The End of University / Berlin / MetSoc 2016

So last time I posted anything was back in March. I'm really terrible at this, it seems. Anyway, let's have a quick update on things.

• I completed my MGeol thesis, which was entitled "Monomict Eucrites: A Comparative Petrology from Scanning Electron Microscopy". You can read about it in more detail here, but basically I compared 6 meteorite samples that are classified as the same type of rock and found a load of differences between them.
• The presentation also went fine even though I didn't feel all that prepared for it. I got some very good feedback which was lovely.
• Final mark for the thesis report = First Class
• Final overall degree mark = First Class

Safe to say I'm very proud of myself.

The past four years of university have definitely had their ups and downs, but it's been a wonderful time. I've made some truly brilliant friends and that chance to be taught and study alongside experts is an experience that I'll treasure forever. I somehow ended up studying one of my original passions and I wouldn't change it for the world. I'll admit, student life is really damn hard. You have no money, no hobbies, and not enough time to study and maintain a decent social life, but for me it was worth it. 

Swiftly moving on to something much more interesting (maybe)...

I'm currently in Berlin! 

Berlin Victory Column, Tiergarten

I'm here to attend the 79th annual meeting of the Meteoritical Society, which is made up of researchers across the world who study meteorites in all their forms. It's a five day conference, but I booked a few extra days at the hotel so I could be a tourist and have a break from life at home. I managed to get to Tiergarten yesterday before the thunder storm arrived, and had a rather good sandwich made of salami, cheese, and mayonnaise - not a combination I'd ever considered but would recommend.

Rosengarten, Tiergarten

So, what will I be doing here?

Mostly, just attending talks (which start at 08:30 for some god awful reason) and trying to navigate my way around the city without knowing a single word of German. I did Spanish at school. It has never once come in handy. Other than that, I will be presenting some of my findings from my thesis in poster form along with a load of other researchers.

It's quite intimidating, really. I'm painfully aware that these people know so much compared to me and have been working in the field for years (if not decades). I've recognised a load of names from various papers that I've read, but my adviser has promised to introduce me to as many people as possible. I'm hoping to network and hand out a few CVs, but mostly to gain contacts in case anyone has a PhD in the works. Apparently most people in meteoritics are hired based on personal recommendation, so it helps if you know a lot of people.

We'll see how it goes. I've gotten the hang of the trains here, but I still get lost in the streets.

Once I'm back in England, I get to start work at the university as a "research associate" and get paid on a research bursary. The plan is to learn a new technique to go along with scanning electron microscopy, and to look at a wider range of meteorite types. I'm hoping to get a paper published, which would massively help with getting a PhD position (or applying for more senior positions in industry). 

I'm looking forwards to it. The past year at university has really taught me that I belong in academia and that research is my forte. I hope to be able to continue my studies, but I'm making several back up plans in case it doesn't work out.

So, that's that. 

I'm hoping to write a daily (or every other day) post about the MetSoc meeting that I'm in Berlin for. It'll be an interesting experience - I've never been to a conference before, and I'll be there as an undergraduate student too. I'm sure it'll be fine. I just need to be brave!

Iceland 4.0 - Into the Heart of a Glacier

I got back from my 4th trip to Iceland on Thursday. This was my first time visiting the country in winter, and my first time on this section of the coast road, although it was only a very short holiday. In short, it was beautiful. The rest of this post will go over it in a little more detail, and hopefully the photos will be able to express some of the wonderful things that I have seen.

My tour was organised through Discover the World, who I generally highly recommend but unfortunately this time I had a few issues. Nothing too major, but it caused me a bit of stress that I could have done without. I flew out from Heathrow T2 on Monday and landed at Keflavík airport mid-afternoon. Keflavík is Iceland's international airport, and is about an hour away by coach from the capital city Reykjavík. The coaches, taxis, and minibuses are right outside the entrance/exit, and you can easily buy tickets for them just before you leave the airport building. 

