We stayed in a fancy heated bubble under the night sky.
Unfortunately it was raining. Luckily, we got another shot.
Leaving Klauster in the morning, we stopped at a green canyon for a quick hike to see the iconic locations of Justin Bieber’s “I’ll Show You” video, which I had to show everyone on my phone so they’d believe me. Then to the Secret Lagoon for a more rustic spa, shopping for sweaters and local wool in Selfoss.
Ruth was super excited to stay at the 5 Million Star Hotel, and to be honest it was pretty swank. They provide a heated pad and a warm down comforter, so it stayed cozy. I woke up every few hours to check the cloud cover, but we were pretty socked in. Would have been amazing to see the stars from bed, but it was still magical to be in the trees and wake up with the woodland creatures.
It was another relatively short drive to the Pingvellir National Park, where we had booked a snorkeling tour in between the tectonic plates. They actually didn’t let Janet go, because the cold water had caused health concerns in other participants. She was pissed, but to be honest it was pretty cold, and the feeling of being in a submerged dry suit was not the most comfortable. It sure looked silly, though.
After warming up with some hot chocolate, we got back in the car and drove to Borgarnes, a very cute fishing village on the west coast. We had a great dinner at a local pub, and Ruth made sure we got to try the fermented shark meat for dessert.
I’ve been checking my aurora and weather forecasting apps constantly, and we finally got a break in the clouds and enough solar activity around 9pm. We were finishing dinner and when I stepped outside to check the sky, I let out a whoop and told everyone to bundle up, we were going out again. We only drove a few minutes outside of town to find a place without lights, and stopped near a small waterfall by the side of the road. It wasn’t the best foreground, but I got some reflections and a clear view of the sky.
Seeing the band of green light dance with the stars made the whole trip.
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