Wonderful month in Iceland

I participated in 2 SEEDS workcamps- one in the Westfjords and the other in the Eastfjords.
I spent 2 weeks in Patreksfjordur- a town of 700 people in the southern part of the Westfjords. I was there with 8 other SEEDS volunteers who were from all parts of Europe. Our project was managed by the town’s engineer and we worked weekdays from 8-5. Our workcamp’s goal was to beautify the town and our typical tasks included cleaning up junkyards, weeding, grassing and painting. We worked hard, but we often took breaks to lie in the grass on beautiful days and admired the deep, long fjords. On our many coffee breaks we shared laughs and stories with the other locals who worked at the office. During our free time our host Michel guided us around the fjords and we went on many adventures. We went hiking, fishing, relaxed in a natural hotspring, saw whales jumping along the fjords and spotted a lone arctic fox watching over us. We drove to Selardalur to see Samuel Jonsson’s works and to Latrabjarg- the largest sea cliff in Iceland and home to millions of cliff nesting birds. We held an international evening and had the chance to try many traditional Icelandic dishes. The two weeks flew by and we had Michel and the people of Patreksfjordur to thank for making us feel at home during our stay. We were all quite sad to leave!

A week later I headed over to spend 12 days at my next workcamp in Skriduklaustur- an archaeological site in the Eastfjords. From Reykjavik we drove for 13 hours, but we got to see some of the wonders of Iceland along the way. When we got to the Eastfjords we began to see the beautifully carved fjords with many small waterfalls running down them- I began to understand why they called this the land of elves. We were working on a medieval monastic site and preparing it for its official inauguration with the Icelandic ministry of culture in August. I worked alongside 7 other SEEDS volunteers and 5 archaeologists on the site. We worked on building turf walls, creating new walking paths and helped a 70 year old Icelandic man build the stone walls of the monastery. Our work was physical demanding, but we had the honor of finishing this 10 summer archaeological excavation. When we were not working we had the chance to go on many adventures such as relaxing in a hot waterfall, looking down one of Iceland’s deepest canyon, experiencing Europe’s most powerful waterfall and horse riding along one of Iceland’s biggest lakes. Everyday we were spoiled with delicious meals at the Skriduklaustur café and on our last day we had the privilege of burning wood (it was really archaeological remains that needed to be burned) in Iceland for our farewell bonfire.

Iceland is a beautiful country well worth exploring. I had wanted to visit for a long time and VFP even helped me get there with a great scholarship. I enjoyed my time with SEEDS not only because it was a great way to connect with Icelandic life and the people, but it also gave me a chance to connect with people from all over the world. All of the friendly faces I met in Iceland made this a truly unique and an unforgettable six week journey.