Heading towards the light

[pagingjoan]

Just got back from 10 days in Iceland (and other places)...saw the lights twice...
Tips - take plenty of money, A$14 for a pint!!
Still sorting my pix out.

$24 for a small takeaway soup in a cardboard cup yesterday. Mind you, it was good soup.

 

[JessicaTam]

BA800 LHR-KEF A320 Y

The flight to Iceland was pretty uneventful. After a glass of bubbles and some breakfast in the T5 F lounge we were on our way. A pretty full flight, but I kept my shadow.

The catering was pretty good, so I can see why it is a big step backwards for BA to start charging for food.



We landed and seemed to taxi forever to the gate. It did give us a nice tour of the airfield. First impression - very barren, and very bleak. The ground was mostly covered in white, and no trees to be seen.

Immigration was very quick, but then we had bit of a wait as 'someone' had checked luggage. We walked through the 'nothing to declare' line and we were in Iceland.

Now as others have mentioned upthread, Iceland, and Reykjavik in particular, is expensive. ISK3000 ($36) for the bus to our hotel was a gentle introduction.

Our first night was at the Hilton: http://www.australianfrequentflyer....o-hilton-treat-you-18502-164.html#post1553225

The view from our room:


I got an email from the tour organisers that the Light Tour for our first night had been cancelled due to the heavy cloud cover over the island. So we made good use of the executive lounge. The tour company was able to book us on the next night's tour with no trouble so fingers crossed.

The next day we checked out and then in at the Canopy by Hilton, a new addition to the Hilton stable: http://www.australianfrequentflyer....o-hilton-treat-you-18502-164.html#post1553235

Nice dressing gown:

 

[JessicaTam]

We spent the day walking around the city. There is plenty to see and we covered a lot of ground. My step count is definitely up this trip! I also spent the day hoping not to receive the same email as I did the night before. :-|

Some pictures, in chronological order of our walking:

Hallgrimskirkja (consecrated in 1986). We were fortunate to hear the organist practicing while we were there.


Leifur Eiríksson - reputedly the first European to discover North America. Son of Eric the Red.


The concert hall. The weather did not bode well for later.


The town hall has a relief map of the country. No wonder Slartibartfast got an award. (Well for Norway anyway.)


Memorial to the coast guard and rescue services. A tough gig in these parts.


Soon enough we were heading back to the hotel to check emails ...

 

[JessicaTam]

The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are simply stunning. The shifting lights and colours are incredibly moving...




... except I didn't see them. And this is why:

Solid cloud cover for pretty much my whole stay.

Credit to http://res.cloudinary.com/simplevie..._nav_d3ffe4a3-bde9-4ffa-8a1c-a42b84c60681.jpg and https://iso.500px.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Northern-Lights-Norway.jpg for the pictures.

 

[Pushka]

Oh. Boo. I thought you made it.

 

[OATEK]

B***er, a white out after all that travel.

 

[kpc]

Nooooo....not possible to get a plane to get above the clouds?.........one of our trainees just returned from Norway and Iceland.....she saw the lights in both places with the former place being much better! I guess you will have to go again. One day I would love to go myself

 

[blackcat20]

Oh bugger :-|

 

[Cruiser Elite]

What a bummer JT - this is the kind of thing that usually happens to JohnnyK.

 

[Guvner]

What a bummer JT - this is the kind of thing that usually happens to JohnnyK.

or Clark W Griswold.


What a shame for you Jessica (and the others booked to go), I have this on my bucket list but gee, it's a long way to go for such a let down.

 

[Deleted member]

Ouch !! at that price it would jolly well want to be good.

$24 for a small takeaway soup in a cardboard cup yesterday. Mind you, it was good soup.

 

[Deleted member]

I'm told Finland is a good option for the northern lights .

 

[pagingjoan]

I'm told Finland is a good option for the northern lights .

And I'm told Iceland is a good option for the Northern Lights! And that December is the optimum time.

Alas, not in the week we've been here!

Fortunately, there are enough alternative attractions to have made the visit worthwhile.

 

[amaroo]

... except I didn't see them.

Very sorry to hear the bad weather report. It's definetly worth having another attempt down the track. Maybe try Tromsø, Norway next time ... we were very lucky earlier this year, and the option to drive into Finland increases the odds significantly.

 

[jastel]

I did Tromso a few years back...only 3 days and got mostly whiteout but got the smallest glimpse by driving over the border to Finland in a clear patch.
Thats why this time I stayed for 10 days...and went somewhere different in case of no lights.
I did not see them in Reykjavic, saw the supermoon, but I did a tour of the ring road and saw them in the northern sections.
I know how you feel...
It is all down to the weather gods...

 

[RooFlyer]

Damn, sorry to hear that JT. I hope you are going to have a consoling dip in the Blue Lagoon? Or stand mightily astride two continents at Þingvellir?

 

[amaroo]

Luck of the draw stuff...

Tromsø Jan 2016 http://www.australianfrequentflyer....e-and-chasing-lights-72682-9.html#post1388417

 

[JohnK]

Sorry to hear JessicaTam.

What a bummer JT - this is the kind of thing that usually happens to JohnnyK.

You can say that again!

 

[marki]

Sorry to hear JessicaTam.


You can say that again!

Yep plus one on that

 

[JessicaTam]

Heading away from the light

The time had come to say goodbye to Iceland, and to Sharon - at least for a while. Iceland is a country I would like to come back to to explore more thoroughly. I think summer next time. It was a toss up between Reykjavik and Tromsø this trip, so my next winter in Europe I will head to the north of Norway in another attempt to see the lights. That will also get me over the arctic circle.

Now here is an interesting fact - I thought that the Arctic Circle (like its southern equivilent) was a definite line of latitude, like 70º or 75º. Not so. The Arctic Circle is defined as the line north of which the sun does not set for at least one day of the year, and does not rise for at least one as well. As the earth wobbles ever so slightly on its axis this line moves. It is currently at about 66º 33’ 46” and moving by about 15m a year.

The Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn are similarly defined as the most northern and southern latitudes respectively reached by the overhead sun. Due to the Earth’s wobble, they too move. It is currently about 23º 26’ 13”.

But I digress. Sharon was staying on for another 6 nights as she had booked a tour that took in more of the island, and hopefully more of the lights. (Although I spoke to her a few days into her tour and they were as elusive as ever.) When we were in Berlin we took the advice of another AFFer and headed to Saturn - one of the large electrical chains - for some camera shopping. It was a great store and the staff member was very patient. We remembered to get the VAT back on the way out of TXL too.

I caught the bus to the airport and had some time to kill. It is certainly a well designed airport, with everything clearly signed. The only downside is the ‘running the bulls’ of the duty free stores a la Melbourne. Customs was interesting. I was asked what nationality I was and when I said Australian I was just waved through. :shock:

The departures area:


I settled into a comfy chair and watched the planes come and go for an hour or so until my flight was due to board.