Iceland’s night light

Letter 57

You can bathe in the warm lagoon steaming under the full moon’s glow, or you can gaze openly to dancing skies of green ribbons. I was lucky enough to do both. I would love you tell you about my experiences with the romantic Blue Lagoon and the illusive Aurora Borealis.

AURORA BOREALIS

I was desperate to see the northern lights. As we were visiting in the deep depths of winter, it would be silly not to go hunting for them right? We chose to take a tour lasting between 3 and 5 hours in the hope of tracking down this mysterious show. We went with the tour company Grayline, which we were quite happy with. It could’ve been better but they are all much the same. We went on a cold, relatively clear night with a good chance of seeing the lights. We got on a coach at 9pm that took us and 63 other passengers (it was huge!) to a dark area home to a small church. Here we waited, with 6 other coaches, for 2 and a half hours with no sign of the lights. We left at about midnight and were told we’d be taken to another area. On the way we spotted the beginnings of the show from the coach, so it pulled over and we all jumped out to get a look.

I honestly can’t describe it – you need to see it for yourself. It’s hard to believe that the sky that I look up at every single day can be so beautiful and dynamic. It’s spellbinding. My photos aren’t great, nothing on professionals, but I wasn’t there for a photo. I stood, frozen, completely entranced by the sky. I hope these blurry photos can only give you a taster.

iceland northern lights

BLUE LAGOON

This oversized bath of cloudy geothermal water is one of Iceland’s biggest selling points. I was worried it would be too busy, jam-packed with tourists ticking one more thing off their bucket list. It wasn’t. It may be because we went in the evening, but it was beautifully deserted. Floating around in the 40° water, hidden by the steam under the moonlight is honestly one of the best things I have ever experienced. It completely exceeded my expectations and it’s a memory that my boyfriend and I will forever cherish. I took no photos at all at the lagoon because I don’t own a waterproof camera. However, I’m actually really glad. I can just remember it.

Goodnight Iceland,

From Lou