The following article about our adventures in Iceland originally appeared in Mums and Dads magazine.
The northern lights are apparently the number one “must do” experience among British people, according to a recent Sunday Telegraph survey. And the mysterious, multi-coloured phenomena are currently at the peak period of their seven year cycle.
But for parents with young children, hunkering out of the arctic wind in the frozen north and staring at the night sky for hours on end probably isn’t what they have in mind for a winter vacation.
So when Harrison arrived in 2013 I finally gave up on any lasting hopes of seeing the lights for the next decade or so. Sure I might be able to talk my wife, Alena, into a trip to Lapland- for Harrison’s sake of course- when he gets to about 4 or 5, but by that time the solar activity would be at a low in its seven year cycle and besides who knows if any more children are in the pipeline either.
It’s not like I hadn’t had my chances before children, it’s just that I’m cursed when it comes to the northern lights. I’ve had too many missed opportunities for it to be mere coincidence. On a flight from New York, our captain had once announced that passengers on the RIGHT of the aircraft should look out of their windows to see a “spectacular display” and I was stuck on the left. I thought the plane was going to flip over, such was the scramble to see through the tiny portals.
Still at least that wasn’t as painful as the time we booked a trip to Tromso for New Year in 2010, only for the wife and I to go down with Noro-Virus two days before we were due to fly.
But in March 2014 we resolved to give it one more chance. We decided against Lapland, mainly because Harrison was too young to know anything about Santa Claus at that time but also because of the high costs of getting there.
Iceland, in comparison was unexpectedly cheap. Easyjet had recently started flights from Manchester that had prices well below £100 return per person. The flight is also relatively short at around two and a half hours.
Upon arrival we were happy to find that the airport is small and crowd free, so we were through customs in no time and picking up the car half an hour after landing.
Driving through the strange, lunar like terrain to our hotel took a mere 20 minutes but I’d be happy to drive here for longer, such is the stark beauty of the landscape.
Once we dropped our bags off at the encouragingly entitled Northern Lights Inn we walked through the solidified lava to the nearby Blue Lagoon, famous for its warm bathing waters, even in the middle of winter.
It’s not the cheapest swim we’ve ever paid for but it is certainly the most atmospheric, gliding through the milky waters with the steam hovering around him Harrison was in his element, but the excitement soon got to him and he was fast asleep on his mummy’s shoulder in no time.
He woke around an hour later with a confused smile and I reflected on how I might feel if I were to suddenly wake in such an eerie place.
I’d probably think I’d gone to heaven.
The weather forecast for our first night predicted overcast skies, so the Northern Lights Inn was probably not going to be living up to its moniker that night. But it had been a long day and we still had two nights left.
The following day we woke to find that the temperature is a balmy six degrees centigrade, which is apparently three degrees more than the average for this time of year. We decided to make full use of the “glorious” weather by driving to two of Iceland’s most famous attractions; Geysir and Gullfoss, which make up two thirds of Iceland’s Golden Circle; the other third being Thingvellir National Park, where the American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. It’s quite possible to do all three in one day and you don’t even need a car, plenty of operators run day trips. But driving is so uncomplicated here and the roads so un-crowded that it would be a shame not to do things at our own pace, especially with a young child.
I suppose that’s the other bonus in choosing Iceland to see the northern lights, the fact that there is plenty to do should the elusive lights not make an appearance. And we had a great time “oooh-ing and aaahh-ing as Strokkur geyser shot columns of water 30 metres into the air every 5 minutes or so.
That said, Harrison seemed to prefer the warmth of the nearby tavern-cum-restaurant, complete with Viking helmets and trolls. Much more fun than nature to a one year old!
Gullfoss Falls are only ten miles away but it was noticeably colder- and windier- so we only lingered for half an hour or so. Still it’s long enough to marvel at how beautiful and powerful nature can be in this part of the world. Alena and I have been lucky enough to see Niagara and Iguazu Falls but Gullfoss is every bit as impressive and frightening.
That night the weather was still overcast and I was beginning to worry that our northern lights curse would prevent me from realising my ambition of seeing them before my 40th birthday.
“Just go on an Aurora hunting tour!” Alena insisted.
“But I couldn’t possibly leave you and Harrison at the hotel.”
“Why? We’ll only be sleeping, it’s not like we’ll miss you.”
And so the voice of reason won again and I signed up to an aurora hunting trip with Greyhound Bus Tours.
The drive from our hotel took around an hour before we found skies clear enough to gaze at the heavens. I was surprised to note that they took us to what looked like a restaurant-cum-guest house complete with gift shop. I instantly smelled a rat- having endured many a gift shop tour masquerading as a sightseeing tour in countries like Egypt and Turkey.
So it was a massive surprise when the lights began to fill the sky around an hour later. They were faint at first and I was a little disappointed when the guide shouted “Look, right there.” But within a few minutes a massive green tail was whipping across the night sky, complete with a few ethereal reds above and below. Then, about half an hour into the display a shooting star dissected the scene and the crowd literally went mad.
An hour or so after they first showed up the lights were in full swing, but I felt strangely empty. Of course the display was every bit as beautiful as I’d hoped and imagined, but I actually found myself wanting to get back on board the bus so I could return to the hotel.
Later, when we were on our way back to the hotel, I wondered why I felt so disappointed after realising a lifetime ambition. Could it be that after seeing Harrison’s birth every other experience in life would be dull in comparison?
I reflected on the dilemma for a long time before I realised that without anyone to share an experience with- even though I was surrounded by people- the experience is always destined to be empty, and that the beauty of family life was having loved ones to share such things.
I was at the hotel and looking at the two most important people in my life by 4am. It was more beautiful than anything I’d ever seen in my entire life. I kissed Harrison first, then Alena and crept in beside her, trying not to wake them. I was tired and ready to sleep, grateful for everything I’ve been blessed with. The northern lights were nothing compared to this.
And then the phone rang.
I answered it promptly, so that it didn’t wake Alena and Harrison, but I had no wish to talk to anyone at this time in the morning.
“Hello,” I whispered.
“Hello sir,” the voice replied. “You requested a wake up call.”
“Not at four in the morning I didn’t.”
“It’s the northern lights sir, you requested an aurora alert, and the lights are dancing.”
I looked at Alena and Harrison, both sound asleep. Harrison even had a smile on his face, and Alena hated being woken while asleep.
“Thanks,” I muttered, considering the dilemma. “Thanks very much.”
