Orion in Iceland
They say international travel forces you to learn more about yourself. Yesterday there was some serious learning going on around here. What we now know is that Stacey is NOT a bus tour person. Dave says that he already knew this. Would’ve been nice of him to share it with me sooner. It’s been 15 years since I last travelled internationally and rode around on a tour bus and somehow, I’d forgotten how sick bus rides make me. But the catch 22 here is, our bus driver was a gem and I would’ve hated to had never met him.
He’s a professional photographer and somewhat of a nomad. He is a true Icelander, with roots dating back 2000 years, but loves to see the world. He and his wife spend a few years in Iceland making the dollars, then they travel and take photos for a few years. He had a wealth of knowledge on the history of Iceland, and of course, he helped us through our first night-time photography session. Definitely a learning curve here… my camera had limited capabilities and I struggled with the whole focusing to infinity thing. But I managed to come away with a beautiful photo of Dave’s favorite constellation – Orion. (See above.)
The aurora were quite elusive last night but we did get to see a phenomenal midnight rainbow. In 22 years of photography and travel, our guide had only captured a midnight rainbow one other time. I wish my photos were better of the rainbow, but these were my first three pics of the night and I was struggling a bit! But nonetheless, here you have it. Midnight Rainbow in Iceland.
Finally, we saw a teeny, tiny aurora borealis burst out right above the horizon. We can at least cross seeing the Northern Lights off the ole’ bucket list! Barely there Norther Lights are still Northern Lights, right?
Yeah, you basically have to squint to see the faint green line above the horizon here, but, it’s there.
Overall, a successful night, full of fabulous memories!
Love from Iceland,
Dave & Stacey
