We are wrapping up our first day in Iceland, which was a very full day of exploring. We started off driving from the airport to Reykjavik with our tour guide Ólöf. She is Icelandic and will be with us throughout this trip, helping to guide and teach us about Iceland and its unique culture.
Our first stop in Reykjavik was Hallgrímskirkja, which is a Lutheran cathedral in the center of the city. This was my favorite sight of the day. I love grand and odd buildings like this one. It was a great time to see it as well, the cloudy and early morning light really felt right with the vibe of the church. After this stop, we did a walking tour of the city, and I enjoyed learning more about the city’s history and how Iceland came to be.
After this, we went to the Hellisheiði Power Station, which is the largest geothermal power plant in Iceland, making it one of the largest in the world. Here, we learn about the interworking’s of a plant as large as this one, and we got to see a real bur hole that was reintegrating CO2 into the Earth. I loved seeing this process in action and discussing it as we were standing by the machines making it happen. All-in-all this first day was long but rewarding and I am excited for what the rest of this week holds.
Swanson School of Engineering 