It's been quite some time since I've written a blog post, I guess its been a while since I've been 'inspired' so to say, to write one....so bare with me.
Like many, I have a 'Bucket List', but instead of waiting for some horrible disease, or turning 70 and looking back at my life and thinking "I wish I did when I was younger," I choose to tackle that Bucket list as I create it. I've been lucky enough to find a mate in Nick with the same spirit and the same desire to tackle life as it comes. So when we got married, we created a new bucket list together... and "Seeing the Northern Lights" was at the top of that list.
We threw around many ideas and locations, as you can see them anywhere in the the northern part of the world, and southern hemisphere for that matter. Norway, was the original destination, but after some research Iceland just felt like the place.
It's no guarantee if you go to these countries that you will see the Northern Lights, it depends mainly on a few factors.
1. The weather, if it's cloudy or not.
2. The Light pollution in the area and
3. And while they are almost always going on.. they may not that night. Seeing the lights is like a beautiful sunset, we know the conditions that can help create one, but that doesn't mean we are always going to get it.
1. The weather, if it's cloudy or not.
2. The Light pollution in the area and
3. And while they are almost always going on.. they may not that night. Seeing the lights is like a beautiful sunset, we know the conditions that can help create one, but that doesn't mean we are always going to get it.
I know Iceland is quickly becoming the hotspot of Europe, so I just wanted to share a little bit about how we got there, and what I thought of it.
First things first, I am subscribed to the site "Travel Zoo" it is basically like a Groupon for travel. They have organized trips through tour groups, and most trips include air fair, and transportation to and from the airport, the hotel, excursions, etc. This is typically not my preferred way to travel, I'm more of a plan as you go kind of person, but I really enjoyed it.
Everything was planned and paid for in one spot, we got to hang out and meet a bunch of great people from all over, and experience everything together. We went through the group "Gate 1", it was our first trip with them, but they have tours all around the world and if there is a place they offer that we are interested in, I would go through them again. We flew a direct flight from Orlando to Keflavik International Airport, It was about a 7 hour flight.
From the moment we got on the plane I knew we were in for an exciting treat. I felt like I was on the Polar Express, They had Christmas music playing, the kind that is in the scene where the kids reach the North Pole and sneak through Santa's workshop. The almost somber but exciting background Christmas music... I immediately knew we were off to a good start...
Everything was planned and paid for in one spot, we got to hang out and meet a bunch of great people from all over, and experience everything together. We went through the group "Gate 1", it was our first trip with them, but they have tours all around the world and if there is a place they offer that we are interested in, I would go through them again. We flew a direct flight from Orlando to Keflavik International Airport, It was about a 7 hour flight.
From the moment we got on the plane I knew we were in for an exciting treat. I felt like I was on the Polar Express, They had Christmas music playing, the kind that is in the scene where the kids reach the North Pole and sneak through Santa's workshop. The almost somber but exciting background Christmas music... I immediately knew we were off to a good start...
There is a saying in Iceland, 'If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes". You'll read this all over the internet if you do any research. So this, I was anticipating. However things went a little different for us. The day before we landed, Iceland had one of the biggest snow storms the country had seen in years. We had to do about a 4 minute walk from the airport to our bus, there is no real way to describe this walk.. other than it felt like walking through a windstorm (allegedly 38mph winds) while it was snowing. You had to actively push through to move forward, while keeping your head down so you can somewhat see. The wind was so strong, in order to keep upright I turned around and walked towards the wind... It was enthralling, invigorating, and entertaining. If I had to endure it for more than the short walk I would have hated life, but it was such an exciting way to start the trip. The other travelers ranged from 25 to 70 year olds, including this adorable little asian grandma who's daughter left her out in this storm while trying to navigate where to put all the luggage... I took her under my wing and guided her to the bus... "No man left behind" I thought in my head,"Not on my watch..."
"Welcome to Iceland" our tour guide, Olie said to us once we were all on the bus. We sat down and got adjusted, it was still dark since in the winter time Iceland only see's about 4 hours of sunlight.
We landed at 9am Iceland time, and 3am American time. We couldn't check into our hotel right away because, like most hotels, our rooms wouldn't be ready until about 1. So with a foggy mind we all reluctantly went on a tour of the capital city,Reykjavik (Pronounced, Wreck-Ye- Vec) but you have to roll the R a little bit int he beginning. I don't actually recall the names of the places we went this morning, other than the big Church, located in the heart of Reykjavick. *For about $6 you can take an elevator up to the top and get a great view of the city.* Inside was beautiful, and peaceful.
Along the way, we saw some great views, and listened to the history of the city. We even went into this one building that had a 360º view:
Next we stopped by a 'Northern Lights Museum" to learn a little bit more of the science behind them, Watched a few videos, and most importantly learned how to take a picture of them. They even had a test room to practice on.
Most people were sleeping in the tour guides face. Including my beloved.. His favorite thing about flying internationally is catching up on the movies he missed out on the past year. Granted, the selection is usually not the best, he stays up the entire flight.
I managed to try my best to stay awake, I like to play mind games with myself before I travel across time zones and get on that time schedule a day before I leave. So it doesn't hit me as hard. I stayed up until 4am that morning and slept almost the whole plane ride as to get my complete 8 hours sleep! Plus, tired or not, the chances of me getting to experience this again is slim, and I want to soak up every moment of it. It's almost like adrenaline kicks in and sleep becomes secondary. But trust me when I say, the minute I get some downtime, my butt is fast asleep.
"Welcome to Iceland" our tour guide, Olie said to us once we were all on the bus. We sat down and got adjusted, it was still dark since in the winter time Iceland only see's about 4 hours of sunlight.
We landed at 9am Iceland time, and 3am American time. We couldn't check into our hotel right away because, like most hotels, our rooms wouldn't be ready until about 1. So with a foggy mind we all reluctantly went on a tour of the capital city,Reykjavik (Pronounced, Wreck-Ye- Vec) but you have to roll the R a little bit int he beginning. I don't actually recall the names of the places we went this morning, other than the big Church, located in the heart of Reykjavick. *For about $6 you can take an elevator up to the top and get a great view of the city.* Inside was beautiful, and peaceful.
Along the way, we saw some great views, and listened to the history of the city. We even went into this one building that had a 360º view:
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| How to capture the lights |
Most people were sleeping in the tour guides face. Including my beloved.. His favorite thing about flying internationally is catching up on the movies he missed out on the past year. Granted, the selection is usually not the best, he stays up the entire flight.
I managed to try my best to stay awake, I like to play mind games with myself before I travel across time zones and get on that time schedule a day before I leave. So it doesn't hit me as hard. I stayed up until 4am that morning and slept almost the whole plane ride as to get my complete 8 hours sleep! Plus, tired or not, the chances of me getting to experience this again is slim, and I want to soak up every moment of it. It's almost like adrenaline kicks in and sleep becomes secondary. But trust me when I say, the minute I get some downtime, my butt is fast asleep.
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| All Bundled up! |
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| Cityscape, decorated for Christmas. |
After a few hours, we made our way back to our hotel and checked in. We had some down time to unpack and relax, and after a few ours we met with our group at the hotel restaurant for some drinks and snacks. Here we went over what the rest of our vacation was going to look like. We went out for a quick bite to eat at a local pub/bar, went back home to go to bed! Tomorrow will be the much awaited, Blue Lagoon. Until tomorrow....
skál! (Cheers!)
<3
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