I spent my first night in Reykjavík at Hótel Klettur I'd highly recommend it as a hotel. It's an easy walk to the high street and is near to the motorway in and out of the city so it is very accessible. The rooms are nice and spacious, and are always clean. I've stayed there on previous trips, and have never had any problems with them. The staff are lovely and incredibly helpful (as I found out when I had to book a taxi to the airport in a hurry on my way home).

Rather than eating in the hotel restaurant, I had a quick walk along the high street and decided to eat at the Old Iceland Restaurant. It's quite small, but they were able to seat me with no problems. The menu has a good range of Icelandic and fusion dishes, and it is really well priced. I went for the Icelandic seafood soup, which was delicious and had properly large chunks of fish. There's something very comforting about traditional Icelandic food for me (excluding fermented shark), as it isn't overly fancy, but is incredibly tasty and filling.

On the Tuesday, I was picked up from my hotel by my tour guide Kristian from Arctic Adventures and the rest of the group I'd be travelling with. We drove out of the city to our first stop - Seljalandsfoss.

Seljalandsfoss is a 65m waterfall that drops over the old coastline of Iceland. During the last Ice Age, the weight of the ice over Iceland weighed it down. When it melted, the country lifted which means that the old coastal cliffs are now inland and very high, so there are lots of waterfalls. You can actually walk behind Seljalandsfoss, but only if you're prepared to get wet! When I was there, the path was far too icy to do it safely although a few people did manage it. The following photos are of the waterfall and the scenery that you can see from it.

Next was Skógafoss, another waterfall a little further up the coast. 

Skógafoss is similar to Seljalandsfoss in that it falls over the old sea cliffs, but you can't walk behind this one and it is much wider and a little shorter. Either way, I think it is much more impressive, and has featured in Sólstafir's "Fjara", Thor, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The river comes from the Eyjafjallajökull glacier, which is an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull and was put on the map after the volcano beneath it erupted in 2010.

The last stop of the day was Reynisfjara - a black sand/pebble beach with a cave of lava columns called Hálsanefshellir. Reynisfjara is the southernmost beach in Iceland, and is notorious for sweeping tourists out to sea. There are also a set of stacks a little out to sea that are known as Reynisdangar, and are made of two trolls and a 3-masted ship according to legend. 

From the beach, you can also get a really good view of the mountains and the glacier inland. I was fortunate that we had good weather when I was there, and we were at the beach near sunset so the light on the snow was really pretty.

We stayed in Hótel Skaftafell for the night and had a really good meal there. Unfortunately, there were no Northern Lights, so I was able to get an early night after watching a bit of the handball match that our guide had told us about. It's a silly game, really, but it's quite entertaining. Anyway, because we arrived a night we didn't know what the area around the hotel looked like until the sun came up at around 10am the next morning (Wednesday). Apparently, the hotel is surrounded by mountains, and dawn was really rather lovely.

Wednesday was the day I'd most been looking forwards to because we got to go to the famous glacial lagoon. 

Jökulsárlón is perhaps the most beautiful place that I've ever been to. It is a lagoon formed from the retreat of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier - another outlet of Vatnajökull - and is nearly 250m deep! The ice breaks off from the glacier and floats as ice bergs through the lagoon, before making its way to the beach. Jökulsárlón is stunning, and definitely worth a visit if you have time. If you're lucky, you can even see seals swimming in it.

At around 11am, we met up with a different tour guide for our next stop. This time, it was Nick from Glacier Guides, who took us up to an ice cave in the Vatnajökull glacier. We got there by an Icelandified minibus, which effectively is a minibus with a bigger engine and massive wheels. I'm a big fan of the super jeep and it's extended family, so I was really rather happy.

The ice cave has a very ethereal beauty, and is completely natural. The only man-made addition was a rope to help you get down into it, and a spade used to clear the snow out when needed. These caves form in the summer when the melt water leaves the glacier as a river. In the winter, the glacier isn't melting (at least not as much), so it is sometimes possible to access them. Please don't go hunting for them by yourself though!

