Iceland: Our Search For The Northern Lights

Our search for the northern lights began Monday the 25th of September. Our original plan of spending time in Cape Cod before we fly to Iceland had to be modified due to some changes beyond our control. We left the house (after fixing a minor mishaft with our hotel in Hella) early morning in Orlando to take our flight to Philadelphia to Boston to catch our transatlantic flight to Reykjavik. We could have taken a direct flight from Orlando, but we made arrangements to this trip attached to our original plan, and to majorly change our flight itinerary will cost us another fortune since we already spent some with the minor ones we did. None the less, I am grateful that Iceland is finally happening after years of putting it off our plans.

The flight from Boston to Reykjavik was short and uneventful (thank God!). We boarded at night time, and took off. Next that I knew we already landed. We arrived around 530AM. After all the standard immigration and other airport protocols, we walked outside to pick our car rental. Boy that was cold! It was only in the 50s but felt on low 40s for me. It was raining, cold and damp and still dark as Bob started driving. The sceneries became more visible when it started to get light.

It took us close to an hour (about 30miles) from the airport to the old city of Reykjavik because of the morning rush. Our first stop was the church of Hallgrimskirkja- a lutheran church and also an iconic landmark in Iceland. We thought of seeking shelter inside for a while since it was raining, but it was off limits since a funeral was being held; so we just braved the rain and continued taking pictures of the outside premise. Outside the church erects the statue of Leif Erikkson- a hero in Iceland and I am a fan. If you watch the Vikings Valhalla you will understand. Then we drove around the city trying to kill time. We found a nice path in Orfirsey and walked with the view of the harbor. Then drove again. Still in the city, we drove by Lake Tjornin. This is a quaint area in old Reykjavik; we noticed the Frikirkjan- another church with green roof that faces the lake where swans and geese were swimming and resting and being fed by tourists. Again, took some pictures and finally headed to one of our official destinations.

Bob and I enjoying the hot springs of Blue Lagoon in Grindavik.

Blue Lagoon. It was a scenic hour drive to Grindavik- so much sceneries that our eyes could absorb. It was too bad that it was overcast. Nonetheless, we made a couple of stops along the way to just absorb the landscape. After that hour drive, we finally arrived in Blue Lagoon. This was a new experience for us. Yes, back in the Philippines we have springs; and they are warm too; but Iceland’s Blue Lagoon is another level. The experience was totally different- from prepping to finally stepping into the water and just enjoying its hot springs while the outside temperature is cool; first class I would describe it. We stayed here for 2 hours sipping our drink and basking in the warm water in a cold weather. As we hit the road and another two hours of scenic drive to Hella, we finally got to Stracta Hotel, our home for the next three nights.

The following two days were spent into exploring south Iceland and the Golden Ring. We concentrated between Hella and Vik. Among the highlights of our sight-seeings were:

Water falls. It felt like we were chasing waterfalls all the time. On our drive to Skogafoss (the official falls in our itinerary to see), we hit by chance Seljalandsfoss. It was very visible from the road when we were driving- and since we are passing by it, we decided to check it out and glad we did. It is listed as one of the “must-see.” People are lined up to climb and walk; we didn’t realize that you could walk underneath it. It was cold, but refreshing; It was an enjoyable experience.

We drove to the second waterfalls- Skogafoss. This one is as spectacular as the first falls but different in a way. At 60meter high you can see it from the farthest space in the parking lot. It has a viewing platform on the top that we climbed. It is about 527 steps to ascend. Bob and I took our time so we won’t get short of breath like when we climbed Nevada falls in Yosemite. We were also careful heading down; though the steps here are wider and safer than when we climbed down the Mayan temple in Coba, Mexico. While on top, we walked little further and saw another falls- Hestavaosfoss. This one is small. We met a woman that told us to walk farther, and there are more falls. Bob and I didn’t really want to push it and just decided to descend from the the view point to see the massive falls on the the ground. Skogafoss was stunning and very strong. There was a full rainbow formed from its mists when that short glimpse of sun came out. It was a nice thing to see!

By Day 3 we have seen a couple more. Oxararfoss which is actually inside the Tingvellir National Park; about a mile from the entrance. This one is not as grand as the previous two; more similar to Skogafoss but a smaller scale. The grandest of them all, is Gullfoss in Haukadalur Valley, still within the Golden Circle. This reminded me of Niagara Falls- a mini version. Wider than any of the water falls we’ve seen here, and Its current is so powerful. It was worth the walking and climbing up and down the stairs to see its grand.

