Even after getting back into the city, I was still able to see them from the rooftop terrace of my hostel. For the next hour and a half, we got to see the shimmer of green across the sky. While the spectacular display died down, it didn’t cease entirely. The guide mentioned it was the best display of the season, and another crew member said it was the best display she had seen in a couple years. The lights danced wildly across the sky like a celestial serpent. They were bright enough to easily capture on my new Samsung Galaxy S8 phone (although my photographs in no way give justice to the real display).įor the next five minutes, the sky was a riot of colors. Our tour guide began discussing how it was indeed possible to see the northern lights from the city, despite the light pollution, but we would get underway on our voyage to see them off the coast.Īs the craft left Reykjavik harbor, the lights became brighter and brighter, gradually forming the wavy shapes I had seen in photos.īy 9:20, the lights were a bright green bar stretching across the sky. Within seconds, the band had stretched from horizon to horizon, and was gradually becoming more green and defined. I first mistook it for the Milky Way when someone pointed it out. They started as a thin, hazy line in the sky overhead, perhaps a hand-width wide and a third of the heavens long. It was a clear night sky, and a good show was promising.Īt 9:01 p.m., before the boat could even start its engines, the display began. Reykjavik Sailors had provided us with warm floating jumpsuits, and we all lined the top deck in the freezing wind, waiting for the boat to leave the harbor. Luckily, the ship next to ours, belonging to Reykjavik Ambassadors, came to our rescue and we all joined their tour. Yet as we were supposed to leave, we learned that there was a problem with the boat and it couldn’t sail. Several other friends from Trablin where already there, laughing at how excited I looked in my hopes of possibly seeing the northern lights. I had enough time to grab a quick sandwich from Subway (for a whopping $15, despite being one of the cheapest stores in Iceland), check into the Loft Hostel (without time to even drop off my bag) and sprint to the dock before the boat left. The Blue Lagoon was 45 minutes away from Reykjavik, and I didn’t get into town until 8:45. But I had to leave an hour before they closed, as I had a northern lights boat tour booked with Reykjavik Sailors at 9 p.m. I stayed there for a full five hours, luxuriating in the waters. My first adventure in Iceland was a trip to the Blue Lagoon, which I arrived at within an hour of landing in Iceland. Reykjavik Sailors and Reykjavik Ambassadors I quickly learned that the apps were wrong. I downloaded a couple and got really excited when they said I would have a good chance of seeing the lights on the third day of my trip. They would give predictions for hours and days in advance, including specifically where to see them. The first tip I received was to download one of the Aurora Borealis forecast apps, or rather all of them. Before I had even landed, I was getting advice on how to see the northern lights. Thus I was more than excited to get invited by Trablin (Travel Bloggers and Influencers) for a week of tours and seminars in Iceland. Iceland was always at the top of my list of countries I wanted to visit. A Day Tour Becomes a Night Tour with Reykjavik Sightseeing.Reykjavik Sailors and Reykjavik Ambassadors.
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