It’s my 5th day in Iceland and I’m staying in Kirkjubæjarklaustur for the night. Yes, its a real town name, no I do not know how to actually pronounce it. It translates to church on the farm with the cloister, since that is exactly what was here! Icelandic is a very literal language, which certainly helps as someone who doesn’t know Icelandic.

Since it’s a little past the halfway point of my trip, let’s do a recap on everything I’ve done and everything else I’m excited for.

On Monday, We started off strong with some Icelandic foods like shark, sheepshead, and smoked lamb. They were certainly interesting, but tasted pretty good! We then went to a beautiful tomato garden- Fridheimar! This farm, owned by Knútur, produces fresh tomatoes for Iceland year round. How you might ask? Geothermal heat, a lot of light, and a well refined system

Pictured above are the tomato vines all growing and getting ready to produce fresh tomatoes. They use clear glacial water and don’t have to worry about bugs or disease. These were absolutely some of the best tomatoes I’ve ever had. This system helps alleviate Iceland’s constant need for outside help and importing. Now, they can grow fresh crops in country and ship to meet demand and satisfaction. While it may have more capital costs to produce, it also avoids the shipping costs. This also of course is an incredibly sustainable business since they use clean energy and can compost old plants. Pictured below is the tomato soup we ate for lunch.

After the farm, we headed over to Gullfoss and a geothermal area. This is where we got the first taste of true Icelandic winds. As soon as we got out of the bus and got our crampons on, the wind picked up… and didn’t stop. Walking in 60 mile per hours winds is surely an experience, not to mention the massive waterfall.

Both the waterfall and the geothermal area were absolute sights to see and very hard to put words to. While I didn’t get a picture of the geyser itself, it’s something I’ll never forget. Iceland’s landscape of both nothing and everything at the same time is stunning, and I’d love to stay here forever.

On Tuesday, was an action packed day of waterfalls, beautiful weather, and lots of adventure! We started off with a drive to Seljalandsfoss, an iconic waterfall that you can (at least in the Summer) walk behind. But first, we stopped at the LAVA Center to learn a bit about how Iceland was formed, shaped, and continues to morph over time. Did you know Iceland has had more than 50 earthquakes in just the past 48 hours? I sure didn’t! But this picture shows just where each of these happened:

Even after seeing all these waterfalls on the trip, it still amazes me just how much water continuously flows down. No wonder about 80% of Iceland’s power is generated by hydroelectric turbines, there’s just so much water flowing all throughout the island nation. We got pretty close to Seljalandsfoss, and even saw a nice rainbow after some of the rain cleared.

Afterwards, we headed over to another waterfall: Skogafoss! This was the closest we were able to get to a waterfall yet! One thing is for sure, these waterfalls put Niagara Falls to shame. We even got to take a nice brisk walk up to the top of the falls for some unbelievable views of it all.

After I got my fill of views, if that’s even possible, we took a ride down the road to the Skogan Museum to see one of the largest collections of Icelandic artifacts. Everything from boats, to taxidermized animals, to little elf houses! This museum put into perspective just how rich Iceland’s history is.

Just when I thought the day was over, we headed over to the edge of a glacier. Seeing so much ice in one spot that has been there for years is surreal. Unfortunately, we don’t quite have the gear to hike the glacier, but that only gives me more reasons to come back.

After the glacier, we stopped in the small town of Vik on the south coast to do what? To get hotdogs!! Those Icelandic hot dogs are absolutely incredible, you might be seeing a few more of those in the next few days. Here, I also took a look at the Mighty Atlantic from a different angle than I’ve seen before!

And finally, we closed off the day with a delicious Arctic Char meal at our hotel.

Lastly, today, after a great morning in Kirkjubæjarklaustur, we hopped on a bus towards Jökulsárlón. This is a breathtaking lake created by a glacier that feeds right into the ocean.

I even found a friend to join me for the rest of the trip! Jaeja is a brave little seal pup who’s really curious about both how geothermal powerplants work and underperforming baseball teams. Once I told him we’ll be stopping at the Hellisheiði power plant and I’ll be heading back to Pittsburgh in a few days, he was hooked! Here’s Jaeja sitting on a basalt column formed by lava flows thousands of years ago:

We also got to take a look at another waterfall, this time Svartifoss! After a nice hike up the hill, we laid eyes on a thin waterfall with an incredible basalt backdrop. How do these basalt columns form? Fluid mechanics of course! As the lava cools, it contracts and develops stresses that crack the basalt and create these beautiful views.

Lastly, before heading back to the hotel we stopped at a giant steel beam. This used to be a part of a road bridge before it was wiped out by flood waters. How big were those flood waters you might ask? Well enough to bend a massive I-beam 90 degrees… that’s a lot of gigapascals!

Tomorrow we head back east to Reykjavik, making a stop at the Hellisheiði power plant. The skies are looking pretty clear tonight so maybe the northern lights will make an appearance! All in all it’s been an incredible time here in Iceland- one that I don’t want to end. From Josh and Jaeja, we will see you when we get back to Pittsburgh and recap everything from this incredible experience.