My year in Iceland

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Study Tour - Alcoa Fjarðaál, Egilsstaðir

Previous night was the last one spent in Skjaldarvik during this tour. In the morning we left Akureyri and went east through flatland, which rather seamed like desert sometimes, with density of 2 people per 100 km. After that we reached a beautiful valley, which lead us to a city called Egilsstaðir. We were to spend a night there, but before that we had a vist to a newly build (by Polish workers of course) aluminium smelter.
Map of the trip (click to zoom).

Valley on the way.

Alcoa aluminium smelter is located in Reydarfjordur. It's powered entirely by hydro power plant and consumes about 570 MW of energy. It's really huge. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but I took some from the outside.

Safety first!

After the visit we went back to Egilsstaðir to take a quick bath in a swimming pool and have a small reception and dinner at Mannvit company. Then we went to a place where we spent the night. It was a camping place with small cottages near a lake.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Study Tour - Mývatn, Krafla

Second day of the trip also began in Skjaldarvik. In plans we had a visit to Krafla power plant near Mývatn lake and surrounding areas.
Map of the trip (click to zoom).

On the way.

Skútustaðagigar - pseudo-craters around the pond Stakhólstjörn. They were formed when eruption occurred in wet areas or around the lakes.

Sheep run freely around the place :)

Boys band near one of the volcanoes in the area.

One of the geothermal power stations.

Mud pools.

Steam discharge near Krafla power plant. The noise was horrible, without ear plugs it was impossible to stay there longer than 5 seconds.

View on Krafla.

On the drilling site.

Turbine in the power plant. We got there during the meintanance time, so we had an unique opportunity to have a look on the things that usually are covered.

After that we went for a walk to a volcanic site close to the power plant. The erruption that occured here in 70's delayed the opening of Krafla by couple of years. Landscape here was very unusual, I felt like I were on the moon :)

As you can see life is slowly comming back on these grounds.

On the way back we stopped for a small bath in Mývatn swimming pools. Quite nice experience, but expensive - good that RES paid everything :P
Way back - sunset near Akureyri.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Study Tour - Húsavík, Ásbyrgi

Our plan for the first day was to see greenhouses and Kalina power plant next to Husavik, fish farm in Silfurstjarnan in Öxarfjördur, Ásbyrgi canyon and Húsavík itself. The trip started at 9.00.

Here's a map from the first day (click to zoom).

View on Akureyri from the other side of the Fjord.

Bee house in one of the Greenhouses in Reykjahverfi.

Geothermal spot next to greenhouses.

Lunch break near small lake.

Kalina power plant not far from Húsavík.

Húsavík surroundings.

North Iceland.

Fish farm in Silfurstjarnan in Öxarfjördur.

Ásbyrgi canyon - part of a National Park. It was created by water melting from a glacier, which coused an enormous flood thousands years ago. Because of the hill in the middle it has a funny, horseshoe shape. At the end of the canyon there is a nice, small waterfall. Also, many birds set up their nest on the cliffs surounding the canyon. Really, when you're there you feel like in Jurrasic Park :)

Húsavík - small town with about 2000 people, but one of the biggest in north Iceland. Mainly, inhabitants live from fishing, but also tourism. Whale watching is one of the main attractions, but in the world Húsavík is known because of Phallus museum situated there. It has a biggest collection of penises of all kinds of animals in the world. They miss a crucial one - human, but the owner already have two donnors, who offered their "organs" for the museum. The funny thing was that the owner opened the museum espacially for us, we just had to call him - this is Iceland :)