Today we checked out of our Viking themed hotel and started on our way to the Thingvellir National Park which is the site of Iceland’s first parliament. It was here that the original 9 and then 12 members would decide on important issues. Ólöf mentioned that the original parliament did not write anything down and instead chose to have all the laws memorized. That is some pretty serious commitment, to avoid writing everything down. This site is very fascinating because it is the boundary of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates which creates a jagged edge of rock wall and some deep crevasses that require you to watch where you step. We were also able to see a waterfall which the original members of parliament diverted so that they could talk to the gods in this specific location.
After wrapping up at Thingvellir National Park, we hopped back on the bus and headed to a geothermal bread bakery. Here they literally bury a pot in the ground near some boiling water, wait 24 hours and then the Rye bread is ready for consumption. It is amazing how natural phenomena like this one were used by the early settlers as a way to cook. Once the pot was removed from the earth, we took it inside, dumped it out of the pot and then it was ready to be consumed! For toppings, we added some butter and smoked trout which was delicious!
The next stop was visiting a dairy farm and eating some homemade ice cream. It is not too often that you can look through a window and see cows while eating ice cream, so it was definitely a unique experience. From here we travelled to Kerid Crater which is a 3,000 year old volcanic crater lake. At this point in the day it was no longer snowing heavily and was instead blue skies and sunny. The weather here surely does change often and abruptly. The sunny sky made for a great place to take some photos and truly admire the view from atop the mountain.
To end the day we stopped at our hotel and then went out to the local gas station to buy a few hot dogs for dinner. All in all I am really enjoying the Icelandic scenery with its snow-covered valleys, and mountains that dot the perimeter. It definitely is unique to any place I’ve ever been before and I’m glad I got the opportunity to go!
Swanson School of Engineering 