This post contains writing from Smithsonian student Erin!

Bright and early on July 2nd, after some quiet stretching and last minute packing, we shared our last moments with our lovely specialist, Dr. Dan Dixon, over breakfast (on behalf of the whole group, thank you Dan!).  Whilst enjoying “toasties” and cereal, the group reminisced about the grand adventures we experienced during our short time in Snæfellsnes. We loaded up the van, said our final remarks to Dan and Leila, and began our travel day. 

Our journey away from Guesthouse Hof began with a pit stop at a small cafe for an assortment of pastries and gas. Then, with only the quiet buzz of chewing and Graham’s playlist, the group said their individual goodbyes to the wonders Snæfellsnes had granted them and fantasized about what was to come in the Westfjords. Then suddenly, a large boat with an open bow appeared, and the group prepared to board the ferry. 

The ferry was a fanciful experience that made our transportation to the Westfjords even more magical. The steady rocking was met with views of puffins and mysterious fog that created an atmospheric suspense. Once off the ship, we traveled to our most rural hot pot yet! While most students were enjoying the waters and water guns that accompanied the pools, Ben found himself in the first of two mishaps with the arctic terns- a bird that is incredibly protective of their nests. In an attempt to investigate the bird’s nest, Ben found the tern’s egg in the middle of a walking path and moved it in order to save it from someone else’s feet. As he stood up, Ben was greeted with bird droppings, and he quickly ran back to the hot pot. When everyone was dry and slightly colder than they were in the hot pot, we enjoyed lunch on the bus and began the roller coaster ride to our next stop- a red sand beach. 

We drove down narrow and steep roads that were navigated perfectly by our driver Barbara. We saw the last paved road we will see for days and greeted the gravel paths as a symbol of being “off the beaten path”! We arrived at the red sand beach and stretched our legs with a quick journey to the ocean. We hopped over a tide pool and our leaders explained that the tide may be higher on the way back, and we may need to get wet on our walk back. Without hesitation the group took off running towards the ocean, their feet sinking further into the sand with each step. Everyone breathed in the cool ocean breeze for the second time, this time with stable feet underneath them. The fantastic view was paired with the expertise of our leaders on the causes of the red sand (scallops!). On our beautiful walk back from the beach, the second arctic tern incident happened. 4 terns flew at Venda all at once for no reason! (Neither incident with this species resulted in any form of harm, and our guides have done a wonderful job of warning us about these birds.) As we drove away, we saw the tide had fully come in and the sand was submerged!

Our group then reached our new home, which sits on the beach and is a great viewing spot for Puffins! We enjoyed some down time to take a nap or chat with each other before we enjoyed a wonderful dinner. We finished our night with our nightly meeting, paired with the sweetness of chocolate and laughter, and then were given some time to continue working on our final projects. The night ended with sleepy exchanges of “goodnight” and excitement for the adventures July 3rd has in store!

Highlights from the day: 

Erin: watching the tide come in

Nyah: seeing the puffins 

Matthew: being on the ferry

Justice: napping on the ferry

Peter: being on the ferry

Venda: the drive to the hotel (seeing valleys and mountains)

Katja: seeing the birds fly at Venda

Maya: birdwatching on the ferry

Ben: being on the ferry

Graham: watching the tide come in

Lauren: birdwatching on the ferry and taking photos