In the summer of 2021, we circumnavigated Iceland on a National Trust tour and had a great time. We saw the main tourist attractions…except, of course, the Northern Lights because it was summer and never really got dark.
Winter started today, at least according to the old Norse calendar, and we’re back on another National Trust tour in search of the Northern Lights.
It was a long day of travel, starting with hauling our bags up the stairs of Florence Santa Maria Novella Terminal, then dragging them all the way to the end of the train to reach our assigned seats, changing trains in Milan Central, and braving the Duty Free refund process at Milan Malpensa airport. The flight itself was very pleasant; Icelandair even gave out snacks in celebration of Gormánuður (cocoa and a pastrty which was much like a beignet), and we landed at Keflavik International Airport right on time.
It was easy to figure out where to go after we picked up our luggage.
Once we’d gotten to the Borg Hotel and dropped off our luggage, we went out for a short walk, going up the rainbow street all the way to Hallgrímskirkja church to enjoy seeing it lit up.
Most of the rest of the tour group is flying in overnight; we’ll meet them at the Blue Lagoon tomorrow after breakfast. And then the hunt begins!