Iceland - A Student’s Perspective
Author: Zoë, Flooglebinder Intern
Read time: 4 minutes
Flooglebinder are travel experts and a certified B Corporation with tour experience in over 75 countries. We curate sustainable bespoke adventures that incorporate sustainability, conservation and wellness. As a BCorp organisation we use business as a force for good, and meet the highest standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency, whilst tracking and monitoring our social and environmental impact.
When I first heard about the Geography and Sustainability trip to Iceland I knew I had to
go; how many opportunities will there be to ethically explore the ‘land of fire and ice’?
“I was worried that my tiredness might spoil my first day, I was mistaken”
Having lived in Hong Kong until I was 9, followed by the rural Shropshire countryside, ethereal places like Iceland seemed to be worlds away, especially after two years of pandemic lockdown restricting all and many with conservationist + travel fever.
Arriving at Keflavik airport having not slept for 24 hours due to a spirited House Singing event the night before and our 3am flight departure, I was worried that my tiredness might spoil my first day, I was mistaken. A few paces in the crisp, cold air and I was wide awake and being thoroughly entertained by our local guide, Sigrid and her dry Icelandic humour, which amused my state of slight delirium.
With the focus on Geography and sustainability through a science lens we visited a number of incredible landmarks. One of our first stops was the spectacular Grindavík coastline, where we got the chance to take in the breathtaking views and reenact the opening to Eurovision Fair Saga on the keyboards. We then moved across to the Land Bridge, a point along the diverging tectonic plates that form the epic Mid-Atlantic Ridge. When cramming simplified, bite-sized definitions and case studies in the classroom it becomes habit to forget how awesome such topics are. Standing between the North American and Eurasian plates was humbling to say the least, the image of tectonic plates quickly changes from being ‘slabs lying on the Earth’s surface’ to gargantuan plates of rock that are always moving, shaping the world and environment around us.
The Land Bridge is also symbolic of a relationship with North America. Another aspect of the trip that fascinated me on my trip with Flooglebinder was the charmingly beautiful Icelandic folklore. With pre-Christian influences of Paganism and Asatru, Icelanders have a profound appreciation for their homeland, as well as the spirits and creatures that reside within it. I distinctly remember Sigrid telling us the tale of Katla the hag and her flying breeches, a feared witch who wore trousers that gave her the ability to run like the wind without breaking a sweat. One day a Shepard took her breeches to herd his sheep, overcome with rage, Katla killed him and fled towards the Mýrdal glacier where she threw herself into a canyon, giving birth to Iceland’s most powerful volcano, Katla. Though she lies dormant beneath the glacier cap, it is said that Katla erupts in flames of rage every 20-80 years…
Running parallel to the worship of nature and legend, Iceland is also one of the most energy-efficient countries in the world. It is predominantly powered by renewable resources. For example, hydropower is sourced from glacial rivers and waterfalls, as well as geothermal power which is harnessed from drill wells that run 2km into the earth, releasing extremely hot steam that then runs through turbines, producing energy. At Hellisheioavirkja geothermal power station, Iceland’s progressive and sustainable energy approach was explained to us by field professionals who broke down the complicated topics using practical examples and demonstrations. This was a very enriching stop for me as someone who finds such complex, scientific subjects difficult to understand in the classroom.
“I still get the heavy ‘punch in the chest’ feeling when I think about looking down at Gullfoss Falls in Bláskógabyggð”
Somehow we managed to fit even more into our second day. Starting with a UNESCO World Heritage site, we walked through the oldest National Park in Iceland, Þingvellir, up to The Lögberg (or Law Rock). We took in the panoramic views of the Rift Valley as our local guide told us how people would gather to listen as the laws (that have potentially shaped our society today) were recited; giving us a brief history of the democratic political system in Iceland, as well as an introduction to the oldest parliament in the world, Alþingi (Althing). You can imagine my infatuation with this site, having applied to Anthropology and Politics university courses only weeks before.
Keeping in line with the sustainability ethos of our trip, we visited the Secret Lagoon, a natural hot spring. Initially, I thought this was going to be my favourite destination, instead it ended up being a relaxing pit stop which enabled me to talk to my peers, engaging with people who I otherwise wouldn’t have interacted with (one of which is now a close friend, who I have spoken to every day since this trip).
Following the geothermal pool we made our way to Friðheimar Greenhouse and Bistro. The bus took us through wintery Iceland, there are minimal trees and livestock, houses are few and far between, in parts, it looks as though someone has colonised the moon; our lunchtime stop matches this futuristic imagery. A greenhouse, packed full of different plants growing on as vines high as the roof, stocked with bees imported from the Netherlands. We dined like Matt Damon in ‘The Martian’, instead of potatoes and ketchup we had delicious tomato soup and homemade sourdough bread!
I could go on in endless detail about every destination and unplanned stop we made, however, there are three places that genuinely my breath away. I still get the heavy ‘punch in the chest’ feeling when I think about looking down at Gullfoss Falls in Bláskógabyggð, an incredible double tiered glacial waterfall, so colossal that it appears to be moving in slow motion.
I vividly remember walking the path down to the Diamond Beach and being instantaneously dumbfounded and amazed by the black lava sand and ‘Lord Of The Rings’-esque basalt pillars (hexagonal stacks of lava rock, towering over the beach). Here, I was able to pepper our volcanology expert, Dave McGarvie with questions as our group penguin huddled to shield ourselves from the wind, being sure to not stand too close to the water as the snatcher waves are notorious for sweeping visitors off their feet; one unlucky student in our group was even brought to their hands and knees after attempting a poorly timed selfie.
“Flooglebinder writes a new and lasting definition of the ‘school trip’ by holding sustainability and empathy at the forefront of everything they do”
While we saw and walked through countless National Parks, the highlight of my trip was the once-in-a-lifetime experience of ice hiking on Sólheimajökull Glacier. I was awestruck by the piercing blue colour of the 4,600-year-old ice, everywhere you looked could be the cover of a National Geographic magazine!
Believe it or not, I’ve hardly scratched the surface of how epic this trip actually was. Having done some travelling since, I have realised how rare organisations like Flooglebinder are; the company writes a new and lasting definition of the ‘school trip’ by holding sustainability and empathy at the forefront of everything they do. A career talk given by Ian on one of the last nights of the trip (where he got us to create a LinkedIn profile and follow five companies or people who inspire us) has stayed with me since. Just over a year later, I have started an internship with Flooglebinder after a trip that made me see a whole plethora of new opportunities.
