Iceland Trip Account - Day 6

Day 6

• Up at 8:19. Bang knee on tripod. Bruise. Walk it off… Okay that didn’t work, get the pain killers.
• After a couple of days of touristic attractions we sought for adventure. Glymur waterfall [see location marker] is the second tallest waterfall in Iceland at 198m above sea level and you have to earn the right to see it with quite the hike. The first kilometer from the car park is simply a dusty gravel path that takes to the bottom of the cragg (valley). The change in the crossroads (literally) is when we come to a cave that you enter at one level and climb down to the river at the bottom. A short walk up and we come to our first river crossing where someone had installed a chord to hold on as you hobble across the flowing water and rocks. Once everyone is across we then begin the inclined route upwards. The paths that follow the valley up give you sneak peaks of the enormous Glymur water as you get closer and closer to it.
• 1:56pm. Lunch. Ham was exceptionally nice. Great view too of course
• Reaching the peak of the valley the waterfall is right below and it is nothing far from epic. Definitely worth the effort! Approximately 300 million photos later it is time to cross back over the river. This time there is no chord so it’s boots, socks off and camera in back ready for the coldest river crossing experienced yet. I’m glad I had my flip flops because those who didn’t had to hobble across and hence prolong the time time spent in close to freezing water. The descent was a lot easier than the sometimes vertical ascent and we were briefly joined with some New Yorkers who were in a touring group. We chatted briefly and the Icelandic tour guide took a fancy to conversing with Marion. Sorry mate if you’re reading this but she’s getting married to my cousin in October (maybe the beard doesn’t work on every lass you come across).
• As we settled into our evening drinks and prepared dinner two hitchhikers knocked on our door and asked us for a lift! They were scouts so we felt slightly obliged to help seen as they had been there for about 2 hours since we had got home from our own hike. I accompanied JC to the take the total 3 of these German lads up to Thingvellir. They asked for any world news seen has they had been hiking for 3 weeks (4 week trip in total) completely disconnected from the world. I was sad that the only news I had for them was that there had been terrorist attacks in Paris, Barcelona and Finland… Sad times.
• Fish cakes for dinner followed by chocolate cake. Good stuff.

Iceland Trip Account - Day 5

Day 5

• 8:20. Slow start. Big bowl of cereal. No one slept well that night. Might have been the wind… maybe it was Icelandic trolls whistling. Who knows.
• We head to the very South of Iceland to a town called Vik (appropriately meaning “bay” in Icelandic) and on the way we stop off at the viewing point of Eyjafjallajokull - the volcano that erupted in 2010 that caused a bit of flight chaos in Europe) and I spend the best part of 30 minutes learning to pronounce the dormant beast. The phonetic pronunciation to the English tongue sounds like “Eya - fiyat - la - yoku - ch” except the “ch” is more of a click - or “shh” - between the side of your teeth and your cheeks. An unusual sound that does not exist in the Standard English language unless your name is Louie Spence.
• Anyway… the coasts of Vik are primarily known for their black sand beaches. This naturally forming visual juxtapositions are formed from the basalt rock that is erupted from the nearby volcanos. The basalt rock is refined over time by the tide leaving an incredibly fine sand that lines the coasts of southern Iceland. There are a handful of examples of this across the globe, most notably in Hawaii, where they are very protected due to them relying on volcanic activity. Hence: no volcanic activity equals no black beaches.
• Whilst there, we were graced by some incredibly photogenic and curious puffins. I could safely say that puffins are one of - if not - my favourite birds. Quant little wings on a little body and a toucans beak, rocking a penguin style costume: they are always a pleasant and unique sight to see. Nice and all but especially nice when they are 5m in front of you. My long lens felt like a macro lens at this distance in terms of bird photography.
• Lunch with the view of the coast and then we drove round the bottom of the bay.
• I walked up the black beach bare foot, curling my toes in the soft black sand like it was my first time standing on a beach. I did of course put my stone skimming skills to the test but I didn’t walk in the tide for long as the North Atlantic Ocean is unforgiving in temperature. 100-200m of coastal strolling brought us a seal bobbing around nearby and diving for fish; some washed up orange fish eggs; and some unusual stones and volcanic geological findings.
• On our return we stopped off at Skogafoss waterfall. You will have undoubtedly seen this waterfall in photos before. The rainbow formed at the bottom which made it almost too picturesque!
• Shop stop for carrots and a new pair of overly priced sunglasses then we’re home for 6:23. It’s a spag bol night so I’m on cooking duties. Another Martini to help the chef of course. Good stuff.

