Spanish visitors in Iceland

 The Spanish group arrived to Iceland after midnight on Sunday morning. The Icelandic students picked up their guests and headed home for some sleep. On Sunday the group visited the staples and Kristjana told the students all about the Icelandic horse. 

Monday the 30th of September the program started. The Spanish students got to see our school before we headed out to see the Reykjanes peninsula. We learned about Gunna who ended up as a ghost and killed a priest. The story of Gunna is one of many folktale stories from the area. We saw the church at Hvalsnes and heard about the priest Hallgrímur Pétursson which was the most famous psalm poet in Iceland in the 16th century. Next we saw the hanging cliff and then the Bridge between continents. We ended our visit at Gunnuhver, where the aforementioned ghost Gunna is supposed to be staying.

On Tuesday we headed up to Reykholt where the famous Snorri Sturluson lived in the 12th century. He is famous for being a writer and a poet. He wrote for example Heimskringla, stories about Norse kings and many believe he also wrote the Saga of Egill Skallagrímsson. After hearing about Snorri we went to Borgarnes and learned more about the settlement of Iceland and the story of Egill.

Wednesday was spent in the city. We got to see wonders of the nature in Perlan museum, walked in an ice cave and learned about glaciers and animals that live in the country. In the National museum of Iceland we learned about the heritage and history in Iceland. In the Saga museum we experienced the Icelandic sagas, from the settlers that came to the country and historical moments that happened in the first centuries after the settlers decided to live in Iceland.

Thursday was a fun day. We got to see where the famous author Halldór Kiljan Laxness lived. He is the only author in Iceland to have won the Nobel Prize in Literature. We then went to Þingvellir, a historic site known for the Alþing, the site of Iceland´s parliament from the 10th to 18th centuries. We also got to see the grave of the poet Jónas Hallgrímsson. He is known for being one of the most beloved poets in Iceland and his birthday has been officially recognised in Iceland as the Day of the Icelandic Language. After visiting Þingvellir we went to see Strokkur, a fountain-type geyser that erupts 15-20 meters up in the air. At last we went to see the Gullfoss waterfall in the Hvítá river canyon. 

Garðskagaviti lighthouse, built in 1897. Was replaced by a larger lighthouse in 1944.

Church at Hvalsnes, concecrated in 1887. Oldest records of a church in this place date back to around 1200 AD.

A rock carving of Hallgrímur Pétursson, Icelandic poet. The carving was made by Páll from Húsafell.

Gallows Cliffs. According to legend, criminals were hanged here for their crimes. 

 

The story of Gunna claims that her spirits were trapped in the mudpools after her death.

Gunnuhver, mud springs.

Learning about Snorri Sturluson at Snorrastofa in Reykholt. 

Learning about glaciers in Perlan museum.

Timeline recounting the disappearance of glaciers in our world. 

At the Saga Museum we dressed up as vikings. 

Gljúfrasteinn was the home of Halldór Laxness, a Nobel Prize winning writer. 

The church at Þingvellir, national park. Þingvellir is where the Alþing was founded in 930, making it the oldest legislating body in the world. 

Gullfoss waterfall.