3. The Northern Lights—A Dream Come True
I had my first but peculiar encounter with the Aurora Borealis in the harbor town of Hafnarfjörður .
We were supposed to do the Northern Lights Mystery Tour on our first night in Iceland, but the tour was canceled due to low visibility. Instead of fretting over the lost possibility of seeing the Aurora, we decided to wander around the quiet neighborhood to grab some dinner. On our way back to the apartment, I unintentionally looked on the right where the ocean was when I noticed an odd vertical white mist from the sky. It was as if intersecting the horizontal course of the clouds. I read from various blogs that the Aurora Borealis gradually makes its presence known, from an off-white color to the unmistakable green, brilliant colors.
I stopped walking to closely observe the white mist. When it suddenly moved from an upright ray to a letter S, I literally had goose bumps! I have not seen a ghost in my entire life, but at the moment, it felt like I did. It was eerie. I had dreamt of my rendezvous with the Aurora Borealis—feeling literally on top of the world, crying with tears of joy—not with a frightened let-us-go-inside-the-house-its-too-scary-outside look. It was only 7:45 PM.
Nevertheless, my first night with the Aurora Borealis was an interesting evening to remember. We ate dinner, showered, changed to our PJs, put on 2 layers of thermal jackets, went out the backyard, and fell deeply in love with the Aurora in the Northern sky while sipping on hot Sjokolade-Drikk.
If you want to increase your chances of seeing the Aurora Borealis even when in the city, Hafnarfordur is a great location to stay in. You can take a leisurely walk on the harbor or climb up a hillside to have an unobstructed view of the Aurora when it shows up. Unfortunately, the Aurora season is from mid-August until late April.
On our 3rd night, we availed the Northern Lights Mystery Tour with Gray Line Bus Tour ( ISK 6343 approx. 45 euros) and headed West of Iceland this time.
The tour guide had a radio walkie talkie with him and he would coordinate with the team that was on the lookout ahead of us in between telling interesting facts about the Northern Lights. It may have been past 11 pm when the bus stopped to what sounded like an observatory deck. We could hear the uncanny sound of a nearby waterfall. It was pitch black. We could only see our steps through the fellow tourists’ improvised flashlights. We waited awhile, constantly looking up at the sky.
Our cue was the presence of the off-white mist. We watched keenly for any movement. When the dance began, a buildup of the mist moved gracefully on asymmetrical directions and the falling curtain of colors changed to green, then yellow, and finally pink. It was ethereal. I still have goose bumps whenever I reminisce on those moments. Undeniably, there is no photograph that can justify what the naked eye can witness whenever the Aurora Borealis dances.
2. The Icelandic sweater and other unique souvenirs
There are a lot of the usual ref magnets, key chains, and postcards, but if you’re a collector of souvenirs from different countries, the best one to get from Iceland is the Icelandic sweater, which is made of 100% Icelandic wool and hand-knitted.
I bought my Icelandic sweater from the Handknitting Association of Iceland in Reykjavik. There are so many designs to choose from and they have the most reasonably priced sweaters and ref magnets.
There are plenty of souvenir shops to go to in Reykjavik, but keep an eye on those that have a pink Shop Tax Free Here banner. This means you can get a tax refund from the airport before departing Iceland.
Follow the Skólavörðustígur street from the front of Hallgrímskirkja Church
I also brought home with me 3 small stones from the Jorkukasson lagoon. They’re light to carry, they’re from Iceland since probably the pre-historic age, and they’re absolutely free.
1. Every crevice and turn is awe-inspiring.
Iceland is a pricey country to visit, but it is undoubtedly worth every penny you save for a travel fund. I cannot describe the profoundness of this place and these pictures don’t justify the real magnificence that is Iceland.
There are still so much I want to see and do, and you should, too—drive around the Ring Road, stay a night in Vik, see an Icelandic sheep up close, eat a fermented shark meat, visit a local fresh market, snorkel between two drifting tectonic plates, bathe in the Secret Lagoon in Fludir, do a glacier walk, visit a natural ice cave, pet a puffin, acquire a certificate of achievement from crossing the Artic Circle in Grimsey Island, read a book under the midnight sun, and the list goes on and on.
the Jökulsárlón lagoon
Truly, Iceland stays with you long after your plane touches down back to your home country. If you can squeeze in a couple of days to see Iceland, please do. It is the most picturesque place I’ve ever been to and I don’t think anything else will top the chart.
