We began the day departing our hotel after a quick breakfast and ventured to the beauty that is Thingvellir National Park, which was once home to the Alþingi. The Alþingi was home to Iceland’s main meeting place for anything government-related. Thingvellir also sits along the tectonic rift between the North American and Eurasian plates, which defines the terrain. With many cliff faces it is easy to see how the plates carved out the terrain, even destroying previous pathways, now turned into bridges. The Thingvellir National Park information center offered so many souvenirs but I am holding out to our final day in Reykjavík to finally purchase anything.
Throughout this trip, one thing has stayed consistent as we travel to different landmarks, and sites, and that is my love for photography! There were a ton of sundials today spread between Thingvellir and Geysir, and I really wish I took a photo of the dial the other way, but I think it’s a really cool perspective as well!
Thingvellir’s tectonic rift really shapes the ecosystem and environment around it by creating valleys and lakes and also helps form meeting areas like a natural amphitheater for political meetings, or religious sacrifices with the Pagans of Iceland. Along the fault line rests Gullfoss which is home to Golden Falls which in my opinion (don’t tell my friend from Buffalo) is better than Niagara Falls. The Golden Falls are a direct result of the tectonic plates, and are also so breathtaking. My camera can never do justice to the site views we observe daily.
We ended the day by visiting the Friðheimar Hydroponics greenhouse, which grows so many tomatoes. Four different types to be exact, as well as other foods like strawberries, and peppers. Seeing hydroponics on a bigger scale was a real experience to endure, especially listening to how they deal with the large growth of tomatoes. Combatting just cutting the tomato vines, the system of hanging the tomato vines from the ceiling and then pushing them down a hanging line as they grow is quite innovative. Also hearing about how one computer controls the humidity, lights, and nutrients was the most interesting part!
We finished the day arriving at our new hotel in Selfoss, and I am excited for the day tomorrow! Starting to miss Pittsburgh a little bit but in Iceland, you can see the Northern Lights and glaciers, and in Pittsburgh, you can see murky skies.
Swanson School of Engineering 