Day 2: Max Pepper

Our first mission today was to go back to the big cathedral in Reykjavik. It was pretty bland on the outside being made just of concrete, but it was huge and had a really high tower. Then we went inside and it wasn’t what I expected because it was very grand and had a massive organ. We then went in the lift to the top of the tower and looked out over Reykjavik.  It was really windy up there but the views were definitely worthwhile because it made you appreciate how small Reykjavik is as a capital city in comparison to London.

Next we drove to Pingvellir and went on a walk round where the first ever parliamentary gathering took place in 930AD. This place had a few rivers which were really clear and you could see the fish which were massive, I found this part quite a calm place, which was quiet.  In terms of Geography, this is also the place where the North American tectonic plate is pulling apart from the Eurasian plate.  We were stood on the North American side and we could see the huge rift valley between.   

Then, after lunch, we went caving.  This was good because it was a genuine cave, it didn't have paths through it so it felt like we were exploring which was exhilarating. We were given helmets with head torches on and it was really good fun because you didn't know where you were going.   At one point we all sat down and turned our head torches off so it was pitch black and we couldn't see anything, it was really weird but very quickly our other senses came alive and the noise of the water dripping from the ceiling became much louder.  Also as we carried on some parts of the cave got narrower and the exit was quite small in comparison to the entrance. It was really annoying when the water would drip through the roof and would go down the back of your neck because it was freezing.

Next stop was the geysers this was pretty good because we got to see a massive geyser erupt. Also some of the water which ran off from the pools was really warm so it warmed up your hands if you put them in it. It really stank of egg this is caused by the sulphur; also we saw some bubbling pools. The shop next to it was good it contained both café AND a clothing department.

We then got on the bus and drove to Gulfoss. The waterfall here is massive; way bigger than what I thought it was going to be, it was split into two bits due to a fault line. The water looked really powerful. The spray from the waterfall was like rain and there was lots of it.  It makes High Force look very small!!! 

Max Pepper.

Max standing at the exit of the 400m underground lava cave.