As soon as we landed in Iceland, I already noticed some differences from Pittsburgh and Boston. For one, there was freezing rain when we landed. The ground was covered in snow and the windows immediately got wet. The second thing I noticed when we left the plane was that the tunnels to board and get off of the plane were much thicker and sturdier than the ones we arrived in. This is undoubtedly due to the strength of the wind. But after the airport, the first place we drove to was Reykjavik! Our first sight there was Hallgrímskirkja, Iceland’s largest church. Around the church, we learned about many different mythological statues and what each statue metaphorically represented. For example, one statue was of Jotten Ymir sucking the udder of the cow, Auðumbla, which led to the creation of the universe. Another myth was about Thor facing false trials, and his statue portrayed a wrestling match between him and Age.
One impression I get from Iceland so far is that it’s a very peaceful country. One of the reasons for this is because we saw the rainbow painted road in Reykjavik, which was originally painted for pride month in June. However, the people ended up keeping it there all year round. Another reason I get the impression that this country is peaceful is the vandalism I saw. It was very minimal, and typically only one word “Gaza”.
The last thing I want to talk about is the geothermal power plant. From this, I get the impression that Icelanders are resourceful. The geothermal technology utilized in heating water could not make steam engines any easier. Also transporting the already heated water takes a lot of resourcefullness.
Swanson School of Engineering 