Whatever Floats My Boat: May 14, 2018

Today's tour was longer and titled the "Ring of Fire". It took us all around the southwest part of the island and each stop was an illustration of how Iceland uses and is affected by the volcanic forces that lie beneath the surface. It was a longer tour than yesterday, but we saw a lot.

First up, the Nesjaveller Power Station, the second largest in Iceland. It's located 743 meters (2438 ft) above sea level which means spectacular views.

Clouds over the mountains

Steam coming from the earth

Iceland sits astride the fault line that separates the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates and the next stop was the Hakith overlook of the Almannagja fault.

The fault from above

Down in the fault

The valley floor

Next stop, lunch in Hveragerthi. The restaurant was a place that used geothermal heat to bake the bread and (I assume) heat the other food. We were told that all the food had at least some connection to the geothermal heat.

The restaurant, Kjot and Kunst

Proof of the heat

Behind the restaurant was a path through geothermal pools as well as a greenhouse.

Steam from the Earth

One of the pools

A nearby church. The place was right in the middle of a residential area.

Flora near the hot springs.

Banana plant in the greenhouse. Iceland is the second to the Canary Islands in the production of bananas in Europe.

When travelling on a guided tour, you get to see a lot. But when it's time to move on, you'd better be on the bus. I would have liked to explore this little town a bit more. Maybe some other time.

The final stop was another geothermal power station, Hellisheiði Power Plant. They did a good job of showing the potential and use of geothermal energy. Not too many pictures here, but there was an interesting mineral display.