On our last day, we were staying over night in Keflavik, so we were near to the airport. Off we went on a mini road trip day I could definitely recommend.

Spending some time visiting Reykjanes Peninsula and the unusual sights. May not be as spectacular as the sights on the South, or photogenic, but they are unusual and worth seeing.
Pearls of the Reykjanes Peninsula we visited are : Bridge Between Continents, Gunnuhver Hot Springs, Reykjanes Lighthouse, Brimketill Lava Rock, Krísuvíkurberg, Krysuvik geothermal area (Seltún, Kleifarvatn and Grænavatn). An absolute amazement of scenery like I have never seen before. Very jurassic & rugged.

About 45 mins drive feom Reykjavik, or if you are staying in Keflavik, I would definatly recommend this journey. It can be hooked on as a last day before going home.

This small corner of Iceland is, however, one of the most interesting places to visit. From hot mud pools to beaches, lighthouses to lava fields, this place seems to have one of everything that you came to Iceland to see. And unlike the well-worn tourist trails of the Golden Circle, the ring road and the Snæfellsnes peninsula the area is quiet and still relatively tourist free. It has some really unique features that make it fantastic for a mini road trip.

THIS BRONZE STATUE OF THE now-extinct great auk overlooks the impressive sea cliffs where these birds once nested. The statue in the Reykjanes peninsula was created by the artist Todd McGrain. It is one of several works that he has done as part of his Lost Bird Project. The series includes sculptures of several extinct avian species, placed in the last location they were known to live.

The statue stands about five feet tall and there is an information board about both the artist and the bird. The great auk (Pinguinus impennis) was a flightless bird that became extinct in the mid-19th century. It was the first bird to be called penguin, though these birds were not related to the penguins of the southern hemisphere.

Night 2 SELFOSS 💚🇮🇸Wow, sorry to drive you mad folks, but this happened at 11.30 tonight ! Very strong, green to the eye, and they were dancing over the water. Also freezing & windy hence we couldnt keep the phone still. Yes, the hubby is in his PJ’s, as we ran out of the hotel 🤣🤣 ( as well as 20 others lol)

Day 2: Woke up from our B&B in Keflavik, The Ravens B&B to a lovely breakfast. 💗Then we went in the car on a 45 min drive to the centre of Reykjavik. The weather was dry & Sunny. A perfect weather. We parked on a free park road behind the cathedral and walked towards it. There, we discovered a lovely small cafe called Cafe Loki, and make a mental note to visit it for lunch later on. On our way down from the Cathedral, we passed the famous BRODA bakery I had heard so much about on here, so had to go in. 💥WOW, those pastries were fab. Two pastries & coffees cost us £13.
💗We took them to the bottom of the road where I could see the sea.
To my surpise, there was the Viking Boat. The sun was shining, and we had our coffees there.
🇮🇸We had a walk around then made our way for lunch to the cafe Loki. Lunch cost £30 for the two of us. I had a goulash soup & soft apple drink. The hubby a bagel with cottage cheese & marmalade! Plus two coffees.
We then went for a drive along the Route 1 towards Selfoss where we are staying the night.
It seems like toy town. Not as built up as Reykjavik and in a lovely hotel called Selfoss Hotel. Wasnt too expensive. No more than £200 for 2 nights including brekkie.
The drive wasnt as nervey as I thought it may be.
We passed ice, but not on the roads itself.
Roads here are easy. As long as their is no snow. I am pleased we chose the hire car option. Tomorrow we are doing the Golden Cirlce route. Geyser and the falls dont seem so far from here.

After a day in Reykjavik, we drove to our hotel in Selfoss.

A facsinating journey, as we passed volcanic rock along the road side. Edged in snow capped mountains and roads so perfectly signed, our trip to Selfoss was spectacular.

On arriving at Selfoss, not such a built up area, yet reminding me of a town centre that could fit into an small area of Disney Land. Cute shops in various colours and wooden houses fill the area. We were glad tonreach out very comfortable Hotel Selfoss.

Day 1 March 4th 2023

Didn’t arrive till 7pm. We arrived last night. Easyjet was a fabulous flight. Very smooth landing. Saw the moon from above the clouds. As the plane turned, we saw the Icelandic sunset. Amazing. Picked up a hired car from ” Zero ” via blue car. A very smooth pick up, via being left a key in a locked box in an office, and they gave us a fabulous 4×4. We ordered it incase of snow, however, no snow and the weather same as in Manchester lol. Because of our arrival time, we booked to stay in Keflavik, so we didn’t have to go far. Stayed in a fab quirky b& b called Ravens Bed, which is situated by the sea and only 10 mins from the airport. After dinner in a local restaurant called Cafe Duus. Ate their fish of the day meal, cat fish, hubby had pizza, which was £45 for the two of us. Then my ” Hello Aurorer” ap was telling me there was a 46% chance of Aurorer, so I ran to the sea edge in my pyjamas and coat about 10.30 last night.🤣 Saw the green very faint by eye and took pic with samsung. First time seeing them. I was over the moon.