Iceland Trip Account - Day 4

Day 4

• Wake up at 8:10. Dad threatens with dad tactics to get me out of bed. I get out of bed promptly.
• First stop was the famous Strokkor Geysir [see map marker for location] which draws quite the crowd. Strokkor is surrounded by bubbling geysirs but this one stands out a bit more. The 4 - 6 minute intervals bring varying explosive fountains of boiling water into the air - the average being about 15 - 20 meters but, the highest ever recorded was about 40m in the air. A circle of tourists stand around it like some sort of cult poised with a range of phones to professional cameras in order to capture the unnaturally-natural phenomenon. It made me laugh every time everyone grows bored of waiting for it to go off then it would explode out of nowhere followed by screams and gasps - and amongst the gasps would be a few sighs and “awe I turned away and missed it” exclamations. [Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BX6OcsvjHHq/?taken-by=bastionfm]
• 12:06 we are back in the car and heading to the next location.
• Next stop is Gullfoss Waterfall which is one of the many dramatic waterfalls in Iceland [Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BX6RfylDlXD/?taken-by=bastionfm]. A 2 minute walk from the car park brings you to several different views of this powerful mass of water. With 3 main tiers, each level of it brings different water formations and patterns which is what makes it so unique. the first drop splits the river into lots of small streams of water separately however the drop between the second and third level is a lot bigger and more dramatic. Photographers line the wooden path all itching for front row of the barriers. The language barrier makes me laugh as people result to tacky sign language and gestures in order to shift the crowd out of their family photo.
• We drove for 10 minutes down the road to be away from the throng of tourists for a pit stop lunch and a view before heading to Kerith - a dead volcano which has dug itself into a hole. Essentially it collapsed into itself and a pool of water formed on top. The level of the water varies according to the water table level. It also sports a fantasy-esque shade of blue in the water as well as the iron rich cliff walls that were once the cone of the vulcano. We could walk around the top of cliff and the lake at the bottom too making a nice wind down for the afternoon.
• Home at 6:00 and of course it’s straight into the hot tub before mum, Aunty Cathy and Uncle JC get home. I ventured to putting some bubbles into the water as it filled up but I only dared put a drop in so it didn’t last long. Oh and we cracked open my first Martini - which I love by the way, James Bond had it right - as well as it being my parents’ 24th anniversary so it was promptly followed with Prosecco. Lavish some might say - yet necessary all the same. I was on cooking duties tonight because it was omelette night. My famous recipe was put to the test as I was cooking for 8 but it turned out well and was complimented with Mum’s improvised stir fry. Good stuff.

Iceland Trip Account - Day 3

Day 3

• Wake up at 8:43. A blend of Kellog’s and cornflakes await as well as a day of exploration.
• Head to Thingvellir where the Vale is filmed in Game of Thrones. This is the division between the North American and European tectonic plates - and it’s more than noticeable. Despite my research, it was very difficult to find the exact locations of where parts were filmed. Across the main 2km stretch of the cragg (crack) there were many potential locations, but my reassurance was the prolific use of CGI in Game of Thrones was likely used to “touch up” the scenery hence the lack of recognisable parts. It nonetheless felt real and you can really see why they chose the location even if it isn’t exactly how the book describes it. Then again would you rather it be all CGI and close to the book or mostly realistic and further from the book?
• This was also the location of where the chieftains of early Icelandic settlers decided to hold their first of many governmental meetings over a thousand years ago (circa 980 AD) where they would discuss laws and justice. Also where trials were held and were described as reminiscent of the 1 to 1 vengeance combat as described in the the Sagas of Iceland.
• We stumble through the front door yearning for food and - wait… first it’s hot tub and cocktail! Tonight is fish curry and discussions of tomorrow’s plans.

