Iceland Day Two: In Which We Do NOT See The Northern Lights

February 26, 2012 in Europe, Iceland, Travelogue

Sad but true. We did not see the Northern Lights.

I was really hoping too… and we’re going to take our own car and head out tomorrow night for another search.

But what we HAVE seen has been phenomenal.

First, I have an announcement to make: I slept ELEVEN hours last night. Eleven! Me, the chronic non-sleeper. This was a very good start to the day.

Partial list of what we have seen so far:

  • A “blue” Arctic Fox
  • Puffins
  • Volcanos
  • Waterfalls (more than we can count, and spectacular!)
  • Black volcanic sand
  • Glaciers
  • Water in every form: Snow, sleet, rain, hail, fog, slush, boiling, freezing, frozen… all in nature within a 2 hour drive
What we’ve tasted:
  • I told you about the dried fish and “putrified shark,” the preferred term, evidently, yesterday.
  • Lobster soup (out of this world good!)
  • Local beer
  • Various candies we can’t pronounce all involving chocolate, some licorice as well
  • Heavy seeded bread
  • And a schwarma plate. I know, I know… but we love it and it’s hard to find on Cape Cod.
Again it’s late… and again I’m going to let the pictures do the talking. Iceland reminds us in lots of ways of Hawaii. No surprise, I suppose since they were both birthed from fire through the oceans. The black rocks, the volcanic sand, the intense heat from deep inside the earth, the bananas. Yes, they DO grow bananas here, they have the biggest banana crop of any European country, according to our guide. Of course they’re all grown in greenhouses, but bananas are bananas, right?
Of course we didn’t hike on any glaciers in Hawaii…
Tony thought this was the most elaborate practical joke ever! 😉
He takes too many pictures of me.

Riverbed downstream from the waterfall

Us.

Fair warning.

The glacier... 2nd largest in Iceland... don't ask me to spell it, just look on the map. 🙂

Blue... the black is layers of volcanic ash laid down by various eruptions

He takes too many pictures of me.

A perfect rainbow over the glacier!

Our guide by the glacial lake

It was cold on the ice

Sipping glacial runoff... cold, clear, perfection

Chopping a "path" for us to get down

Ice climbing

Follow the leader (and don't fall down a crevasse!)

Crampons

Waterfall

Why yes, that is freezing rain on the lens... Tony in an old water tube

Happy

Dinner table

Local brew

Lobster Soup