Northern Lights

Leading up to my trip to Iceland, there was one thing I was hoping I'd see more than anything else. If you hadn't noticed by seeing the photo, that "thing" was the northern lights. I've seen photos and heard people talk about them, but I always felt like the northern lights were something you had to see in person to really experience the full effect.

We booked the trip for September, which is around the start for when the lights are the most visible. From what I had researched, the lights are most visible from September to April. We felt like we had a chance to see them, while also staying somewhat warm while camping.

So, to make a long story short, on our first night we looked online (went to a website that displayed the best nights to see the lights, but I forgot the name) and we saw they would be almost 100% visible on our first night. Earlier in the day, we had set up camp next to Seljalandsfoss (waterfall). This shot was from where we camped (our tent is on the far right, just slightly cut off in the picture) and Seljalandsfoss is behind me. It was around midnight and about 40 degrees outside. We were standing out there, getting colder by the minute. But once the night sky lit up, nothing else mattered.

Just like I said, seeing a photo of the northern lights doesn't represent what they are like in person. You can't capture that aura of staring up at the night sky, with nothing around you for miles, while watching lights dance in the sky. It's something you can visually capture in a photo, but you can't capture those emotions. But at least, for now, I have these photos to remember those moments. And hopefully, as I get more into writing these posts, I can share those memories with you.