February, 2025
Hotel Laxa is approximately 65 miles south of the Artic Circle. It is a relatively new property, opened in 2014, and as with all of the hotels on this tour provides first class accommodations, an exceptional breakfast buffet and a delicious three-course dinner using fresh local ingredients. Our group sat down to an aperitif and had just finished the first course. As the entree was being served our tour guide, Boga, approached our table and announced that the Northern Lights were on display. Needless to say, plates were left on the table as the dining room cleared out. The most gracious waitstaff were obviously nonplused by our desertion. An hour-and-a-half later dinner resumed…
The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are one of nature’s most enthralling phenomena. This natural light display occurs when charged particles from the sun collide with gases and atoms in Earth’s atmosphere, producing vibrant colorful patterns that appear to dance across the night sky. Depending on which atom they hit and at what altitude, different colors emerge: green (oxygen atoms up to 150 miles in altitude), red (oxygen atoms above 150 miles in altitude), Blue (nitrogen, up to 60 miles in altitude), and purple/violet (nitrogen, above 60 miles in altitude). Iceland’s latitude and minimal light pollution make it one of the prime locations to experience the Northern Lights..
Enjoy…
February, 2025 was believed to offer optimal conditions for viewing the Northern Lights. And on this night, at the proper coordinates, coupled with clear skies our primary reason for coming to this Land of Fire and Ice was realized. WOW!
Barbara and Brian
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.“ – Henry David Thoreau
Aimless Wanderings 