The Opera House in Iceland was open, so we entered and walked around the building with not another person in site - well it was 8pm and cold. That's what tourist do! I love how the stairs and seating arrangement represent the keys on a piano. The architectural design of this building is mind-blowing and well worth braving the elements.
The only place on earth where the tectonic plates of Europe and America can be seen on the surface. The body of water visible is the divide between the 2 plates which are apparently moving at 2cm a year. This picture was taken on 5th January 2014 at sunrise.
A perfect tour operated day package included stopping at the plates, walking for 20 minutes around the Geysers (with care - it was slippery), 20 minutes at the Gulfoss Waterfalls and crossing over the glacier to ride on snowmobile for an hour before heading home in silence, overwhelmed by her beauty. The timing was perfect at each stop, as it was too cold to stand for too long outdoors. The sun shone but the chill factor with the wind dropped the temp down below zero.
This is an experience for adrenaline junkies, which is not me. We had to drive our own bikes and 40 km on ice and snow, which felt more like 120km. (ok I do exaggerate!) I was so nervous that the goggles kept fogging up and I had to stop. Well one would presume that bright orange suits would be visible for miles - wrong - the glacier is deceptively hilly and within second everyone had disappeared and I calmly waited to be collected by the guide. The guides where on guard - one in the front of the pack and one at the back. I have never in my life been more grateful to see a person, any person. I told the guide just how grateful I was that he had saved my life.
Lesson learnt: one if you nervous sit at the back with someone who can ride. Lesson two if one is not possible, make sure you go out on a clear day or else don't go! Lesson three, don't panic, these guys know what they doing and are experts.
Lesson four - Seriously!!!! NEVER!!!!! try do this alone, always go with an expert/guide!
Lesson learnt: one if you nervous sit at the back with someone who can ride. Lesson two if one is not possible, make sure you go out on a clear day or else don't go! Lesson three, don't panic, these guys know what they doing and are experts.
Lesson four - Seriously!!!! NEVER!!!!! try do this alone, always go with an expert/guide!
The Rocket Church, which sits at the top of the main hill in the city of Reykjavik, has a viewing tower at the very top, with 360 degree views of the city. The image of the city was taken from the top of the church. Imagine watching the light glimmer in that "golden hour" of sunrise and sunset every day. Magic!
This day was very special at it was my big 50 and we had one day only to see the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis. Thor, one of the most important and famous gods in Norse mythology, just happened to be our guide. I begged him to speak to the gods to make sure we got to see the lights after the caving. We had a giggle and slid down the rabbit hole into the larva caves.
The gods answered Thor and I had the most spectacular 50th Birthday!
3 years have passed and I continue to dream of the symphony of lights in the sky!
There are a few things I would recommend if you want to take photos of the Aurora Borealis. Sorry but you cannot use a hand held happy snappy, and you need a tripod. Try to prepare some settings on your camera before hand, as the darkness, excitement, elements, very fast moving lights all don't lend to you being slow. You snooze you loose! I bought a new canon wide angle lens EF S10-22mm f3.5-4.5 usm which was recommended on line by other photographers and this lens turned out to the be only one that was capable of the job. My 24-105mm F4.5 IS USM was completely useless. I read on line lots before I went to Iceland and read a great book "How to photograph the northern lights" by Patrick J Endres. For my first attempt I was really chuffed but check on line at the pros. Other things to consider, the lights are a gift which means you cannot call the shots. Give yourself a few days either way as if they fail to appear most companies will take you out the following day. Remember it is cold and you will be standing outside for up to an hour or more. Dress cleverly as you need your hands to take the pictures and you need to wear proper snow boots as the ground can be cold and slippery. Next time I will be wearing a balaclava with a wooly hat (I had the thermals and ski jacket)!
The Blue Lagoon was our final stop en route to the airport. A delightful goodbye treat. A huge tip on tripadviser, which we ignored, was to purchase the spa tickets before hand, as the queues are long and you can waste 30 minutes of very precious time. We did not have time for any beauty therapy treatments as a result, but soaking in the water sufficed.
The legends of the vikings live on.
