In May 2025, as part of an Erasmus+ project on wellbeing, a group of students from our school flew to Iceland. For a whole week, we explored waterfalls, beaches, and stunning landscapes. We had so much fun – laughing, learning, and trying new things. If you’re wondering what made this week so special, just read on to find out!
Day 1
Our adventure began in Cologne, where we met at the central station. After saying goodbye to our parents, we took the train to Frankfurt Airport. After going through security, we had some time to look around the duty-free shops or get something to eat before our flight. After a while, we boarded our plane and finally took off for Iceland! We arrived in Reykjavik at around 1 pm local time and caught a bus to our hostel. We started unpacking as soon as we arrived, but we didn’t have much time to rest because we were heading into the city centre soon afterwards. Although the walk into the city took longer than expected, it was a great opportunity to chat and enjoy the seaside views. Once we reached the centre of Reykjavik, we wandered through the colourful main street and ended the day with some delicious pizza.
Day 2
On day two, we left Reykjavic in the early morning to begin our bus tour along the famous South Coast. Our first stop was the breathtaking Seljalandsfoss waterfall, where we were even able to walk behind the water curtain – an unforgettable experience. As we approached the waterfall, the bright sunshine turned into a cool, misty feeling, and we could feel the water on our faces. Walking behind the waterfall, we ended up getting really wet, but it was totally worth it! After that, we walked around the area and also found a small, hidden waterfall in a little cave, where we could climb onto a pretty slippery rock to take some cool pictures, as we stood almost directly under the water. About an hour later, we arrived at our next stop: Skógafoss. It was way bigger and more powerfull than Seljandafoss. Next to the waterfall, there were 527 steps leading up to a viewpoint with a stunning overlook of the surrounding landscape. At the viewing platform, there was also a beautiful hiking trail along the river and hills. But most of us didn’t do it, because we preferred to be at the bottom of the waterfall and step into the icy water, which was very refreshing after the long bus ride. Also, the air was so damp that the sunlight made a little rainbow appear. It was beautiful! Our last stop of the day was the black sand beach in Vík í Mýrdal, where our second hostel was also located. The weather was completely different there, very windy and cold. On that day, there were also very large waves, which is why we weren’t allowed to get close to the water. Though, the black sand was something we had never seen before, and that was exciting enough, before we went to a great burger restaurant. We had dinner there and then went to the hostel and played some board games together.
Day 3
Although another long drive was ahead of us on our third day, a few of us started the morning very early with a run to the Black Sand Beach. We got up at around 6 am and ran down a completely empty street to the beach. The sky was already bright and clear despite the time and it was a very challenging run. When we got back, we had to shower right away before getting back on the bus. That day, we had a longer drive with only one stop. We reached Diamond Beach around noon. It was another black sand beach, but this time with large Ice crystals in the water and on the sand. Right next to it was the glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón, where small icebergs floated on the surface. Everything looked like it was straight out of a fairytale –magical. Nearby were also a few food stands where many of us had lunch. After that, we continued with short breaks to Neskaupstaður. We arrived in the evening and met our host families for the first time. They picked us up at the school and took us home for dinner. Later, at 8 pm, we met again on the soccer field. There we played an Iceland vs. Germany match, which became a fun tradition.
Day 4
Tuesday was the first day we went to school, and it turned out to be one of the busiest. The morning started with some icebreaker games, which helped us get to know each other better and feel more comfortable as a group. After that, we did an Instagram hunt, where we had to explore different places around Neskaupstaður, take photos, and upload them to Instagram. We even got prizes for the best posts, which made it extra fun. Since our project focuses on well-being, we also had a special music therapy session during lunchtime in the park. It was very relaxing and calm! In the afternoon, we visited the local museum and learned a bit about the history of Neskaupstaður. Let’s just say, it wasn’t exactly the highlight of the day, and we were already looking forward to the next activity: We met at the dock after school, held hands and jumped into the sea. The water was absolutely freezing, but it was such a fun moment! Afterwards, we headed to the local outdoor pool to warm up a bit. We played volleyball, raced down the water slides and let the afternoon fly by! Sadly, we had to leave around 5 because everyone met at the beach at 6 to go kayaking. Most of us had never tried it before, and it felt a bit shaky at first, but once we got used to it, we really enjoyed it. To finish the evening, we all went for ice cream together and then played another match at the soccer field.
Day 5
Wednesday was our sports day– and all about that. Together with our host school, Nesskóli, we were part of the red team and got ready to compete in various sports against students from other Icelandic schools. So we took the bus for about half an hour to Reyðarfjörður, where the matches were going to take place. The location had a large sports hall and several classrooms for the different competitions. We started the day with some traditional Icelandic wrestling. Some of the exchange students showed us how it works: grab your partner by the belt and try to throw them onto the mat. Very elegant. I watched for about thirty seconds before deciding that breaking something in Iceland probably wasn’t worth it. A few people from our group gave it a try though – and actually said it was fun.
After that, we played some games like soccer with a giant water ball, dodgeball, hockey, and volleyball. Sometimes it was school against school, and sometimes boys against girls. Overall, it was very exciting and varied, but also exhausting. Besides, no one knew who had won. But that didn’t matter to us, because we were all looking forward to the afterparty. Around 8 p.m., we all met in the sports hall again – where we started with a round of party bingo, which was a bit confusing, since the guy called out the numbers in icelandic. But once the music finally started playing, everyone forgot about bingo. For the next two hours, we danced and had the best time together!