Anyway, the ice in the glacier is blue because it is so compacted that the vast majority of the air in it has been pushed out. It is wonderful to experience, and really quite surreal. In the cave, you can see small pebbles and bands of ash, dirt, dust, and gravel that have been caught in the ice during the glacier's development and movement.

Once we were done at the cave, we rejoined our original guide at the lagoon before crossing the road to go to the ice beach at the end of Jökulsárlón. 

The ice bergs in the lagoon never really make it out to sea because they are washed back onto shore by the waves. Also, at low tide the flow of the river out of the lagoon reverses, so some of the ice bergs are swept back up into the lagoon. The beach itself is beautiful as well, and much safer than Reynisfjara (provided you don't go clambering too near the water's edge). We were there as the sun was setting, and thanks to the cloud the light was really soft and incredibly atmospheric.

The last proper stop of the tour was Fjaðrárgljúfur - a 100m deep canyon carved out through layers of tuff and palagonite by the river Fjaðrá. We arrived as it was going dark, so the pictures aren't the best. Despite the lack of light, the canyon has a distinctly Icelandic feel to it, and you can get a good view down to the coast from it. According to our guide, it is very popular for swimming and walking in the summer, and I imagine that it must be beautiful.

After Fjaðrárgljúfur, we headed back to Reykjavík. Kristian recommended that we go for a group meal in the town where he went to college, so we did. It was a good choice. He booked us a table with a set meal of lamb/cod and dessert for 5900kr at Tyrggvaskáli in Selfoss. The food was glorious, and the restaurant has a nice feel about it - almost as if you're eating in someone's house! I was also very impressed by their selection of teas...

So, that was that. We were dropped off at our respective hotels in the city around 11pm, so I was exhausted. I got another good night sleep at Hótel Klettur, and woke up in time to watch the sun rise at the near Harpa by the waterside. It was hellishly windy though, so it was near impossible to take a photo that wasn't blurry.

Following that, I headed up the high street to Hallgrímskirkja - the iconic church that marks Reykjavík's skyline. It wasn't the best day to get photos of it, and the lighting made it a challenge...

I had lunch at Cafe Loki, which is just opposite the church and serves traditional Icelandic food. I avoided the fermented shark as I've tried it before, but I did the pleasure of watching a pair of middle aged Brits try it. If anything, I think they preferred the shark to the Brennivin. I played it safe and had a slice of homemade rye bread with plokkfiskur (mashed fish, potato, and egg), and their own blend of tea. It was made primarily of birch and arctic moss, and it was really rather nice.

I spent a little bit of time wandering up and down the high street, mostly to find all the paintings on the buildings. This year, I found two new ones, both of which were Viking themed.

Eventually, it was time to go home. After a bit of a kerfuffle with a bus not showing up, I got a taxi to the airport and had a very good chat with the taxi driver. The ride was 13,000kr, which was actually pretty reasonable and it was a much nicer and faster ride than on a bus, so I'll definitely use a taxi from now on. In the airport, I bought a bottle of Vor Icelandic Gin as a souvenir (I like gin and it was recommended to me), as well as some chocolate for my parents.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip. I got to see some of the places that I've been dreaming of for years, and they did not disappoint me. I am always happy to spend time in Iceland, as I feel incredibly at home there. The people are lovely. The culture is wonderful. The landscape is awe inspiring.

I always recommend Iceland to people who are looking to travel. It is a great way to see an unusual part of the world with a unique culture, in a very friendly and easy environment. As long as you're prepared to wear warm clothing and a waterproof, you'll be fine.

ALL PHOTOS AND GIFS WERE TAKEN AND CREATED BY ME

26.01.2016

I compiled a load of footage from my trip to make this video. Please enjoy.

