{"id":2851,"date":"2015-03-04T07:40:28","date_gmt":"2015-03-04T15:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/?p=2851"},"modified":"2019-08-27T13:33:02","modified_gmt":"2019-08-27T21:33:02","slug":"iceland-day-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/?p=2851","title":{"rendered":"Iceland Day 10: Northern LightsHouses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Iceland Trip 2015\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nAz5RVpo4Eo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>compilation video of our entire Iceland trip<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We headed further east towards <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Stykkish%C3%B3lmur\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stykkish\u00f3lmur<\/a>, only stopping by the roadside to take photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-flickr wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/rARvt9\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/7640\/16803339682_bb8e5272e7_z.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC4312\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-flickr wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/rjoPqu\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/8675\/16617068120_8c5d1054a9_z.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC4329\" width=\"640\" height=\"384\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-flickr wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/rAXaeH\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/8704\/16804442295_354f7852b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC4347\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"fjords drive to stykkish\u00f3lmur - iceland\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8ijRNDX7kEs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We arrived early so we ate at a little bakery called Nesbrau\u00f0 ehf, which had some really amazing fresh tuna and cheese in the salad bar. After eating we visited Stykkish\u00f3lmskirkja Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-flickr wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/rAXdgz\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/7600\/16804452495_1a6410f94f_z.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC4363\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>view of <strong>Ma\u00f0kav\u00edk<\/strong> from Stykkish\u00f3lmskirkja Church <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-flickr wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/rhCQCk\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/8726\/16597170747_d721e5fa10_c.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC4354\" width=\"533\" height=\"800\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Then we went down to the <strong>Ma\u00f0kav\u00edk<\/strong> shoreline<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-flickr wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/rjnYNY\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/7611\/16616904588_6108840700_z.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC4388\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Then we parked by the ferry and walked up the hill onto S\u00fagandisey Island <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"stykkish\u00f3lmur lighthouse - iceland\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H-cNYlftfcw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When we were halfway to the westfjords on the ferry we saw a heavy snowstorm outside with giant flakes. This was the part of the trip I was most worried about as if the mountain road to <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Patreksfj%C3%B6r%C3%B0ur\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Patreksfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>was impassible we would be stuck sleeping in the car at the dock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Luckily, the road was passable, although sometimes it was hard just to see ten feet in front of the car. As we started coming down from the mountain the storm cleared and we were treated to a beautiful view of the fjord sunset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"westfjords snowy drive - iceland\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Z3L53A6J7UY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"westfjords beautiful drive - iceland\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4oNMl66EZag?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Westfjords - iceland, tip of fjord\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/g4ECUcd1f14?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-flickr wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/rjvFdH\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/7287\/16618406309_6f89cff116_z.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC4570\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-flickr wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/qDXZCA\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/8691\/16182197814_641a054004_z.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC4604\" width=\"640\" height=\"352\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Taken from inside a moving car on a snow-covered road &#8211; don&#8217;t try this at home (or Iceland) kids!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When we found our hotel in town there was a note affixed to the front door: &#8220;if checking in after 4 call&#8221; and then a number. This was odd for many reasons. First, we&#8217;re booked, you know we&#8217;re coming -and most likely from the ferry, which didn&#8217;t arrive until 6pm and is an hour drive away. Second, if I made the entire reservation online you can bet I\u00a0am not interested in using a phone call for this transaction when I am in a foreign country. For safety, I had turned on the ability to make calls from my phone in Iceland, but it&#8217;s expensive so I really didn&#8217;t want to.\u00a0Instead, we walked down the street to the local gym and used their phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After we waited for the hotel manager to show up to her hotel and give us the keys we already paid for we headed to the only restaurant in town: the <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fosshotel.is\/hotels\/fosshotel-in-the-westfjords\/fosshotel-westfjords\/\" target=\"_blank\">Fosshotel<\/a>. The waiter recommended mead and I really liked it (although the $15 a bottle price tag was harder to swallow). The waiter brought us bread and whipped butter (melting on a black volcanic stone) that was very good. So good we went through two baskets of bread before our food came. Entrees\u00a0were seafood bouillabaisse and salmon. They were both very good, on par with any restaurant in the world. But this was a tiny town nestled beside a fjord sticking out into the North Atlantic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-flickr wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/rAXCWM\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/8691\/16804535505_3d609c4040_z.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC4707\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Not to mention this was the view from our window table while we ate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Our night only got better as we headed back to the mountain road to find the northern lights. We found them long before we could find a place to pull off. A storm had deposited several feet of snow in the past few days and it was all now plowed onto the sides of the road. We eventually spotted a flat area where the plowed wall of snow had rolled off the cliff and we turned off, crossing our fingers we wouldn&#8217;t tumble down as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The lights were glowing green and we took many pictures before heading further out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-flickr wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/rjotVq\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/7597\/16617002518_a7bbeeb89d_z.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC4755\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We decided to try to make it to the tip of the fjord, where we&#8217;d crossed a bridge earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We both tried to take a video of the experience, but without previous experience shooting the northern lights these attempts did not go well. They certainly don&#8217;t accurately represent our experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"aurora borealis westfjords - iceland\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eMJIQx0bvNo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"aurora borealis westfjords - iceland\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/C9X8j040geE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When we arrived we scrambled to set up our equipment because the northern lights were putting on an amazing display. Directly above us and in both directions to the horizon the sky was exploding with shimmering pools of undulating pink and green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"aurora borealis westfjords - iceland, tip of fjord\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/957xQgs6A6Y?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"aurora borealis westfjords - iceland, tip of fjord\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ntl_yXey3X0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"aurora borealis westfjords - iceland\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/d36EvqOAHAM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-flickr wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/rAXSfv\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/8666\/16804580265_5eecf4db83_z.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC4774\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-flickr wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/qEbFKK\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/8647\/16184674133_bc012e1614_z.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC4775\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-flickr wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/rjpCU7\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/8703\/16617227830_53e7734668_z.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC4781\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-flickr wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/ryFrR5\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/8590\/16778743386_099ebb4b6b_z.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC4790\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We would be told days later by a waiter at a restaurant in Borgarnes that pink like that is so rare that he has not seen it in 25 years of living in Iceland. Unfortunately, I couldn&#8217;t really get any photos of the pink corona as it was directly above us and didn&#8217;t last long. By the time I tested and figured out the proper (ish) settings on my camera, it was over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, a highly active display kept on going for nearly an hour. In that entire time in the picturesque location, only one car passed by (captured in the photo above driving down the mountain) &#8211; and nobody joined us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We headed further east towards Stykkish\u00f3lmur, only stopping by the roadside to take photos. We arrived early so we ate at a little bakery called Nesbrau\u00f0 ehf, which had some really amazing fresh tuna and cheese in the salad bar. After eating we visited Stykkish\u00f3lmskirkja Church. When we were halfway to the westfjords on the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2851"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2851\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4524,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2851\/revisions\/4524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}