Chasing the elusive Northern Lights

I'll be the first to admit that despite all there is to see in Iceland, Aurora Borealis was one of my main reasons for this trip. Hence you can imagine my excitement on our first night out. First let me provide some details on how these tours work. Since Aurora is a natural occurring phenomena no one can really predict where or when it will show up. Hence the guides rely on local weather forecast which provides a rough guide as to how likely you will see it each night. Each tour is different and depending on the night and weather they will bring you to various spots outside of Reyjkavik to escape the light pollution of the city. Another thing to point out is that often they are seen first through our cameras. Hence what maybe invisible to the naked eye could actually be the start of it seen from a picture. On our first night of the search (yes there will be multiple nights) the jeep took us riding around on the outskirts of the city. The night was cloudy and despite our best efforts the most we saw was a slight patch of light green. After an hour standing outside in the freezing cold with wind chills that felt like icicles hitting your face we finally called it a night. This was one of my favorites from the batch.


Not easily defeated we tried again the next night. This time we booked with a big tour bus and joined a few hundred people in the search. We were escorted to a little town outside of the city where everyone stood perched on top of a hilltop waiting for this phenomena. Though the sky was perfectly clear with the Milky Way and thousands of other stars lighting up the night, Aurora was still no where to be found. Pretty soon only the most determined of us remained outside hoping to catch even a glimpse. At last it was not our night as the lights were extremely faint. Disappointed we packed up our gears and prepared to head back to the city. Of the night I liked this picture the most.


The tour company has a policy where if you don't see it the first night you are welcome to a second trip free. Now that's pretty good services and we decided to take advantage of it as a last hail Mary. Hence the final night we went we drove further than any other times and arrive an hour and half later near a small waterfall. Again people waited anxiously, gears set up and ready to go. Although it wasn't extremely windy that night, standing outside for a long period of time was still uncomfortable. Just when everyone was about to give up that's when it happened. The light though faint to the naked eye shone as a streak across the whole sky. As pictures were snapped left and right, people that managed to see it on their screens were ecstatic. I couldn't believe my luck and like a giggly little school girl I tried to contained my excitement as I furiously shot away, trying to capture it all. Though the light were "lazy" as the locals called it, for they did not dance around in the sky I was perfectly content to have been able to see it at all!

Read More

Beyond Reykjavik

One of the most famous tour around Iceland is called the Golden Circle, an eight hour tour that brings you to not only the Gullfoss Waterfall but also Strokkur Geyser and Þingvellir national park. At Gullfoss the Hvítá river rushes through and if you're luck enough to be standing on the observation deck on a beautiful sunny day the light shines just enough to make the water and surrounding snow sparkle. Unfortunately the tour's brief stop of 50mins at this very photogenic sight really did it little justice.


Our next stop was the hot spring Strokkur where we joined the already forming groups of people surrounding the geyser waiting for the column of water to shoot up every 4-8 minutes. At times it can reach up to 98 ft into the air and as it is rather difficult to predict it produces quite a thrilling experience. We waiting for numerous rounds until we finally felt content that we saw the best of it.


The last stop and perhaps my favorite was the Þingvellir National Park, where the American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet and are currently pulling apart at a rate of four centimetres per year. This means that unlike other countries in the world that are shrinking, Iceland is actually growing (though at a snail's pace). The landscape at the park was truly a photographer's dream. With beautiful snow covered mountains over looking a crystal blue lake, its beauty was further accentuated by the soft glow of the setting sun. There couldn't have been a better time to be there and experience the country natural beauty.


What trip to Iceland is complete without a stop to the blue lagoon. This famous geothermal spa is one of the most visited attraction in the country and for good reasons.


The water temperature is an average of 98–102 °F, which on a day like the one we went where outside temperatures were a balmy 36 °F was a welcoming change. However the initial shock of the cold hitting your skin as you came running out of the building into the water was pretty brutal no matter how short it may be. Once in the water the constant steam rising from the surface provided a further mystical appearance. With the snow capped mountain in the background and lava rocks all around this place was truly unique. (Not to mention the minerals in the water did wonders for my skin!)


Our last tour on this trip was to the southern coast. Due to the rugged terrine of the area we went by a private jeep. The all terrine Land Rover managed to drive through a pretty brutal snow storm in the morning where in certain areas visibility was nearly null.


As we drove through the icy roads and shallow streams the surrounding views were truly breathtaking. All around everything was covered in a fresh white coat of snow, and with no one in sight it provided the feeling of a thrilling adventure. Shortly after we came across Myrdalsjokull glacier, the wind was so strong at the time that it was hard to really trek anywhere far. However being out in a mini blizzard on top of a glacier was good enough for me.


Next we made a stop at the beautiful Seljalandsfoss, where you can climb up and stand behind the plummeting waterfall. The water drops 200 ft over the cliffs and from behind it it's hard to ignore its sheer strength.


The weather in Iceland is extremely unpredictable and by early afternoon the sun managed to break its way through the clouds. As the warm rays shone down upon the powdery mountains it instantly changed the dynamics of the land. In a mere moment what was frigid and frozen seem cheery and bright. By the time we made our way onto the black sand beach the weather couldn't have been any better as the powerful Atlantic surf pounded the beach. The sky was a deep hue of blue filled with seagulls swarming above the cliff.


