After a bit of a long start and flight delays, I made it to Reykjavik, Iceland! I’m Josh Puerzer, I am a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student and a part of the Sustainable Engineering in Iceland spring break trip.

I chose this trip since I have always wanted to travel to Iceland. I find it fascinating that they have done so much with seemingly so little. After my first two days here, I’m still amazed at all there is to see here. Sure, it’s a little barren and very cloudy, but any time the sun comes out there is absolutely beautiful landscapes as far as the eye can see.

One of the highlights from day 2 was a geothermal bakery! We ate a rye bread that was cooked in the ground for 24 hours (pictured above), with butter and a smoked trout on top.

Also on day 2, we also got fresh ice cream from a farm and saw lot of mountains, fissures, and nature. Pictured at the bottom is me next to the Kerið Crater, which was formed about 6000 years ago from a lava tube collapsing. The blue skies and far visibility made this one of the most scenic sights so far.

Overall for the trip, I’m really excited to be in the Icelandic nature, explore their culture, and see the sustainable twist of life they have. Even just from my first 36 hours here, I’m amazed at how scenic everything, and I really mean everything, is. No matter where you are, there is always a mountain in sight. There is also, of course, weather in sight too! You can be in your hotel room seeing blue skies, then suddenly it’ll hail for 5 minutes before going back to a beautiful afternoon. I can’t wait to see and experience it all this week!