Day 1 – Arrived in Reykjavik and off in search of the lights!
Iceland, less than a three-hour flight away from the UK and with a population of around 376,000, is probably one of the most expensive places in the world – but well worth a visit. Food is of a high standard here and many dishes revolve around lamb and fish, although I did see Minky whale and smoked puffin offered, too!
I’ve always wanted to visit Iceland, and especially to try and see the northern lights. So, winter, with less tourists and longer hours of darkness, makes it the perfect time to visit Iceland’s dramatic scenery in all its glory.
I arrived at Keflavik airport in the middle of the afternoon and then set off on a 45-minute journey along good roads, offering stark and wild scenery, to Reykjavik. Eventually things started to look a little more civilised as I approached Reykjavik. My hotel was in a great location: right in the centre and a stone’s throw away from bars, cafes, restaurants, shops, and the harbour. Before going on the final leg of the journey to the hotel, the coach stopped off to move everyone over to minibuses. This is because there are vehicle restrictions in the centre of Reykjavik and so 12 bus stops, which each have a name, are dotted around the town and are then used for pick-ups and drop-offs from the airport and for excursions. I was conveniently located round the corner from Bus Stop 1 – City Hall.
So, after checking into my hotel and spending some time relaxing in my room admiring the lovely view of the square from my window with its sparkly Christmas lights, it was time to have a wander around the town and get something to eat before going in search of the infamous aurora borealis – better known as the northern lights.
I ended up going into a great little gastro pub over the road from my hotel called Saeta Svinid where I opted to try the lamb and a coconut cheesecake to follow – all beautiful and well-presented, and definitely comes recommended!
It soon got to 8.30pm and time to wait at my bus stop for the northern lights trip – I was really excited about this trip! Once again, I had to board a minibus and then a coach further on before embarking on the trip. It was a comfortable drive out and we were all told that we would be visiting various locations to try and view the lights, but the first location was apparently looking good because we were lucky enough to have a clear and starry night. The first stop was in a place called Reykjanesbaar – I just had to see the lights in this place! Reykjanesbaar is a municipality on the southern peninsula. There is also a bridge there that crosses the two continents: North America and Europe. The bridge can be crossed in a few minutes, and apparently the gap between the two continents is growing by around 2cm each year.
Once we parked up, we all left the coach and wandered up a path - it was pitch black and extremely cold and windy. Once reaching the bridge, we all waited poised with cameras and phones for a display of remarkable lights. One thing we didn’t understand before was that more often than not, a flaming green hue is not visible to the human eye and so the lights often appear as a bright white light that is sometimes accompanied by red and pink lights. So, it is only when taking a photograph with the flash off and a slight adjustment to the settings that the green colour is revealed. The lights appear only when wind particles from the sun meet air molecules in the earth’s atmosphere. The energy produced is then transferred into light – so all very scientific stuff!
Anyway, our patience was eventually rewarded by a display of lights which were duly captured on cameras and electronic devices. Even though it wasn’t the display we had all originally been expecting, we felt honoured and happy to have had the experience. We then all went off to have hot chocolate before returning to the coach and setting back off to Reykjavik, where we arrived in the early hours still 'buzzing' from our trip.
