Entry 2: June 20-22

This past weekend, I traveled with three other girls to Heimaey on the Westmann Islands. Heimaey is a small seaport village with about 4,000 inhabitants. We spent the weekend walking around the village, enjoying some of the local food, and admiring the beautiful nature. We were able to see many puffins living in the cliffs off the island along with the volcano that almost destroyed the island’s harbor in 1973.

One thing that surprised us while we were in Heimaey was how early the shops closed. Most of them did not open until 11 a.m. and then closed between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Even though the shops closed early, we were still able to enjoy our time by walking around the island and discovering its many unique features. Sadly, our independent travel weekend was our last weekend here in Iceland. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone, but I have loved every minute I have spent here!

Entry 1: June 16, 2008

Hallo! Today we had the opportunity to experience the life of an Icelandic family. One other girl and I went to a family’s house together. It was an amazing experience! We were able to see cows being milked, sheep and horses. We also got a personal tour of the property that the family has owned for eight generations. The family had three daughters but only one was at the house. Two of the daughters were studying in Germany but the other one was still living at home. She was near our age and so we were able to connect with her. The mother was a school teacher and so I was able to talk with her about her job and compare it to the schools in the United States. It was exciting to see how people live here and to be a part of their family for a short period of time. As seen tonight, once again Icelanders are welcoming to all who enter their home. These are some of the nicest people I have met. I am looking forward to visiting with this family again next week. Bless Bless!