Chasing the Aurora Borealis in Iceland

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February 2nd 2023

Published: February 19th 2023

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Pam

Hallgrimes Church and Lief Erikison statue

Also known as Hallgrimskirkja. This church and statue are the icons of Reykjavík. The other major landmark is The Harpa Performing Arts Center.

Our intrepid band of 6 set off for Iceland in January to see the Aurora Borealis. We accomplished our mission and had a fun, but cold, three days in the frozen north. The five hours of daylight each day, forced us to pack in as much as possible, before the sun set at 4:15 pm. So, we were off to see the city of Reykjavik, do the thermal baths, and explore the countryside. The first two nights were spent chasing the Northern Lights. The first night was a disappointment, but we did see some lights on the second night. They were not as spectacular as the night before we arrived, but what we saw was still impressive. It made standing out in the wind and bitter cold worth the effort.

After two frigid nights standing outside waiting to see the sky dance with colors, it was time to head to the thermal baths and thaw out. Some of our group headed off to the Blue Lagoon, while Dodie and I chose to go to the Sky Lagoon. Both experiences were to die for and warmed us up nicely. While the Blue Lagoon has beautiful, milky blue water, the Sky Lagoon

View from the Hallgrims Church tower.

This city view of Reykjavik was taken at 3:30. The sun was about to set at 4:15

is located next to the shore and has a beautiful view of the ocean.

On our final day we joined a small tour group and did the Golden Circle tour of waterfalls, the National Park, and the geyser field. Our witty and knowledgeable guide/driver (from Arizona!) added a few unexpected side trips along the way. We even did an Isbiltur. That’s Icelandic for ice cream road trip. The ice cream shop was adjacent to the dairy cow barn. Our delicious ice cream came directly from the source.

We had a fun and unique adventure. But needless to say, we were happy to return to some warmer weather. Putting on all those winter clothes and accessories is a real bitch after a few days. I’ll take my Florida winter any day.

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