Wanderlust

First of all, happy new year (even though it's way too late). I've changed the template and theme for the blog, so if things aren't working properly I'll try and get it fixed soon. Probably my own fault for using free templates! I'm going to try and write more this year, especially as I'm starting work on my research project at university. 

Anyway, onto today's topic.

As I've grown older, I've had an increasing sense of wanderlust. Sometimes it is just a fanciful idea triggered by a photo of some far off land. Sometimes it is a stagnant feeling of being in the same place for too long. Sometimes it is a pulling in my chest that strikes without warning.

I have been lucky enough to travel a fair bit with school and university, and on holiday. Despite that, I want to see so much more of the world.  I want to meet its people and taste its fruits. I want to climb its mountains and touch the skies of every continent, if not every country.

Not only are destinations exhilarating, I think there is something magnificent about flying as well. Man wasn't meant to see above the clouds - especially so far above them - and it leaves me with a sense of awe every single time. There's a sort of serene beauty to it, and the breaks in the clouds offer a wonderful perspective of the planet. Perhaps it's partly due to my interest in geology, but I love being able to look out of that tiny window and see the Earth as it is - following rivers across the landscape, watching mountains rise up out of their foothills, finding lakes nestled between them. It's a really rather lovely feeling.

Right. That's enough of that. My next trip is to Iceland (I'm leaving in 2 days, in fact). It's only a short break, but I'll get to see a lot. I'm travelling along the SE coast which is pretty much the only section of the coast road that I haven't seen yet. I'll be taking a lot of photos with my new camera, and hopefully the weather will be half-way decent. It's forecasted for a week of heavy rain at the moment... Nevertheless, I will be posting them on my flickr. I'm still getting the hang of it, but I've already uploaded some from my previous trips to Iceland and Japan.

Oh, and just so you know - I have always gone to Iceland through Discover the World. I'd highly recommend them. They are incredibly easy to deal with and very helpful. They offer a range of packages and self-drive holidays throughout the year, and I think the prices are pretty good. For example, this next trip cost me roughly £500 for four days, but that is including flights, accommodation, transport, two meals a day, and a guide.

In order to make this a little more fun, I've made a few playlists based on some of the places I've been and what I listen to to remind me of them (and what sets of my wanderlust). I am fully aware that not all the songs are by artists from the specific country or region, but the feel of the music is fitting.

You can listen to them by clicking the images below. I recommend listening to them on shuffle, and there may be a little overlap between playlists.

Brits on Tour, Invisible Mountains, and Octopus Balls

Brits on Tour (2015.08.25)

My co-worker's friends came to visit Odawara and I got to tag along. It was a really good day out, but I was shattered by the end of it.

Anyway, we kicked the day off by going to Odawara Castle. Building work is still going on there, so you can't get inside at the moment. We did meet and cuddle a super fluffy dog, so it wasn't a completely wasted trip. From there, we went for a quick stroll at the beach (I picked up a rock a a souvenir because I'm a geologist and that's what we do). It was pretty windy and definitely not the warmest day to go, but not all that bad. "Bracing" is what I'd call it.

The next stop was Daiyuzan Saijo-ji. I've been a few times before (you can read about it here), but I'm always happy to go back there. It's definitely my favourite temple. We had the joy of finding a monk practicing playing the horns used during prayer, and by practicing I mean he was really practicing. That man is not the most musically talented person in the world. Before leaving, we climbed the 100 steps, which damn nearly killed me, and met a sumo wrestler.

Here are some photos from this trip to the temple.

Afterwards, we headed out for a meal and many many many drinks.

So yeah, good day out.

Mt. Fuji the Invisible (2015.08.27)

Got up super early to get on a train to meet my boss for the promised Fuji 5th Sation day-trip. As with all my days off, it was cloudy, and the promised views of said mountain did not happen. The only times I've ever seen Fuji is from the end of my road on my way to work. Each time I've gone somewhere that should have some good views of the mountain, it's always hiding in cloud.

