Trip to Iceland 11 - 14 April 2011

On Monday 11 April Mrs Scaife and Mrs Griffiths left school late in the afternoon and travelled to Newcastle Airport. The flight was delayed and consequently they had to run from Terminal 5 to Terminal 1 to catch the flight with minutes to spare to Reykjavik.

Tuesday 12 April 2011
They arrived in Reykjavik at 2am and together with all the staff of Wales they had three hours sleep ready to catch the bus to the Domestic City Airport to catch the flight to Akureyi. We then transferred to a tiny aeroplane which took everyone in two groups to Thorshofn. The flight was a very interesting experience and the scenery was amazing looking down on the glaciers and the sun rising over the mountains.

Daniel met us at the airport and took us into the town. Here there was one food market, a very small gas shop, a bar-restaurant and a liquor shop.

We settled into a hostel and the farmer showed us how he uses shepherd’s dog to round up the sheep on his farm.

We all had a wonderful dinner that night of lamb soup, potatoes and swede cooked by the farmer’s wife.

Wednesday 13th April 2011
After a big Icelandic breakfast we all went to Svalbardsskola to meet the nine children who go to the school – eight boys and one girl.

The school is very isolated surrounded by snow capped mountains and looking towards the sea.

We met the teachers and the school cook and looked around this lovely school. We walked to the little church and went inside. It was very quaint and beautifully kept. One of the teachers from Wales played a hymn on the old pump organ.

After lunch we visited a sheep farm and saw hundreds of sheep ready to give birth next month. It is late lambing in Iceland because they have to wait for the grass to grow after the heavy snowfall in winter.

We then went on to see how Icelandic horses are trained to round up the sheep in this very rough terrain. They do not use quad bikes because it damages the land.

After that we went on to the swimming pool to have a swim and a hot shower to try and get rid of the ‘sheep smell’!

After a hearty meal of salted cod, mashed potatoes, cod’s roe and salad we all slept very soundly.

Thursday 14th April 2011
After breakfast we all went to visit three schools in Thorshofn: a kindergarten for 1-5 year olds, a primary school for 6-16 year olds and a high school for 16+.

It was all very interesting and we learned a lot about Icelandic pedagogy from both the staff and the children.

After lunch we went on to Svalbardsskoli and celebrated the arrival of summer )a little early!) by playing Viking games outside in the gale force winds!

We then enjoyed Icelandic hospitality from the children, parents and staff.

We ate a wonderful meal of roast lamb, potatoes and vegetables. We were then treated to traditional folk dancing. A fantastic ending to our first Icelandic experience.