Today we traveled to Thingvellir, a National Park in Iceland that is not far from Reykjavik. It is a UNESCO world heritage site where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are located, in addition to having religious and political importance for Icelanders. Icelands parliament, Althing, was established and met here.
One thing that caught my attention was these large cliffs of stone around the park. Our tour guide, Olof, told us that much of Iceland is made of similar rock formations because of centuries of volcanic activity. She even pointed out a rock that was shaped like a cat!
Another thing we learned about was Icelands early parliament, and how they met in this area. One big decision made here was the choice to adopt Iceland in Christianity. Something I learned is that Iceland used to be made up of a mix of Norse pagan and Christian peoples. We learned that even after the adoption of Christianity, many Icelanders continued to practice or pass on stories and pagan traditions. Overall, Icelanders have a very strong connection to nature and their land.
We also visited a geothermal bakery and dairy farm in the afternoon. Icelanders bake bread using the geothermal properties of the soil. I loved trying out the bread and fresh ice cream! Overall, we had a pretty scenic and delicious day.
-Meghan P
Swanson School of Engineering 