Goal 19: See the Northern Lights - Attempted, Unsuccessful.
Goal: Iceland in Winter: Complete Success.
OUR TRIP:
Arrival: The day started with a pre-dawn arrival and the slow realization that
even in the only city, things didn't open until much later, at least not
on Sunday. We eventually found a hotel serving breakfast and happily
got our first coffee! We eventually set out of the city for Budir - and
thus began our road trip through jaw dropping country.
Day 1: Drive to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula & the Hotel Budir.
The drive was a very pleasant surprise. The roads were empty. And by empty, I mean, we could stop on the side of the road or
... the middle of the road to get out and take pictures. Because
absolutely no one was coming.
But that was when we knew the whole trip was going to be spectacular because in first hour we were running out of descriptive adjectives to say how stunning it all was. Beautiful, awesome, striking, magnificent, gorgeous.
The Hotel Budir
There are a few tables here for the cafe/bar. We had lunch and coffee soaking in the view above upon arrival!
The Hotel Budir was a brilliant option for our first night! (Boo-der, rhyming with "her"). It was our biggest splurge, but I'm so glad we did this. It felt like a dream.
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| Herb crusted lamb with red wine reduction. |
The hotel is located in what is supposed to be one of the best areas to see the Northern Lights. Upon request, the staff will call the room if the Northern Lights are out - and our room had a skylight so we wouldn't even have to brave the cold if they came out.
On top of all of that - the landscape was (arguably) the best on the whole trip, and the food was the best as well. The cook was trying out new recipes for the summer menu, and every morsel was scrumptious.
Look at that skylight! So you could (theoretically) watch the Northern Lights from bed. Upon request, the front desk will call you if the Northern Lights are out. They will also give you a forecast. In our case, the sky was clear but the conditions were bad.
Day 2: Return to Reykjavik via Golden Circle.
A Sunrise goodbye to Budir. (aka 10am)
So hard to leave - but the Golden Circle was waiting!
Starting in Budir, we had a longer drive to get to the start of the Golden Circle drive. If I were to do this again, I would have started a little bit earlier. Though it's hard to regret because that sunrise was exceptionally beautiful. I was really hard to leave. We had a long, leisurely breakfast with view of the mountains above, took one more walk around, then hit the road.
The front desk clerk at the Hotel Budir suggested a fabulous, off the beaten path coffee shop - which was one of my favorite on the whole trip! We were still new to the idea that Icelandic coffee is delicious. The coffee itself is good and the milk makes it all the better. This quaint coffee shop was absolutely worth the added delay.
The Golden Circle
Þingvellir - Our first stop on the Golden Circle drive - stunning vistas. A UNESCO World Heritage Site. Where Iceland was founded - and the leaders of the nation met for over 200 years. Pretty good spot.
We kept pronouncing it "ping" but really it's "thing" as in, Thingvellir. Just like Þor is pronounced Thor. (A little Icelandic lesson for you).
Geysir - We barely got to stop here, because we were running out of day light. But it was lovely and worth the stop. The brook along the side of the road was bubbling!
Gulfoss - We saved the best for last! Okay. Admittedly, we unknowingly saved the best for last. But this place was amazing. Freezing, bitter, bitter cold. I thought my fingers might fall off - even inside the gloves.
This snow & covered double waterfall was much more stunning than my grainy photos can portray!
Day 3: Horseback Riding with Viking Horses!
My first horseback riding trip. I discussed this in a post
here!
Such a worthwhile excursion, a highlight of the trip.
Day 4: The Road to Vik & The Black Sand Beaches at Vik
The drive out to Vik was filled with waterfalls and more endless beauty. Honestly, I thought I'd be more used to the beauty by this stage. But nope. We ran out of adjectives and exclamations attempting to describe the epicness of the views were taking in.
I'll let the photos do the explaining.
Day 5: Reykjavik.
Our last day in Iceland - we finally got to bum around Reykjavik. I would happily go back. Great shopping, great coffee shops - fun just to walk around this funky little town.
A Night at the Symphony. The Reykjavik Symphony Orchestra.
(For you hard core West Wing fans - this should bring a smile!)
Exceptional. There was no better send off than this concert. It was simply breath taking. So glad we went. It was also one of the few places that didn't have lots of tourists!
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| On the road to Hafnarfjörður - the town we stayed in (Reykjavik suburb). |
This book was a delightful surprise in many ways. Much more broadly philosophical than I'd imagined. Creationism, wrongful conviction, self-determination, the power and limitations of knowledge, self-acceptance and rejection, etc. It was almost 3 stories in one tiny compact book, with 3 rotating storytellers. My copy was only 166 pages - but Mary Shelley covered quite a lot of terrain in that small space. 
The long, heavy language was due, in part, to how old the book is. First published in 1818, it took awhile to get back into older English. To put that in perspective, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was first published in 1870! Jules Verne wasn't even born until 1828 - ten years after Frankenstein was published. On the other side, Candide was published in 1759, but has always seemed so much older to me. The development of science between those years is more than imaginable. And thus, the basis of these novels that flirt was science are so vastly different. 