Iceland Trip Account - Day 2

Day 2

• Woken at 8:00 by bathroom use and a short laze in bed promptly brings us to breakfast for Kellogs and slightly sweetened soya milk. Everyone gets ready for the day’s walk and we are out by 9:28.
• Arrive in Hveragerdi (k-vera-ger-thee) [see map marker for location] after a 20 minute drive and naturally it begins to rain and will continue to do so on and off until we get home that evening when the sun is bright and perfect for photos.
• A bit of a normie gravel trail walk, but 10 minutes in we got to see our first geiser: a clay-like liquid bubbling away at over 100 degrees celsius. The pit is about 3 or 4 meters in diameter and reeks of Sulphur which smells like gone off egg if you didn’t know - note how the tourist adverts don’t mention how the moment you land in Iceland you are welcomed by the smell of rotten egg in the air and of course you have to drink and shower in water that has a hint of egg to it because it has been filtered from sulphur rich ground which is being fired up. Harmless of course, but you will wrinkle your nose for a while. But don’t worry, you will be reminded of the stench as soon as you stand downwind of a geiser!
• Lots of tourists down this route but it was still a sight to see. The open and refreshing mountains of Iceland are reminiscent of the Scottish highlands - just lacking the peat bog and trees. Plenty of American and French tourists but everyone was friendly. I don’t know why I was so surprised - because it is such common knowledge - but the water is actually so hot. But not just from the source but way down the river (which is where people take the pleasure of bathing). It wasn’t quite blue lagoon but interesting all the same.
• Tonight we fire up the hot tub and have cocktails IN the bathtub. Cocktails. In the bathtub. Crazy.

Iceland Trip Account - Day 1

Day 1

• Flight at 12:45 at gate 26. We bought an excess of booze and because I forgot my books I bought Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at WHSmith. We had lots of space on plane because we were next to the emergency exit so legroom but no chair table but we did have lap tables that came out of the arms of our seats.
• We landed in Keflavik (South-West of Iceland) [see map marker for location] and met up with my French family members. We proceeded to take the bus from the airport to the car hire where we drove to Hafnarfjordur to meet the lady who was renting the house. We then drove through the outskirts of Reykjavik to get to Selfoss where the house was.
• The keys were not under the front door mat. Panic strikes as the fear of a con settles in and the seller isn’t answering her phone. We search every exterior possibility for about 20 mins until the lady calls back and ends up sending the owner to the house who had forgotten to set the key up.
• I cook pasta. Dad does cocktail. Life is good. Bed after a cup of tea and discussions of the oplan for tomorrow The shower is great: high pressure, good temperature control and lots of space for flailing when one gets shampoo in one’s eyes. My bed is squishy and and welcoming after a day of traveling. I've come to the realisation that all anyone cares about is how nice the bed and shower is. So there you go.

CERN - A Brief Summary of What They Are Doing There

CERN - What are they actually doing there?

Early November of 2016 lead to me to visiting CERN in Switzerland on a school trip. Before this however, it sort of struck me that “wait a minute, what are they actually doing there?” Last time I’d heard they were discovering “Higgs Boson” and in 2012 they were going to destroy the universe - according to social media that is. The prospect of actually going to visit what could be debatably labelled “the coolest science project ever” (advancing science in multiple aspects, and best of all, birthing the modern internet as we know it) - having next to no prior knowledge on it made me feel quite ignorant.

So the idea here is that I’m going to fill you in with everything you need to know about CERN and the mass hadron collider - BUT- without all the waffle. I’m going to try and keep it concise… Which is actually close to impossible, but you’ll be better off than before.

Despite it being referred to as the pinnacle of science today, the project actually started soon after the second world war when European scientists came together to answer some big questions. The first particle accelerator was probably only the size of your living room, but after new ones were built and improved it has become the “Large Hadron Collider” (or LHC as you will more commonly see it referred to as) that we know today. In fact, the next one is being designed already.

Okay, so what does it actually do? Well, a few things actually, which is handy. Spending $13.25 billion to find something that we weren’t even sure existed sounds a bit pricey. In fact, in terms of cost, it’s about $1 billion per year in total. Ouch. The Large Hadron Collider is a) large and b) a collider. There you go. That’s all you need to know.

Okay but seriously, what it does is super-cool particles to accelerate them close to the speed of light then smash them together in order them to form new particles. They use Hydrogen particles because there is only one electron to remove from it and then it’s good to go. When the particles collide there is a lot of energy released. Well, I say that, but you yourself could create that much energy right now. You ready?

