This post contains writing from Smithsonian students

Our third day in Iceland started with an educational tour of the Hellisheiði Power Station, which is the eighth-largest power plant in the world and the largest in Iceland. We learned about how the bore holes extract geothermal fluid and heat it with fresh water to create around 300 megawatts of energy, which is enough for 300,000 people. We also got the amazing opportunity to see the structures encasing the actual drilling sites outside of the power plant area! We particularly enjoyed dressing in hard hats and neon vests to protect our little heads.

Next, we visited our first stop along the famous Golden Circle. We enjoyed lunch at Þingvellir National Park before embarking on our hike. Our adventurous hike was along the Atlantic Ocean ridge that runs through Iceland. We saw the effects of erosion of the Earth’s crust! We hiked for about an hour, eventually reaching a waterfall. We were able to stop for a fun photo opportunity! Then we took a 45 minute bus ride to the Geysir Geothermal Area. We saw smaller geysers along the path to the bigger geysers, Strokkur and Geysir. Strokkur is the most active geyser, erupting around every 10 minutes. Geysir is less active but known as the original geyser and the namesake for all modern geysers. We had the chance to talk about the changing landscape surrounding the geysers as a product of oxidation. To conclude our Golden Circle exploration, we took a 15-minute bus ride up to Gullfoss Waterfall. We had to walk down a bit before seeing the breathtaking waterfall! We prepared by wearing waterproof gear for the intense misting of the waterfall. After seeing the waterfall, we boarded the bus and started the journey back to Reykjavík!

Upon returning to the city, we took the local bus over to Íslenski Barinn for dinner. It’s a restaurant that offers a variety of dishes, including reindeer burgers and shark. We sampled dung-smoked salmon on rye bread as an appetizer and then ordered a variety of spectacular main dishes, from fish-and-chips to a classic Icelandic burger. To finish it off, we ordered brownies, pancakes, and skyr, making for a delicious dessert before taking the bus back to our hostel!

– Bella R. & James K.