It was fun to experience walking underneath Seljalandsfoss. Refreshing.

Reyniskirkja. The church we found by chance.

The Churches. Iceland is also famous for its beautiful churches. On those days we were in the southwest coast, we were able to see few of the beautiful ones:

Hallgrimskirkja. Probably The most iconic. Located in Reykjavik, this Lutheran church is the highest building in the old city.
Frikirkjan. also in Reykjavik, a smaller one that faces Lake Tjornin.
Vakurkirkja. This church in Vik is the most captivating one. It is a simple structure in its sense, but the way it is situated- on top of the hill with the scenic view of the Black Sand Beach. We climbed up the hill and there’s the birds eye view. Majestic!
Reyniskirkja. This we found by chance; while we were driving to find dinner. Still in a desolate town of Vik, this one is similar to Vakurkirkja, it faces the Black Sand Beach.
Pingvallakirkja. This one is found inside the Thingvellir National Park. Has multicolor paints. I enjoyed it the most from the observation deck.
Selfosskirkja. Like Reyniskirkja, we found this one as we were driving in Selfoss. Most modern among the smaller churches I must say, but its structure is quite unique too.

The DC Plane Wreck. On our drive to the Black Sand Beach, we saw a bunch of cars pulling over to a huge parking lot and people were walking away to a distance. Brought by our curiosity, we pulled into the parking lot as well. Then we found the sign about the abandoned DC Plane. It is 4 miles, about 3-4hrs walk both ways to the wreckage. Bob and I looked at each other and decided to go and see. A little bit of information why this becomes a destination spot for travelers to iceland: this is a US Navy DC plane that ran out of fuel and crashed on the black beach in Solheimasandur in 1973. Fortunately everyone on that plane survived. The wreckage remained in the black sand and became a famous tourist trap since.

This is the majestic rock formations at the Black Sand Beach in Vikurfjara.

The Black Sand Beach. The black sand beaches are one of a kind; the first I saw in my lifetime. We went to two beaches: Vikurfjara and Reynisfjara; both were about 20 minutes apart from each other. Both, derived from their names black sand beaches, have black sands and tiny pebbles on the the shore. Quite unique. There were rock formations on both. The mountain in Reynisfjara that tourists (like us) take photos of, has a structure that resembles cylindrical/rectangular prisms connected to each other. Quite unique. I also wondered if people sunbathe and swim here in the summer as the waves and rip curls were too strong.

Thingvellir National Park. This is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. This is the only place in the world where you can stand between these two continental plates. Its geological landscape changes every year (wikipedia). If you love your geology, this is the place to be!

The view of Thingvellir National Park from the view deck.

Though Bob and I were tired from the previous walk to the DC wreckage, we braved yet again another 2 to 3 hours of walk around this one majestic national park. From the observation deck to going back to the entrance/exit area, the park offered so much natural beauty to see. Its landscape somehow remind me of the other national park we visited in Patagonia. It was nice that the colors of some of the plants are turning to fall colors too.

Strokkur Geyser on one of its eruptions.

Strokkur Geyser. As we drove and completed our drive around the golden circle, we made our final stop at the highly active geysir, hot spring area. Among the most famous and the favorite ones is the Strokkur Geyser. It erupts every 6 to 10 minutes at a height of 10-20 meters. If you stay long enough to watch it explode, you’ll find yourself hooked into it until the next explosion. Fun stuff. After about 30 minutes witnessing this natural phenomenon, we decided to head back to our car to start heading back to our hotel.

The fifth and last full day we drove back to Reykjavik. Strolled once again the old town. It wasn’t raining then so we had better opportunity to see the inside of Hallgrimskirkja, went up the tower and see the 360 view of the city. We also checked out the Rainbow Street (which I think was a hype), the Sun Voyager, and a bit of souvenir shopping and lunch. After that we headed to our hotel and rest.

Our fourth and fifth night both in Hella and Reykjavik, the sky was more promising. They are blue and clearer than the first three. On both nights, we thought this would be the night to see the elusive aurora, but the northern lights remained aloof. I knew at this point, I will not see her this visit; but leaves me the hope to see her one night at another time I guess. No, we didn’t see the northern lights, but we have seen so many great places as trade offs. A trip that almost never happened, but will be happy to come back.