1. Hold your hands in front of you like you’re about to clap.
2. Clap once.
3. Done.

You just created a similar amount of energy in that clap as the collision of two particles travelling near to the speed of light. “Whaaat??” you exclaim?! Well, imagine all that energy across the millions of particles in your hand on just two particles. That’s a lot.

They collide and it shoots out new particles at different stages. Some form straight away, some further away from the initial collision, hence they have multiple different sensors to detect the variety of particles. This includes matter and antimatter. The two sound crazy, in fact you’ve probably watched enough Sci-Fi to hear “antimatter rocket launcher” and think “sh*t is about to get real”. Unfortunately, it’s not as exciting as you think, it’s just another standard particle that is a byproduct of the collision.

The three big hurdles are: accelerating the particles, detecting the particles and storing the information from them. Firstly, accelerating the particles, as mentioned before there are multiple “layers” to it, as shown by this diagram:

At each “ring” the particles are accelerated by different means. Pb and b are “linear accelerators” where the particles are electronically accelerated - the technology for this was first proposed in 1924 and has given way to lots of useful technology around the world generating X-Rays and being used for radiotherapy.

PS is “Proton Synchrotron”. No, it is not a Transformer that fights alongside Optimus Prime, but accelerates the particles using very powerful magnetic rings. It is the oldest accelerator on the CERN site, and has operated since the 1950s - having lots of upgrade of course - still using the original magnets.

SPS - “Super Proton Synchrotron” - not only sounds badass but measuring at 7km long, it has served as the workhorse for CERN since it’s launch in 1976. Using it, they have made numerous discoveries including the Nobel-prize-winning discovery of W and Z particles in 1986.

Finally, the piece-de-resistance being the LHC - “Large Hadron Collider”. First launched in 2008, the LHC is the world's most powerful particle accelerator having a length of 27km made of superconducting rings. This peaks the acceleration of the particles using the supercooled electromagnets at -271.3°C/-456.34°F - which is colder than outer space which is (-270.45°C/-451.81°F).

[The LHC accelerating magnets - Source: CERN website]

Once they are in this ring, there are 4 main sensors picking up data: ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb - each having their own roles. You’ve most likely seen ATLAS (see below) as it is often used to represent the CERN experiments. 100m below the little village of Meyrin on the Swiss-French border lies the 7000 tonne beast that is ATLAS. It has been used for multiple physics researches from searching for Higgs Boson to dark matter - even new dimensions - that run day-in-day-out.

Layers of sensors pick up different things like heat, momentum and size to determine what sort of particle is produced by matching them with the properties of particles we can already distinguish to a very precise level. A stream of data is produced using a computer system that decides what data to keep and what to throw away. This data is then stored all across the world using “the grid computing” which is effectively a sophisticated internet. About 1 petabyte of data is created at the LHC every second (about 210,000 DVDs every second) which is all sent out as “packets” that are then reassembled when needed through a clever computer algorithm.

ATLAS [Source: www.oastories.org]

Most of CERN is underground with exception of the control buildings, offices and museums being above ground. There a couple of reasons for this, one being that it is protected from exterior damages (it would be a costly loss if it were to be targeted by terrorists) and also that a lot of it would be obstructed by all the people living on the surface.

Interestingly, it is shut down only once every 4 years. This is because it takes more energy to shut it down and start back up that to just leave running. It is at this point when they shut it down and do check ups and repairs that it is possible for people to visit the underground parts.When they do bring it back to life again, the power demand causes a bit of a shortage in the town of Geneva. Unfortunately when I visited it was not one of these times, but the exceptional museum and tour guides are still worth the trip.

Some question whether the costs of running this whacky science project is worth it. You could argue that the discoveries are leading us towards a better future and it must also be considered that the money does come back into the economy with the wide variety of people being paid from office workers, to tour guides and even the miners for example who are obtaining the raw materials. A debate for another day perhaps.

To summarise: the idea is to collide particles in order to obtain a better understanding of the world around us and even beyond the world we know. I hope this was informative for you to read and that it wasn’t too much or too little.

Let me know what you think,

Seb