This post contains writing from Smithsonian students

Today we woke up to a delicious homemade Icelandic breakfast, our last on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. After cleaning up our rooms with the provided vacuums, we drove to Stykkishómur where we stocked up on tasty groceries before we ventured out to the remote yet gorgeous Westfjords. We traveled via ferry through the Denmark Strait where we watched dolphins and puffins frolicking through the water.

We then traveled to Krosslaug (the “hot pool of the cross”), a hot spring-turned-pool where Icelanders have been baptized for over 1000 years. Some of us relaxed in the geologically heated waters while others ran into the cold ocean waves just beyond the springs. Following this relaxing stop, we continued our journey to a shipwreck, where we admired the rested remains of a 1912 whaling boat (the Garðar BA 64), the oldest steel ship in Iceland. 

Next, we checked into Hotel Breidavik, where we will be staying for the next two nights. We were astonished by the puffin artwork on the hotel walls and the beautiful fields. Some of us went to the beach while others went on a run over the hills. We finished up the day with a scrumptious meal consisting of arctic char, soup, and risotto. Finally, we walked to the beach for our nightly meeting and enjoyed a rock-paper-scissors competition (congratulations Sienna!). We are very excited for our 4th of July celebration and our Puffin viewing tomorrow!

– Henry H. & Eden G.