By Alexa Gorlick
This morning we thought it would be a good idea to get the van back, or almost back, to the condition we received it in. Many coins into the vacuum machine later, our efforts were rewarded by Dr. Heidkamp, who treated everyone to ice cream for breakfast. Our first stop today was at Hengifoss, the third highest waterfall in Iceland. Bright red stripes line the basaltic rock behind the waterfall. After we reached the waterfall, we all took some time to take in the view before hiking back down. Next we drove a few miles down the road to Skriduklaustur, where the home of late author Gunnar Gunnarsson lies, which has been converted into a museum. Nearby is a visitor center with tons of information about the wildlife in Iceland that looks out onto vast green fields filled with sheep. Within the field are the ruins of a 16th century Augustinian cloister. After exploring the property our appetite let us know it was time to redirect our attention to lunch. Dr. Heidkamp told us that the museum had a cake buffet. We were certain this was a joke, but we couldn’t be more excited when we found a quaint little restaurant, with a beautiful set up of numerous traditional Icelandic sweets. We soon came to find out that our eyes were much larger than our stomachs, and within twenty minutes, half of us could not move. Our last stop was at an organic farm named Vallanes. Here we got to speak with the owner and volunteer workers about the productions on the farm. We learned their business is very special, because it is difficult to run a successful farm in Icelandic conditions. To finish our day we had a big bonfire on the black sand beach of Skalanes. This was a great way to enjoy are last moments of the trip with Tim and Tom.
