
us when we emerged from the cavernous maze the is customs here in iceland.
A chilled and fresh breeze met us as we stepped into the open on our way to the brand new bus. It was a blast of life following the stagnant airport and aircraft air.
We took a great tour of several local towns including Keflavik, where we saw a full sized replica Viking Ship. We then proceeded down the road and climbed aboard an old fishing boat. Then we proceeded to step onto different tectonic plates at the Mid Atlantic Ridge. This is a point on land in Iceland where the Pacific plate and the Eurasian plate are actually diverging from one another. This ridge extends the length of the Atlantic Ocean from north to south. Our kids got to literally stand right in the middle of it.
Off to the Blue Lagoon it was following that adventure. We spent two relaxing hours in the waters, spas, saunas and waterfalls of the Blue Lagoon. It was great!
Off to the hostel to drop our bags before heading out for lunch, exploring the town of Reykjavik, including the interesting and old Church on
the hill. A fun walk back to the hostel, complete with singing to check in preceded som relaxation and football in the backyard. Then it was off for a second stint if swimming at the pool next to the hostel.
The kids have been amazing! They are in great spirits, have maintained an impressive amount of positive energy and have been actively engaged in everything we have done thus far. Now, it's time to give into the pressure to sleep. We've got a 3am wake up in order to complete the journey to Haigerloch and reunite with our friends there.
We are off to a great start here, and this promises to be an incredible experience for all involved! What a phenomenal group of kids!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.354s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 13; qc: 55; dbt: 0.0838s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Jill
non-member comment
Wonderful
Love the photos! Thank you for the updates and this wonderful experience for our kids!