Sorry for no posts lately, we were too busy eating puffins and playing in the rocks and watching dolphins and whales and learning about geothermal energy! On the second day in Vestmannaeyjar, we took a tour of the island (holding our breath for as long possible as we passing the fish market...YUCK!!), and climbed to the crater of Helgafell, the deadly volcano that buried half of the city in 1973. We also stood on the windiest point in Europe... on one of the four days of the year when the wind is completely still. It did, however provide a great backdrop for a group picture!
On the ferry returning from the Vestmann Islands, we did, in fact, see whales and dolphins! Upon return to the "mainland" we drove straight through the rift zone to the Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Plant, holding our breath again, this time becaus of the intense sulfur smell. It was pretty neat seeing the spot on the wall where the building is actually splitting apart because it is right smack on the middle of the separating tectonic plates (Eurasain and American).
Today we had our first 'taste' of school in Iceland... in the University of Iceland's cafeteria. Though we couldn't identify exactly what it was, we all gave it a try. What first appeared to be a burrito was actually not a burrito at all, but a mix of Icelandic delicacies.
Anyway... we spent the morning in a lecture about Glacial Processes and Global Climate. Then after our fabulous lunch, we heard about the hydropower, specifically the Karahnjukar Dam. It's not every year that we attend class over spring break!
Once refreshed with a quick walk into downtown Reykjavik, where we watched a volcano movie (which turned into naptime for Tony... and several others), we enjoyed the world famous hotdogs at a hotdog stand that Mike insisted we find... and they definitely lived up to the hype! Spending some time walking around downtown meant getting rained on a bit, but considering the PERFECT weather we experienced on the Vestmann Islands, there was no complaining! Speaking of rain... yesterday we went swimming in a geothermal pool! Kevin, though he claims to not be a team sports kind of guy (a record setting runner), he got pretty rowdy with the Icelandic boys playing basketball in the pool.
On the ferry returning from the Vestmann Islands, we did, in fact, see whales and dolphins! Upon return to the "mainland" we drove straight through the rift zone to the Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Plant, holding our breath again, this time becaus of the intense sulfur smell. It was pretty neat seeing the spot on the wall where the building is actually splitting apart because it is right smack on the middle of the separating tectonic plates (Eurasain and American).
Today we had our first 'taste' of school in Iceland... in the University of Iceland's cafeteria. Though we couldn't identify exactly what it was, we all gave it a try. What first appeared to be a burrito was actually not a burrito at all, but a mix of Icelandic delicacies.
Anyway... we spent the morning in a lecture about Glacial Processes and Global Climate. Then after our fabulous lunch, we heard about the hydropower, specifically the Karahnjukar Dam. It's not every year that we attend class over spring break!
Once refreshed with a quick walk into downtown Reykjavik, where we watched a volcano movie (which turned into naptime for Tony... and several others), we enjoyed the world famous hotdogs at a hotdog stand that Mike insisted we find... and they definitely lived up to the hype! Spending some time walking around downtown meant getting rained on a bit, but considering the PERFECT weather we experienced on the Vestmann Islands, there was no complaining! Speaking of rain... yesterday we went swimming in a geothermal pool! Kevin, though he claims to not be a team sports kind of guy (a record setting runner), he got pretty rowdy with the Icelandic boys playing basketball in the pool.
1 comment:
Will we see another update before you arrive home?
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