Back in November, I travelled to Iceland and it was a rather mind-blowing trip as I’d had this up on a pedestal for so long! I have been breaking up the photos of the trip into a series of posts, the first day about the Golden Circle is here and the mega road trip to Vik and the glacier and iceberg lagoon at Jokulsarlon is here. We’d covered so much in our first two days to fit things in ahead of a couple of rainy days, we had a day in chilling and having a pyjama disco in our cool temporary home. It was such a giggle burning up spotify, drinking lots of tea, snoozing and listening to the rain lash down on the windows. The following day was predicted to be a rainy one too so we planned to go to the Blue Lagoon, we were going to get wet anyway and I’ve always wanted to swim in the rain! While we were there we explored the Reykjanes peninsula before heading home. The following day, we journeyed around the coastal fishing villages near our house before heading home to see if the clouds would part and the aurora would dance…..there was nothing that could have prepared us for the most memorable moment of my life. EEK! I’ll be picking my way with stories and tips through this post so do read on!
As we drove into the Blue Lagoon, there road was lined with cloudy crystal blue pools of water, it looks like all the milk had met the coppery seas of the Mediterranean! We joined a short queue and asked for the ticket that included lunch but we hadn’t booked in advance (unlike the advice says!) and so we got our towel and robe and trotted through. The wrist bands were really cool, working as our entry, locker locks and cashless payments, which made the whole thing really easy! Entering the lagoon was just like that instantly relaxing feeling you get when you dip your toe into a hot bath. It was just amazing and we bobbed and drifted around chasing the hottest spots. The in water bars were awesome and I was back to my 5 year old self with a blue slush puppy. Eilidh and I had booked to have an in water massage which was one of the most relaxing experiences I’ve had. You’re on a mat which makes you float and wrapped in a warm blanket and you gently move around while drifting away into a dream world! Towards the end of our visit, the skies had cleared and the sun broke through so we grabbed some photos before leaving.
We were waiting for some more of our friends to arrive at Keflavik so we went down to the Reykjanes Penninsular where there was a hot spring bellowing out is sulphurous steam at Gunnuhver. We walked up to it and the land turned shades of yellow and this was the most ‘fragrant’ smell of sulphur we’d experienced so far!
The rugged coastline with the black volcanic stacks being lashed by a relentless sea were mesmerising. I loved the colour of the sea, the blue looking bolder against the white swash of the waves. Everything is so vast and Eilidh looked tiny as she was silhouetted looking for birds on the cliff edge. 
It was time to head to the airport to meet our friends and drive on home. We had hoped with the glimmer of sun that broke through at the lagoon that there might be a chance of aurora but cloud cover was thick.
On the dawn of another day we planned to go and visit nearby Selfoss and the small fishing villages that were clinging to the south coast edging the Atlantic. First stop was just around the corner at Kerid, a dormant volcano crater that we found out is home to gigs in the summer with the musicians performing on rafts on the water!
The skies were beautiful, such a cool blue with the occasional ray of light shimmering through. We stopped at Knarrarós Lighthouse and only Fraser and I walked out to it as with a forceful wind, it was sub-zero. When we got there it was hard to stand up and climb the steps to the lighthouse! We jogged back to the car before driving around to Eyrarbakki where we saw some folk welding their car. With dusk rapidly surrounding us, we went back to fill up on supplies for dinner and at the off licence for another cosy night it.
The sunset that night was rather epic, with a gap at the horizon allowing the rays to reach across and dust the clouds in warm hues. Our whole house turned orange. I don’t think I’ll forget the feeling of just standing and watching it fall, my cheeks were freezing and had that refreshing burn as they warmed up in the toasty house and the colour that glowed added to a moment of contentment.
So, the clouds were thick and we kept and eye on the skies, between glasses of wine and amazing Icelandic craft beers, with a full house now our travelling buddies had arrived it was a boozy night. I popped out onto the deck around 11.30pm and the clouds had parted and I was squealing, guys, I think I can see it, something is moving in that gap in the clouds……its so strange, you don’t see the green if it is gentle, just a shimmer, a little like an aeroplane corn trail in the sky. I put my camera up on a long exposure and with all of the excitement and the rather plentiful amount of wine, I’d forgotten to focus the camera. This caused muchos giggles and this is the image we all looked at and started screaming as we knew the aurora was there, right outside our house!
I traced the lines across the skies and realised that it was running right across our panoramic views…..if only the clouds would shift!
After about an hour, not a lot had changed with the intensity of the display and it was totally freezing. I had all of my winter gear on and a duvet around me. Everyone had turned in for the night but I wasn’t ready to go in. I was so content wrapped up and was just enjoying the quiet and open space in front of me. Then things changed, I’d stopped relying on the camera to see the lights, they suddenly became more intense, like the saturation had just been upped by mother nature. I ran in the house screaming ‘THEY’RE KICKING OOOOOOOOOFF!!’ When I got back outside, they were everywhere in the sky, right above us, it was like they were descending around us. So (in my drunked wisdom) I grabbed my camera on the tripod and set off running down the lava hill that our house was elevated on. I was wading through bushes and slippery mossy stone, trying to get to a wide view point. I got as far as I could and fell to my knees and wedged the tripod into the bushes and started to shooting.
This was the moment I think everyone lost their voices, screaming with joy and disbelief. I can old describe that it looked like music would sound, like the frequency flickering on an equaliser. This moment is the game changer for me. Travel and capturing our beautiful world is on my agenda! We were treated to this intense display for about 5 minutes and then it quietened down as quickly as it arrived.