Anyway, we ended up getting the bus from a car park up to the 5th station. Once there, we had a look around the shrine (dedicated to safety when climbing the mountain) and bought some souvenirs before jumping on a different bus to go back down again.

The tubes are supposed to grant you a long life and wealth if you go through them. I did both. I'll take all the help I can get.

When I say the view was non-existent, I really do mean it.

Next was the Funatsu Tainai 船津体内 lava tree moulds. 

These formed when lava flowed across tree trunks, incinerating the wood and leaving a hollow shell. The site is sacred to those who follow Fuji-ko, and is used to purify themselves and to pray for safety when making their pilgrimage. The goddess of Mt. Fuji, Konohana Sakuya Hime, is enshrined within the tree moulds. As such, it is interesting on both a cultural and geological view.

The entrance to the caves here are inside the shrine building.

From a practical point of view, if you are tall this is not the place for you. I could barely make it through and I'm only 5'7". Both my boss and I scratched our backs and pretty much crippled ourselves from being crouched for so long. Here are some photos from inside the caves.

After Funatsu Tainai, we went to a different set of caves - Narusawa 鳴沢 Ice Cave. There was a a small entrance fee and the option to wear a hard-hat if you so wish. I chose not to because I'm a geologist who likes to live on the edge. The signs are also rather interesting.

Anyway, this cave is significantly easier to move through than Funatsu Tainai, although the ground was really slippy in places. It's much more impressive than in winter, although there was still a fair amount of ice in it when we went.

The final stop on the tour was Oshino Hakkai 忍野八海. There are 8 ponds (all with an assortment of fish and/or ducks) in a small yet touristy and impossibly busy village. It has a very traditional feel to it, and would be lovely if it weren't for the crowds. There's lots of chance to buy local produce and souvenirs (I bought some tea and a pair of canisters for it). 

There's a traditional house that you can look around as well.

On the other side of the carpark, there's a zen garden. It's quite charming (despite the carpark), and much quieter than the main part of the village. On clear days, the view must be wonderful.

On the way home, we squeezed in a few minutes on the shore of  Yamanaka-ko 山中湖.

All in all, a good day out. It's a pity that the weather wasn't the best, but the clouds did make it all very atmospheric (and much cooler than it would otherwise have been).

Octopus Balls and Chicken Innards (2015.08.27)

After getting home from Fuji, I had an hour or so break before heading into Kamonomiya to meet my favourite barman. Because I like takoyaki, it was decided on my behalf that we would go to Okan (a local takoyaki shop) and try out the menu. It was delicious, but hotter than the surface of the Sun. 

Home-made takoyaki (as this is) is so much better than anything you can buy in the shops. In the end, I ate...

• Standard takoyaki (the picture)
• Takoyaki with salt
• Takoyaki with ponzu (bitter orange sauce kind of thing) and spring onions
• Takoyaki with soy sauce

The one with ponzu is my favourite, I think.

Next on my tour of Kamonomiya restaurants was Capace, though we only stopped in for a drink, before moving on to Kotoriya.

I was given the challenge of eating a range of things. Working left to right, I had chicken liver, chicken neck, more liver, chicken intestines, chicken meat balls.  

It was surprisingly good, especially the liver. The ladies sat next to me kindly bought me a shot of vodka, which helped get rid of the taste of squid, cream cheese, and cucumber that the chef got me to try (and will never try again). 

Afterwards, we went to drink in FuRat (and eat cake if I remember correctly). I ended up staying there until they closed, and then got breakfast on the way home. I was incredibly professional and taught a range of Japanese people to say "do you want to drink tequila?" I hate tequila, but apparently I drink it now.

So, bar Japanese. I've been going to the bar a lot more recently, as I've met some really lovely people who are all very understanding. As a result, they're throwing me a farewell party on the 11th with the view to give me severe alcohol poisoning from what I've gathered. 

Only 8 days left now.

I really don't want to leave.