Viking games at Thingvellir - Geysir – Gullfoss

The supertrucks will pick the group up at the hotel and we start by driving to Thingvellir National Park.  On the way to Thingvellir, the participants get an envelope with the FUÞARK key (the runic alphabet) and a name tag and make themselves nametags in runes.  Thingvellir is a historical sight where the Icelandic parliament was founded in the 10th century and where it was held for several centuries.  It also has high geological interest since in Thingvellir you can see a part of the mid Atlantic rift where various cracks and fissures have opened in the earth crust.  In the past Thingvellir was also a place of celebration; of games and competitions.  Now your strength and skills will be put to the test to see if you can measure up to the Vikings in special Viking games.  Arriving at Thingvellir, the participants are greeted by Vikings who will guide them through the challenges that lie ahead. Each participant will get a Viking cape to wear during the games to set the right atmosphere and the group is divided into teams.  In order to ensure that the teams find their Viking spirit they make a toast in “Viking Blood” served in sheep’s horns (participants keep them as souvenirs) and thus become “blood brothers/sisters”. 
And then it is time for the games to begin.   Each team member has to participate in the following events:

- Strongest man: Our world strongest Viking has taken out his gear to test participants’ strength.

- Log carrying relay: The Vikings had no machinery to move things about.  If they wanted something moved, they carried it themselves.  The goal of this game is to carry two logs as fast as you can.

-Bows and arrows: Target shooting. One of the Viking weapons was the bow and arrow. No real Viking would miss the target.

- Land Rover pulling: The Vikings pulled their langskip (long boats) upon the shores. We substitute those with more modern mode of transport and pull our Land Rovers.

- Sledgehammer throwing: throw the sledgehammer as far as you can.  To get the best results, you should not hesitate to let out a good Viking scream !

At the end of the competition the winning team will be awarded a special Viking prize!

After this Viking experience, we continue to the famous geothermal area of Geysir and we take a walk around the numerous hot springs that are boiling and bubbling and of course we will see the Strokkur hot spring that ejects its water column high into the air every 5 – 10 minutes or so.
To complete the day, we drive to the great Gullfoss Waterfall located nearby.  This is without a doubt one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Iceland.