Day 6
Day six was all about animals, which is why it actaully turned into one of my personal highlights. We started the day with something that Iceland is quite famous for: puffins. They looked like a sweet mix of penguin and clown and our icelandic hosts were super excited to show them to us! The best place to spot them near Neskaupstaður is Borgarfjarðarhöfn – a grassy hill full of little holes where the birds live. Unfortunately, there were lots of tourists there, which made the stairs from which you could see the puffins very crowded. But that wasn’t so bad. Afterwards, we headed to Bakkagerði (a little town), where we set off for another photo challenge, similar to the one we did on Tuesday: find certain places, take pictures or complete some tasks. It was a fun idea, but to be honest, the heat that day made it a little less enjoyable than before. We continued with a „nature walk“ near Bakkagerði– an activity that matched the wellbeing theme of our project and was intended to help us unwind and recharge. For example, we were not allowed to speak for the first few minutes and were supposed to concentrate on the sounds of nature. Later, we should close our eyes and try to fully take in our environment – which was way harder than expected, especially because the therapist’s absolutely adorable dog kept running between our legs and distracting everyone. Still, the woman explained that animals often have a calming effect, and that they can actually support emotional wellbeing. But my personal highlight of the day came in the evening, when we visited the farm of one of our exchange students. All of our host families were there, which was really nice – no one ever felt left out and the parents really made an effort to be involved all the time. But let’s talk about the animals. We got to hold tiny baby lambs, and they were honestly the softest and cutest things ever. There were also horses, a pretty big rabbit, and – the star of the evening – a giant turkey. At first, everyone was curious and tried to get close, but as soon as it moved, we screamed and ran away. I don’t think anyone actually managed to pet it. Later, we played games on the trampoline and ended the evening around a fire roasting marshmallows – which tasted amazing!
Day 7
Friday was our last full day in Neskaupstaður – but our schedule was still full. We started with another bus ride to a wellbeing session, this time a blindfolded therapy. After a week full of therapy sessions, it wasn’t completely new anymore – but still different. We sat in a dark room with blindfolds on while a woman told us short stories – each with a small message in it. In the background, a man played soft guitar music. At first, it felt kind of weird just sitting there in silence, but after a while, it became suprisingly calming. Following that, we went to one of the most fun places of the trip: the Vök Baths – warm, natural pools in the middle of a freezing lake. Everyone jumped into the icy lake at least once, and yes, we all screamed. But running back into the hot pool afterwards was the best part. After relaxing for a bit there, we made our way to a kind of barn, where we received our Erasmus certificates and prizes from the last few days with a bit of a celebration and took some last group photos. In the afternoon, we visited the rescue team of Neskaupstaour, where many of our Icelandic partners are junior members. They showed us their gear – helmets, climbing ropes, first aid stuff – and gave us a tour through the building. The highlight? A climbing wall that we could climb up and two huge off-road vehicles, in which we drove through rivers, mud and bumpy hills. It sounded cooler than it actually was, but we did laugh a lot while getting thrown around. In the evening, we met up one last time for snacks, games, and a movie – Most of us hadn’t even started packing, and honestly, no one really wanted to.
Day 8
Saturday was our last day in Iceland, and it was the most exhausting one yet. We met at the school at around 11 a.m. and loaded our bags onto the bus. Then it was time to say goodbye. After hugging our host families and exchange partners one last time, we left Neskaupstaður, as we still had to catch our flight to Reykjavik. However, when we arrived, the real chaos began. We wanted to lock our suitcases at the airport, but most of the lockers were already occupied. Ultimately, four suitcases were left, and since the bus station, which had more lockers, wasn’t close by, we had to drag the heavy suitcases through the city. Fortunately, Mr Lippert and Mr Balling kindly took care of this for us. Once we were finally free of our luggage, we split up into groups. My group, which was all girls, went off to explore Reykjavik. We started at the famous Hallgrímskirkja church, then walked through the colourful streets and passed the impressive opera house. We also stopped at some well-known sports shops. We also went into lots of souvenir shops, spending ages choosing between keyrings, postcards, and small gifts from Iceland. We weren’t sure if we’d found the ‘perfect’ souvenir, but everyone ended up with something they were happy with. Our last stop was a small fish restaurant in the city centre. We ate and chatted there until we had to meet the others at the church again. On our way back to the airport to collect our luggage, someone in our group turned on loud music through a speaker and we sang along to it in the middle of Reykjavik. I will definitely remember that moment for a long time. Once we had our suitcases, we headed to the international airport, where we ended up waiting what felt like forever to check in. By the time we made it through security, it was quite dark outside, so we spent the rest of the evening playing board games in the airport lobby, trying to keep our eyes open. Shortly after midnight, we boarded our plane home. After a stop in Munich, we landed in Frankfurt – and from there, we caught one last train to Cologne, where we finally fell into our parents arms.
Sadly, that marked the end of our short trip, but looking back, I have so many wonderful memories of Iceland. From the lively streets of Reykjavik to the breathtaking landscapes of waterfalls, black sand beaches and endless green fields. I’m really glad that my first exchange turned out to be such a great experience, and I’d do everything exactly the same way again. But what made the trip even better were all the amazing people we met. So, a big thank you to the Icelandic teachers, students, host families and exchange partners. And of course, we can’t forget our teachers: Mr Lippert, Mr Balling and Mrs Löff. Thanks to their organisation and creativity, this week turned out to be really special for us. Thank you so much!
by Emma Mentges
