And we are off to a running start. We had our first two 2 hour classes at Reykjavik University, followed by an amazing lunch at Kjöt og Kúnst "Earth Cooking" in Hveragerði, and completed by a nice hike through the mountains in Reykjadalur to a hot spring for a relaxing bath.
Class was interesting--energy economics and an overview of the renewables. The university is beautiful and, of course, completely sustainable.
Lunch was the coolest. All of the food was cooked using geothermal heat and steam. The banana bread muffins were my personal favorite, but everything was quite tasty. It's reportedly the only restaurant in the world that uses that specific technique. Soups seem to be quite the staple in the Icelandic diet, and cucumbers and tomatoes have made an appearance at all three meals so far (grown locally in greenhouses using geothermal heat).
After we were fed it was hike time. We suited up and headed for the hills. I don't think I could ever get used to the conspicuous lack of trees and small mammal wildlife in the landscape. Instead there was steam rising from every stream and random little pocket you could see. The sulfur smell was present, but happily it was not so overwhelming that it detracted from the (surreal) beauty that we were trekking through.
Our destination was the meeting point of a hot (!!!) stream and cold (!!!) stream. It made for the perfect afternoon chill time.
(The hot stream is the steamy one in the back, and the glacial stream is the not steamy one up closer.)
The hike was relaxing and left us all ready for a great dinner back at the guest house. They love their cucumbers :)
No comments:
Post a Comment