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In this issue:
EYE ON: Iceland
Sitting on top of the world in the northern reaches of the Atlantic Ocean rests a small island nation the size of Kentucky. With a unique cultural heritage stretching back to the era of the Vikings and numerous geologic wonders, Iceland routinely fills her visitors with a tremendous sense of awe.
The island's spectacular geography stems from its location above a hot spot on the Earth's crust. Volcanoes, geysers and hot springs dot the landscape as if the very bowels of our planet were using Iceland as an escape hatch to the surface.
Icelanders have been living with volcanic activity since settling the island 1100 years ago. Over the centuries, many eruptions have occurred in desolate areas without consequence, while a few notorious others have had deadly or near disastrous results. The eruption of the Laki volcanic fissure in 1783 caused a famine on the island that eventually wiped-out more than one-fifth of the total population. More recently, the 1973 eruption on Heimaey, a small island off Iceland's southern coast, threatened to destroy the nation's most important fishing port and with it, a major source of income. Luckily, Icelandic ingenuity prevented catastrophe: local townsfolk worked feverishly for several days, spraying cold ocean water right onto the advancing lava flow, eventually stopping it in it tracks.
Long before the Heimaey eruption, though, Icelanders learned to control the energy of the volcano, harnessing it to generate over 20% of their country's electricity. A tour through Nesjavellir, Iceland's largest geothermal power plant, near the Hengill Volcano, explains how heat stored beneath the Earth is harvested to produce enough clean electricity to service the Greater Reykjavik area.
Icelanders have also channeled volcanic heat into a favorite national pastime - bathing in the many geothermally heated, indoor and outdoor swimming pools found throughout the country. One of Iceland's most visited sites is, in fact, a geothermal spa, the famous Blue Lagoon. Set amidst lava fields just 20 miles from the capital city of Reykjavik, the naturally-heated seawater of the Blue Lagoon, with temperatures around 104 degrees Fahrenheit, is rich in minerals like silica and sulfur, reputed to have healing properties for the skin.
Whether the water is hot or cold, it's in no short supply in Iceland. It's literally everywhere: flowing in countless rivers and hot springs, frozen in the dozens of glaciers that cover 11% of Iceland's total area and cascading over countless waterfalls that carve out picturesque settings around the island. Seljalandsfoss, a tall, wispy waterfall on the south coast, is one famous example. Trails wrapping around the top, the bottom and even behind the falling water give visitors plenty of Kodak opportunities. If power trumps pretty on your sightseeing list, then Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in all of Europe, is a must. Located in northeastern Iceland, this mighty fall is as wide as a football field and emits between 66,000 and 132,000 gallons of water per second.
There's no question that Iceland's geographic position over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge has produced some awesome and very peculiar landscapes. But her geographic location, isolated from other countries in neighboring Europe and North America, has also resulted in a very idiosyncratic language.
Iceland was first settled by Norseman at the turn of the 10th Century, and while many of northern Europe's Germanic languages evolved over time on the continent and the Scandinavian Peninsula, the language of Iceland - free from outside influence - remained nearly unchanged over the last millennium. Today, contemporary Icelandic speakers are able to read the Icelandic Sagas, medieval texts dating back to the Age of Settlement. Much of early Icelandic history (both real and really embellished) is recorded in these sagas including the formation of the Althing, the world's oldest parliament, founded in 930 AD at Thingvellir or Parliament Plains. Today, in Thingvellir National Park, visitors can see where the annual outdoor assemblies took place in the natural amphitheater, located curiously near a fault where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates have collided.
The Icelandic patronymic naming system is also rooted in medieval civilization. An Icelandic person's last name is formed by taking their father's first name and adding the suffix "son" or "dóttir for male and females respectively. So if Jón had a daughter Klara, her name would be Klara Jónsdóttir. This naming practice means that a father, mother, son and daughter from the same family all have different last names - a fact that is somewhat vexing to first-time visitors to Iceland.
While Iceland is half way between Europe and America, it could very well be a world away. Contact ale@cqtours.com to find out how you can organize an educational travel program to this unique and wondrous country.
Contact ale@cqtours.com to find out how you can organize an educational travel program to this unique and wondrous country.
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CQ Capers
Teachers Only Tour to Ecuador: June 26 — July 4, 2008
There's still time to join Culture Quest's very first Teacher's Only Tour, a new program designed to give educators an intimate look at contemporary social issues affecting countries around the world.
In summer 2008, CQ will debut its Teacher's Only Tour Series in Ecuador, This smallest of Andean nations brims with wonders fit for a giant: ruins from ancient civilizations, glorious 15th-Century Spanish architecture and majestic Andean peaks. Yet despite these riches, Ecuador is a country plagued by vast economic inequities between social classes.
Explore this phenomenon as you meet representatives from Ecuador's educational, governmental and nonprofit sectors who will shine a light on contemporary social issues facing the country like the housing crisis in Quito, child and animal welfare policies and Latin America's most important indigenous movement. You'll also enjoy a special reception with residents of Ambatillo, a remote Andean village where life has practically been untouched by modernity.
