Aurora Borealis

I don’t have a bucket list. But if I did, then the Northern Lights would surely be on it. After all, it is by far the most common bucket list item of all (ahead of #2 “skydiving” and #3 “getting a tattoo”).

Well as soon as I set foot on Icelandic soil, it started to shake. Multiple earthquakes on my first day in Reykjavik. A massive volcanic eruption predicted, within hours, or days.

• Friday night: I was advised to postpone the Northern Lights trip to Saturday, due to cloudy conditions. I later learned that the forecast was wrong. There had been a vivid display.
• Saturday night: Clear skies and a rare Aurora Forecast of 6, indicating a “solar storm”, for only the second time this season. Expecting a solar flare, promising to be fantastic altogether. But unfortunately there was not so much as a glimmer of green in the sky. Some people in Ireland sent me photos of a spectacular display of northern lights… in Donegal, Ireland. The country that I left… in order to go and see the Northern Lights in Iceland (where the sky is now black).
• Sunday night: Third time lucky. I brought one of those Nordic runes from the Viking museum for extra good luck. Three hours later, still nothing to write home about. Until the clock chimed midnight. The “Happy Birthday” text messages arrived at 00:00. The green lights appeared right on cue.

Not exactly the breathtaking symphony that I had been hoping for, but a fascinating phenomenon, a memorable experience.