Day 2 in Iceland was full of new experiences. We began the day with breakfast at our hotel, where I tried Icelandic coffee for the first time. I was confused at first when I saw tiny 4 oz. mugs as the only option, but as soon as I tasted a sip, I understood that a little goes a long way. Icelandic coffee is probably the best coffee I’ve tasted- very smooth and no bitterness (I’ve heard that it’s the water that makes the difference). We then set off for Thingvellir National Park, which was the original meeting place of Iceland’s parliament. The Althing is Iceland’s national assembly, created in the year 930, and leaders from different parts of the country traveled to Thingvellir once a year to establish and recite the laws of the land. Today, we walked among the impressive rock formations and tried to spot the Law Rock, where speeches were given at these assemblies; although a heavy blizzard made this quite difficult. Nevertheless, this was a beautiful site.
In addition to visiting Thingvellir, we also tasted some amazing bread that happened to be baked underground. The geothermal activity beneath Iceland supplies enough heat to cook food, and it only takes about 24 hours to bake a perfect loaf of rye bread. It’s a simple process: a hole is dug in the hot earth, a pot with bread dough is placed inside, and the hole is filled back up and left alone for a day until the bread is done baking. I found this unique tradition quite ingenious, and I look forward to experiencing more of Iceland’s fascinating culture.
Swanson School of Engineering 