It’s amazing what a night of sleep and some morning coffee can do! I was feeling refreshed this morning and ready for the day’s adventures, albeit a little reserved about the idea of taking lectures. This was my first time in a college lecture in close to a decade! I was hoping that in my personal growth throughout the years that I had aquired the ability to sit in a lecture without getting exhausted…I was wrong. For as riveting as the first speaker was, I really struggled with staying fully present. To say that I am thankful for online learning is an understatement!
I managed to make it through both lectures for the day, coming out with more knowledge about Iceland, its energy market, and my growing area of interest, GEOTHERMAL! It was a fully immersive day, including a geothermal power plant tour, a restaurant that does a great wood-fired pizza and brews beer using geothermal steam, and ending with a hike to a natural hot spring.
The plant tour was very beneficial for me, not only did I get a first-hand look at the generators and the entire system, but I also got to learn about district heating, some of the new ways that their big investors in aluminum smelting are looking to use their waste products, and the reason behind the sulfur smell in the hot water. If you’re wondering, it’s because they add hydrogen sulfide to the groundwater to prevent pipe corrosion!
After the plant tour we went to Ölverk Pizza & Brewery, a restaurant that brews its own beer using geothermal steam. The process is depicted on a mural in the restaurant, but I found a great article that explains it in a bit more detail (because I didn’t get the best picture angle). I tried an herbed IPA that was created by Laufey, the owner, for a Females in Brewing competition. It paired nicely with their delicious wood-fired banana pizza. Yes, I said banana pizza….bananas, right?! Haha, all jokes aside, it was delicious and you should try it if you ever have the chance.
After lunch we headed to the Reykjadalur Hot Springs, where the springs are naturally geothermally heated. Unlike the Blue Lagoon where you have to pay an arm and a leg and trip over tourists to enjoy the hot springs, the only price you pay at Reykjadalur is a picturesque, 2.5 mile hike in and out. The views were spectacular and the springs were so relaxing. Side note: a blister band-aid got handed out on the hike, mom to the rescue, haha!
After enjoying such a great day of geothermal immersion, I’ve decided to focus on geothermal energy for my capstone paper for my Energy in a Changing World course this semester. While my capstone group project has a solar focus, I intend to also take some time during the rest of my trip to think a little more about geothermal, ask more questions, and decide what the focus of my paper will be when I get home. Since it is such a sparsely-used resource back in the United States I am very interested to learn as much as possible while I’m here.
I had a chance to expand my cultural awareness today. During lunch I got into discussion about multiple topics with my guide Erla. We talked about economy, specifically how they diversify their economy and the tourism sector, the various perspectives of the locals about the lupine flowers, and the recent Eurovision performance by Icelandic anti-capitalist, industrial/techno/punk band, Hatari (if you haven’t seen it, you should look it up – quite a spectacle). I had marked myself as a 7/10 on my survey in this area, only because I think we can always be improving on this, simply by sparking up conversation, asking questions, and being objective. Getting a feel for local perspectives, traditions, and general way of life is always my favorite part of traveling — that’s how you learn that Icelandic dogs mostly play fetch with rocks because of the lack of trees.
Another great day in the books! I’m looking forward to finding out what’s on the docket for tomorrow, they have been withholding our next day’s itinerary from us until dinner every night. As a planner, and self-proclaimed type-A personality, this has been a very difficult challenge for me. I am working on it and hope to use it as an area of personal growth, sometimes fluidity and less control are necessary.
Until my next adventure!
Kelli