Plan for a dream and it WILL come true.
Wether that dream is a life goal, work goal or a something you have always wanted to do or see.
It doesn’t happen over night, it needs to be prepared & planned.

It was my ambition to see the Northern Lights. After a few failed attempts to see them in Scotland, the time had come to get over to Iceland.

A daunting thought as we had never been there before.
It was time to take the plunge. I plotted & planned, after working hard to allow the finances to take us there AND plot a route I believed where the chances would be best for viewing.

Night 1 on arrival I managed a faint viewing. Faint to the eye yet bright on camera… but the 2nd night was an “OH WOW” moment. A fist pump into the air and jump up and down like a loony moment.

5th March 2023 at 11.30pm, the brightest dancing aurora were over our heads and in view over the lake in Selfoss.

A very happy Joanne, now completely satisfied a dream had been reached.

Iceland, a stunning interesting country has fulfilled a life memory.

#northernlights #Aurorer  #aurorerhunt #iceland  #dreamcometrue

SPECTACULAR VIEW FROM THE PLANE

I boarded my BA flight from london to Phoenix Arizona. Loved my seat with extra leg room. On take off, the sun soon began to set. For those of you know me, I am a sucker for a fabulous sunset. The red horrizon seemed to follow us most of the way from England to America, never quite getting dark to the left of our journey.

Will I see the Northern Lights?

Studying the map, as we flew towards the U.S. I was inwardly happy we were flying over iceland. Trying to calculate if it would be dark as we flew in a northerly direction.

My big problem was, I was sitting on the wrong side of the plane. I kept walking to see if there were any vacant window seats, but sadly not. Later in, I noticed a passenger taking pics in his phone out of his blank window ! What could he be taking a picture of ? Not one to sit there wondering, curiosity got the better of me.

I wondered over to ask was he by any chance taking photographs of the auroer? He said YES ! He saw my excitement and very kindly offered me his seat to have a look.

At last ! It is there 😀

For three years, keeping eyes on the Aurorer aps, three failed viewing trips to Scotland and a pending trip booked to Iceland, there they were ! Only not how I expected. It seemed like a grey line, moving slowly across the sky in an arch. I was seeing the earths circumference of the auroer forming.

I am over the moon to display my photographs of the northern lights in the skies over Iceland & Greenland. What a spectacular sight to see on my way to America. A true unbelievable experience.

Phoenix Arizona, I arrived to my friend’s house on New Years Eve 2022 / 2023.

FIRST TIME IN CANADA 🇨🇦

I was up at the crack of dawn to watch us sail in to the gateway of Canada. The nearest point from sailing over from England to Canada. We had crossed the Atlantic and had been sailing for five days. Now we were ready to get off the ship and stand on dry land.

St. John’s, a city on Newfoundland island off Canada’s Atlantic coast, is the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador province. Its harbour was settled by the British in the 1600s. Downtown is known for its colourful row houses. Above the city is Signal Hill with walking trails and the site of the first transatlantic wireless communication, Cabot Tower, which commemorates John Cabot’s discovery of Newfoundland.

St. JOHN’S, a sleepy quaint town, with colourful buildings and the cutest town centre. I felt like I was walking through a film set, as this sort of street, I had seen in the movies, but now it was real.

We walked along the street and toured the coloured homes which looked ever so cute.

We were amused by the lofe size moose that was stuffed and greeting people in a bar. Not a usual signting. Of course, I had to get a selfie with the moose, as it isn’t something you see everyday 😄

St. JOHN, you were memorable and a great place to explore for the day.

Loved visiting Halifax, a vibrant waterfront city, mixed with modern day city in the sun buildings, teamed up with culture and a quaint waterfront promenade, lined with restaurants, shops and historical boats docked for all to visit.

About Halifax

Halifax, an Atlantic Ocean port in eastern Canada, is the provincial capital of Nova Scotia. A major business centre, it’s also known for its maritime history. The city’s dominated by the hilltop Citadel, a star-shaped fort completed in the 1850s. Waterfront warehouses known as the Historic Properties recall Halifax’s days as a trading hub for privateers, notably during the War of 1812

A quaint sleepy town on the waterfront. Everything I could have wished for to discover Canada 🇨🇦 from a ships passenger point of view.

When discovering new places to visit, the thought of visiting Canada was so exciting.

We were zoomed back in time as we walked along the quiet Sydney’s high street. I had to chuckle at the sight of a parking meter. I was transported back to my childhood seeing one of those. None of the online pay to park signs there ! It was like Sydney hadnt caught up with the rest of the tech world, yet there was wifi in most buildings, which I was happy with so I could catch up with e mails.

we docked here twice within the cruise, as the weather was too bad to dock in one of our ports. As nice it was to visit, I am hoping the next time I visit Sydney, is the one in Australia!