Wow, today was a whirlwind! So many awesome things to see in one day, including a volcanic crater, a geyser, a waterfall, a rift between two continental tectonic plates, a national park, a glacier, a huge blue lake, and more! This is a volcanic crater with a lake at the bottom. Yes, the water really is that blue! This is the "Golden Falls," the 2nd largest waterfall in Iceland. It is not super big, but at its full strength, it has just as much water falling down per second as Niagara Falls. Those aren't just clouds sitting above the mountains... that a glacier! The second-largest glacier in Iceland, to be exact. This is just a small section of it. This is the "Geysir" area, which reminded me a lot of Yellowstone. This geyser erupts every 5 minutes, and the area around it is filled with steam, more geysers, etc. I climbed a nearby ridge to see the geyser from a distance. You get a view of the countryside from here, too.
Today is a bittersweet day. It is sad because the study abroad program is over and I have officially left the UK, but it is happy because... I'm in ICELAND! I spent today exploring Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. This is the Hallgrimskirkja Church, one of the architectural landmarks of the city (don't ask me how to pronounce the name....) In front of it is a statue of the one and only Leif Erikson. From this angle, it looks the tiniest bit like a temple. :) This sculpture is called the Sun Voyager, which looks out at the Esjan Mountains across the way. View from inside the National Concert Hall, which is also an architectural masterpiece. This is a geothermal beach! I went wading in it, but I'm glad I didn't jump all the way in because it got really cold once you were in water that was more than 2 inches deep. :) This is Ellidaardalur, a park in the city limits that is just beautiful! It has lots of trees and waterfalls and wildflower