Hard to imagine that just hours ago we were in a snow storm. The last stop of this tour was the mighty Skogafoss waterfall, which given the way the setting sun hits the mist produces an amazing rainbow at the right times. Today it did not disappoint, as the rainbow was visible as soon as we pulled up. The strong rays of the setting sun was angled perfectly and provided a splendid ending to the day!

Read More

A Taste of Reykjavik in the Winter

Today was our first day in Iceland and weather was anything but cooperative. After arriving extremely early we checked into our hotel and took a brief nap. By the time we woke and left at noon the city was already bright though not a glimpse of sunlight could be found. Walking around downtown the city was quiet and dreary, probably because it was Sunday. Most shops were closed as we walked by on our way to Hallgrimskirkja, the tallest building in Iceland. The exterior of this church is concrete, inspired by the distinctive basalt formations found throughout the country while the inside had a modern Gothic feel. Up top on the tower a complete view of the city center was visible and on a clear day one can even see the mountains across the water. On this particular day however the wind was so strong that spending more than five minutes up there became unbearable. To warm up we decided to head to Kaffitar, Reykjavik's answer to Starbucks.




So as the wind and snow blew angrily outside we sat warm and comfortable in this quaint little cafe sipping our espresso and cappuccino. By dinner time the wind somehow managed to get even louder as we made our walk towards a nearby seafood hut. Sægreifinn, otherwise known as the "The Sea Baron" came recommended by many including the NY times. Their famous lobster soup along with whale kabobs were suggested as the must tries. While both wasn't bad I was equally disappointed in them. The lobster soup was quite ordinary with the exception of the few pieces of lobsters that were tender. The whale though just as lean as I remembered was unfortunately bland even with the dipping sauce provided.




In addition the kabobs of Blue Ling and Plaice both tasted similar though the Plaice was slightly more chewy. At the end of the day the meal was definitely not worth the hefty price tag it came with! All in all for a first day in Iceland I was yet to be impressed. Day two in Reykjavik produced slightly better weather. In the morning what remained of last night's storm was making its way out of the city. As light rain drizzled outside we took a leisurely stroll through the city center. With no real pressing plans or schedules to follow we found ourselves wondering around window shopping and stopping often for coffee breaks. It wasn't the most productive of days but perhaps on a trip that's just the point. By late afternoon the clouds started to break up and slivers of light made its way through as we stood at the famous hotdog stand enjoying a much anticipated hotdog. This place is often claimed by many to be the best in all of Europe. What makes their dog stand out some say is the remoulade sauce on top, though I personally think it's the fried onion crunch on the bottom. Either way it was pretty tasty.


In the next few days weather turned in our favor as the sun came out and temperatures rose. We took this opportunity to wonder the city seeking out as many of the city's good restaurants as possible. We were quite surprised how many there actually were. For an early Valentine's dinner we went to one of the highest praised restaurants in the city, The Fish Market. There we proceeded to order the nine course tasting menu which consisted of minke whale, goose salad and Icelandic lamb just to name a few dishes. As if that wasn't enough food we also decided to try the puffin, a cute local bird that tasted like a gamier version of duck. Everything was exquisite and each component of the dish produced flavors that married perfectly with each other.











If that was our best meal of the trip I would have been completely content. However the city had much more to offer as we soon found out. Having been on a search for the BEST burger for a while we decided to make a day of it here also. For lunch we stopped by a family friendly cafe called Laundromat and had a taste of Iceland's burger. At first bite the meat was juicy and flavorful, cooked medium well served on a lightly toasted bun. The steak fries on the side with mayo added a further level of enjoyment to the meal.




All in all we were pretty impressed so imagine our delight when we found another place which was voted around the world as having the best burger. The Hamborgarbúllan otherwise known as the Burgerjoint is situated on a little street corner in an inconspicuous building. Once inside the decor was equally unpretentious and remained me of dive bars back in the states. However the delicious smell of grilled patties instantly confirmed the hype as we waited, salivating in anticipation. When we finally dug our teeth into the burger it only took that one bite to know this was truly worth the wait. In fact I think I may have just found the BEST burger ever!




Rating:
Atmosphere: This small city of 220,00 people was in many ways similar to their larger counterparts in other countries in Europe. The streets were clean, lined with colorful houses as if all were built out of Legos. On a day with good weather the air was fresh and crisp making walking around the city center quiet enjoyable.
Beauty: Though the city itself I wouldn't exactly call beautiful, the surrounding mountains and sea added an aesthetic element to it. What I did find absolutely stunning was the remaining landscape of the country and the sheer contrast it provided. In a matter of 30 miles you can go from a glacier to a black sand beach with many waterfalls in the middle.
Cleanliness: The whole time I was here I couldn't recall one piece of trash on the streets nor did I see anyone littering. What was surprising was the amount of street arts on the walls though most were more artistic than typical graffiti.
Food: The first few meals here were easily forgettable and looking back I wished we would have skipped those. Luckily we managed to find the gems of the city which completely altered my perception of food here. In fact it's almost sad that burgers and hotdogs, the so called foods of America is being made better elsewhere!
People: Polite though not overly friendly. The babies however were absolutely adorable with their fair complexion and chubby pink cheeks. Each had a pacifier in their mouth sucking away happily and starring all around with their inquisitive blue eyes.
Overall: This trip had many pleasant surprises. In the end it was pretty well balanced with its shares of adventures and rest. Even with the unexpected delay on our return home due to storm Nemo, we spent them happily in the city relaxing at various cafes during the day and experiencing the bars at night.
Scale: 1-10 = 7

Read More