2025 Ranney Iceland Cultural Journey

Day 5

Today we started with Hellisheidi Power Plant. On our way from Hotel Hjardabol to there, we drove through a town that has hot springs in the middle. It is so strange because living near the steam is pretty dangerous. There were many ponds but the area is actually a big hot spring, which are connected underground. They tend to expand and not closing.

In Hellisheidi Power Plant, we walked around learning about how the geothermal power works inIceland. Iceland has one of the hot pot in the world, where is the most powerful area manifesting mantle plume. Iceland have more electricity than they need, and only 30% of the electricity in Iceland is from geothermal, which others are from hydropower. They would use the extra electricity produced hydrogen and export. The Power plant supplies water for nearby towns and the pipe lines are split up on the road. They only lose less than 5 fahrenheit when transporting because they have a perfect insulating system.

Next we went to the Hveradalir geothermal area, where we were all repelled by the smell of sulfur. However, we got a close great look of the hot spring just active and boiling with steam coming out of it.

Close to noon, we hiked in the Raufarhólshellir lava tunnel. Wearing a helmet, we walked in the cold tunnel where we observed the hard lava rock. Four and half skylights, red ceiling are both amazing. On the platform, the guide turned off the light, which allowed us have a real sense of losing sight and completely blind. We felt a little bit dizzy but that is awesome. Then we took a look of the only living thing in this lava—the bacteria. The geologist highly doubted that they are from another planet, especially Mars.

After eating lunch, we were on the road again. We passed the two biggest chocolate factories on Iceland and metro, another version of McDonald. then we all eventually had Icelandic ice cream that we dreamed for the last five days.

In the afternoon, we went to Perlan museum. There we watched a volcano show, crouched in the ice cave that was below the freezing point, and looked around in the glacier exhibition. Our day ended with a breathtaking planetarium light show. It introduced the history and demonstrated the amazing pictures about aurora in the universe.

– Holly and Jessie

Day 4

To start the day off, we visited the puffin beach at Cape Dyrhólaey. The puffins can be hard to find so we had to be quiet and patient to spot them. We saw a puffin sitting on the edge of a cliff.

Then we visited waterfalls. The first one was called Skógafoss, and it was inside a cave. At this waterfall, we could walk through the river and almost all the way up to it. On either side of the waterfall, there are small beaches where you can get misted, and on the left side, you can see a rainbow.

The second waterfall came from a large hole in the ceiling. In order to get to it, we had to go through a pond in the cave. We had to jump across rocks to avoid getting wet. It was very awesome to look at in the dark.

The final waterfall was Seljalandsfoss. This waterfall was fascinating because we could go behind it. There were two paths: one where you got very wet and one that was somewhat dry. There was also an area almost directly under the waterfall that was very wet.

Then we learned about the different kinds of volcanoes in Iceland. Everybody went through an exhibition where we learned that Iceland was formed on a magma plume that came from the center of the earth. The island is located on the Atlantic and the Eurasian tectonic plates. The tectonic plates are drifting apart and therefore Iceland is becoming larger by an inch each day. We spun a ring that made the spherical screen below show how Iceland developed from nothing to a full island over time.

Lastly, we checked into Hotel Hjarðarból. We had delicious Swedish style meatballs and potatoes, enjoyed a nice scenic walk and the hot tubs, and are ready for an exciting day tomorrow.

– Avi and Oliver

Day 3

Today, we woke up to the tranquility of the countryside at Horgsland Cottages on the South Coast. We woke up to a hearty buffet breakfast, consisting of fresh fruit, icelandic sour milk, and homemade breads with jam. After breakfast, we headed off towards our first stop – The Glacier Lagoon.

We learned from our tour guide Katharina that the glaciers are formed from the accumulation and compaction of snow over thousands of years. We were given an hour of free-time to explore the black sand beaches lining The Glacier Lagoon.

Then, we departed for our glacier hike at Skaftafell National Park. On the way we made a stop at Hofskirkja, a turf-roofed Evangelical Lutheran Church built in 1883. When we arrived at Skaftafell, we got suited up with equipment for the hike: crampons, pickaxes, and safety-harnesses. The 2 hour glacier hike was a unique experience that could not be found in many other places around the world. The hike up the glacier was quite a workout, but refreshing with the cold air and both green mountains and ocean views in the distance.

On our way down, the tour-guides connected each student to a cable, so they could hang over a 25 foot deep ice hole. Then, we stopped by the cottages to quickly change clothes, and headed off to dinner. We ate at Systrakaffi tavern for the second time, because it is the only restaurant near our remote countryside lodging. After dinner our tour guide Katharina surprised us with an expected visit to Stjornufoss Waterfall.

This was a beautiful unplanned visit, with the bright sun beaming down on the cold falls in between the green mountains. Some students hopped across the river on rocks, while others climbed the green grassy mountains. Finally, we returned to our cottages for a well-deserved night of rest. Finally, we returned to our cottages for a well-deserved night of rest.

– Lawrence and Jack

Day 2

Today we visited the Thingvellir National Park. It was really pretty, but super windy. First, we stopped at the entrance of the park to walk around and explore for a bit. We walked over bridges, explored trails, and took some amazing pictures.

Then, we visited the Gullfoss, which is an amazing waterfall that rivals Niagara Falls, and took many pictures. Finally, we traveled to the Geysir in Thingvellir to see it erupt in real time. It was so crazy to see that, Hailey even screamed. After our visit to the national park, we ate tomato soup and bread at Fridheimar after we learned about how they grow their tomatoes in Iceland.

Then, we continued on our journey to the cottages. We drove for about two hours to the famous black sand beach where Katie made a snow angel in the sand. After that, we continued to make our way to the cottages. Overall, it was a great day. We saw amazing natural wonders and I can’t wait to see what the next few days bring!

– Maeve

Day 1

First day in Iceland!

After dinner in the airport, we hopped our plane to Iceland, landing this morning around 6AM Iceland time. After getting through customs, we headed to Viking World for breakfast. While eating some of Icelands signature dishes—a special sweet bread, pickled herring and other dishes—we got to explore some of Iceland’s history through museum-like pieces and a full size replica of a Viking longship.

Then we were off to touring downtown Reykjavík. We stopped to see the Sun Voyager statue, Harpa concert hall, and Iceland’s parliament building. We also explored the inside of Hallgrímskirkja, the largest church in Iceland and got to see the Höfdi house in person—all before lunch. After some burgers and fries, we stopped at the beach.

Lastly, we were able to relax in the hotel enjoying the pool, hot tub, and ice bath. Not to forget our impromptu trip to the nearby store for some snacks. While all of today was very interesting, my favorite part was swimming at the beach in the freezing water.

Finally, some fun facts I learned today are that the President of Iceland lives in a humble house without much of a security detail, and can run for office 4 times, totaling 16 years.

– Quinlan

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