Space is limited, so contact us at info@cqtours.com for a detailed itinerary and to make a reservation on this unique program.
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Teachers Talk
Marianne Master
Dear Barbara,
Thanks so much for your note! Over all, the trip went very well. The kids really liked the tour guides we worked with, and (our Roman Britannia) itinerary was excellent. The only "snag" we hit was that hotel we stayed at (in London). The different staff members communicated very poorly with each other (causing confusion with our reservation). It is clear to me that the hotel was at fault, but I thought you should know in case you plan to use this hotel in the future.
Thanks again for all your help. I continue to be very satisfied with your company and will definitely be in touch the next time I plan a trip.
Best regards,
Marianne Master
Foreign Language Department Chair
William Penn Charter School
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Travel Tidbits
Volcanoes You Can Visit
If you're an earth sciences teacher, you've, no doubt, shown your class one of those timeless volcano documentaries featuring red-hot lava flows advancing mercilessly toward the sea. Perhaps you've even erupted your own baking soda volcano to the "oohs" and "ahhs" of your bedazzled students. But nothing will demonstrate the power of a volcano more than a face-to-face meeting with one. Consider taking your students into the field, because a visit to one of these active infernos will surely make for a smoking science trip!
ARENAL VOLCANO - Costa Rica
The conical Arenal Volcano is the youngest and most active mountain in all of Costa Rica. Once believed to be dormant, the volcano erupted in 1968, killing 87 people and destroying nearby towns and agricultural fields. Ever since, Arenal has erupted every day with small trails of red lava streaming down its sides every few minutes. You can observe Arenal while relaxing in the thermal waters of the Tabacon Hot Springs, located at the volcano's foot.
COTOPAXI VOLCANO - Ecuador
Cotopaxi, the world's highest active volcano, plays the starring role in Ecuador's Avenue of the Volcanoes. Reaching almost 20,000 feet into the sky, its perfect, cone-shaped mountaintop is clearly visible from the capital city of Quito and is topped with one of the world's rare equatorial glaciers.
KILAUEA - Hawaii
Located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, Kilauea Volcano is the world's most active volcano, erupting non-stop since January 3, 1983. Viewed from a safe distance at dusk, Kilauea's spectacular show includes glowing lava flowing straight from the volcano into the sea and plumes of steam shooting several hundred feet into the air.
MOUNT HEKLA - Iceland
Who would have known that the "Gateway to Hell" was located on the peaceful island nation of Iceland? Mount Hekla, a volcanic fissure 3.4 miles long, rests in the southern part of Iceland in the ash-blanketed Thjorsadalur Valley. Just 90 minutes away from Reykjavik, Hekla is Iceland's most active volcano, erupting last in 2000.
MOUNT VESUVIUS - Italy
Located about six miles east of Naples, Mount Vesuvius is one of the world's most famous volcanoes. Its grand eruption in the year 79 AD buried many of the Roman towns around it, including Pompeii, and killed 2,000 people. Vesuvius has been dormant since 1944, but volcanologists think it might become active again. Most of the 4100-foot Vesuvius is accessible by coach, allowing you to drive practically up to the top for a sneak peek into the crater.
SOUFRIERE HILLS VOLCANO - Montserrat
In 1995, after 400 years of dormancy, the Soufriere Hills Volcano began erupting on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat, eventually wiping out the capital of Plymouth and sending two-thirds of the population fleeing. Plymouth is now a modern-day Pompeii and a specially guided visit through this former colonial city provides a unique opportunity to observe the destructive forces behind a volcanic eruption up close and personally.
Contact us today to help you organize a student tour to many of these amazing places.
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Multicultural Corner
Art of Community Service - Summer 2008
This summer, Culture Quest's non-profit sister organization, the Multicultural Youth eXchange, will embark on its 4th season of Art of Community Service trips, returning to the Ecuadorian Andes for a second year and organizing its first domestic trip on the Navajo Nation of Arizona. ACS is a unique program that pairs American high school students with their youth peers from diverse and developing communities as they collaborate on an art-based, community-service project.
NAVAJO NATION, ARIZONA
June 23 - July 5, 2008
$1195 pp + airfare
The Navajo Nation, with territory throughout Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, is truly a nation within a nation. Ancient civilizations are preserved both in the ancestral ruins and traditional ceremonies that are still practiced today against the backdrop of the majestic Painted Desert. MYX participants will work with Navajo teens to enhance the local youth community center, while experiencing Navajo culture first-hand.
AMBATILLO, ECUADOR
July 4 - 16, 2008
$1495 pp + airfare
Located in the heart of Ecuador's Andean Highlands, the village of Ambatillo is home to a culturally-rich, indigenous people who, unfortunately, live in poverty and isolation. In partnership with Experiential Living Ecuadorian Program (ELEP), MYX has been welcomed into this community to help local students reinvigorate their school building through mural painting and light renovations.
Both ACS trips are open to high school students nationwide, and no foreign language skills or art experience is necessary. Each trip is limited to 15 participants, and enrollment is first-come, first served.
Contact Faye Kendall on 215-923-1415 ext. 2 or faye@myxworld.org or visit MYX's website for more information.
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Spring 2008