Reykjavík Grapevine


Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.01.2018, Blaðsíða 48

Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.01.2018, Blaðsíða 48
Travel The best of Icelandic produce with a nod to Japan and South America. Modern Icelandic flavours, share plates and award winning cocktails. Sushi Social Þingholtsstræti 5 • 101 Reykjavík Tel. 568 6600 • sushisocial.is Our kitchen is open 17.00–23.00 sun.–thu. 17.00–24.00 fri.–sat. SOCIALIZE WITH THE LOCALS ICELANDIC SEAFOOD makes world’s best sushi It had been a long day when we boarded the minibus to venture out into the darkness of the Icelan- dic winter in search of the north- ern lights. Indeed, the prospect of gorging ourselves at the Laugar- vatn Fontana’s restaurant, before baking in their geothermal mineral pools to the point of delirium under the dancing aurora, seemed like the perfect antidote to adult life. Our guide for the evening was Helgi Gunnarsson, a veteran of Iceland’s tourism industry with around 40 years’ experience. His ideal aurora viewing conditions would be “sitting by a lake at the base of a snow-capped mountain, with the lights dancing around the peak and reflecting in the water, with someone you really care for, sipping a single malt.” Cloud blanket Of course, some elements of this dream are far from guaranteed, and during the journey into the countryside, the sky was blan- keted by clouds, without so much as a flicker of aurora activity. We stepped out of the minibus a couple of times en route, hoping for some kind of flirtation with the north- ern lights, but the night remained deadly still and our luck, for now, was out. Fortunately, our frustration was quelled almost immediately, thanks to three courses of food so excessive they were borderline taboo. After several minutes of introspection, we conjured up the desire to fight off our food comas, eventually lumbering out of the geothermal pool changing rooms into the frosty night. Heat-induced zen It was a chilly night, and we took refuge in the first sight of warmth, which happened to be the chil- dren’s pool. Next, with the peer- pressure mounting to intolerable levels, we deserted our lukewarm outpost for warmer climes, work- ing our way through the various bathing pools and hot pots that Fontana has to offer. Exiting the water looking like Benjamin Button, it was time to get a sweat on in the sauna, before return- ing to the baths once more for a quick stargaze. B y now, t he sky was clear- ing, and our hop es of a n aurora sight- ing were rising, due in part to our new-found, heat- induced sense of zen. Merry dancers We re-entered our ride titillated by the renewed possibility of see- ing the famed natural phenom- ena. Our tour guide, Helgi, was ready for the big showdown, as were we. Mutterings of aurora ac- tivity filtered through his radio as we passed through the Þingvel- lir National Park on the way back to Reykjavík. And then, outside of the van’s right-hand windows, the flickers began. We quickly rushed out of our minibus and caught a glimpse of the vast green aurora through the clouds. “There is no one holding a lamp out there!” Helgi assured us. Unfortunately, our prayers to the Norse Gods to remove the obscuring haze w e n t u n h e a r d , and the subtle glow soon dis- appeared back into the night. W h i l e the northern lights’ cameo was short and reluctant, it still went some way to- ward capping off the evening, which had suc- cessfully transported us away from the travails of everyday life. Nevertheless, as we experienced, natural phenomena are unreli- able. The tour operator knows it, so if you book the “Warm Baths and Cool Lights” tour and don’t see the aurora, you’ll be offered a free trip out into night later to try your luck one more time. Trip provided by: Reykjavik Excursions, re.is How to get there Route 37 towards Geysir and Gulfoss Distance from Reykjavík: 77 km Clouds Vs. Zen Escaping reality in search of the aurora Words: Greig Robertson Photos: Art Bicnick 48The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 01 — 2018 “Mutter- ings of au- rora activity fil- tered through the radio... and then, the flickers began.” Keep watching the skies Fontana's hot poolsAurora hunters gotta eat
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Reykjavík Grapevine

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