14 November 2017 / leggypeggy

Mother Nature treats us to two performances

bus tours, lagoons, Mother Nature, night sky, Northern Lights, Reykjavik, waterfalls, winter

Northern Lights in Iceland

We’ve had only two really clear nights since we arrived in Iceland last week.

When the weather report looked good for the first of those two nights, we booked to go on a three-hour Northern Lights tour. Our first stop was at the Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park, east of Reykjavik.

We trudged through the snow and onto a viewing platform, but there was no activity in the sky. In fact, the garden around a farmhouse down to the left was well-lit so we didn’t really have the darkness that would make the Northern Lights stand out.

After 15 minutes or so, the guide suggested we reboard the bus and move on to a more likely spot. It was a wise decision, because the next site delivered a nice show of lights that lasted about 10 minutes. Unfortunately, I was having a brain meltdown and fumbling with my camera settings. I could enjoy watching the lights, but couldn’t get a single pic.

Northern Lights in Iceland

Not long after we reboarded the bus, I figured out what I had been doing wrong, but it was too late.

I decided the only answer was to book another tour on another clear night.

In the meantime, we booked a 14-hour bus tour along the south coast of Iceland to the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon. It was a super cloudy day but that didn’t keep us from enjoying the scenery along the way as well as the lagoon (more about that trip soon).

A waterfall at night

But the big bonuses came on the way home. We’d passed a large waterfall earlier in the day, and the guide promised that we’d stop briefly on the way back because the cascade was illuminated at night.

I hadn’t brought my tripod this night, so I couldn’t get a great, steady shot of the waterfall, but one pic turned out nice enough.

As we reboarded the bus, the skies started to clear and the guide urged us to keep our eyes focused towards the north. Luckily Poor John and I were on that side of the bus on the way home!

Northern Lights in Iceland

When we were about 45 minutes outside of Reykjavik, Mother Nature began her show.

I think the guide was as excited as all the passengers. He got the driver to pull over at a safe spot and we all piled out to watch the show.

What a joy, what a bonus! A tripod would have helped me to get sharper pics, but I was thrilled to get any and even more thrilled to see the lights—and without having to book yet another tour.

We were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights last year in Alaska and now again in Iceland. Woo-hoo! I’ve heard that people are seeing the Southern Lights in Tasmania, so we may have to try that next year.

Northern Lights in Iceland