Inching Along Incredible Iceland--From Here to There

INCHING ALONG INCREDIBLE ICELAND

By Rochelle Almeida

         Iceland had been on my Bucket List ever since I had read Bill Bryson’s book Neither Here Nor There about ten years ago.  One chapter had been devoted to his chasing of the Northern Lights.  I had never heard of the Northern Lights—much less seen them—but Bryson’s account of the phenomenon was so enticing, so vivid and so compelling that I told myself I would try to see them too.  Someday.  I discovered, in course of time, that the Northern Lights—also known as the Aurora Borealis--are visible in winter from many countries that surround the Arctic Circle—such as Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Alaska in the US, indeed even Canada (the upper reaches) and, if one was really lucky and, on rare years, even as far south as Manchester in England. Local friends had told me that they had spotted them in Vermont and even in their own backyards here in Connecticut! But the thought of seeing them from Iceland was irresistible, especially as I had never been to the Arctic Circle or Iceland and figured that I might as well see a new country while I was chasing the Lights. And that was how Llew and I ended up flying to Iceland during my Spring Break.

March 6, Tues:

Departure from Newark, NJ, to Reykjavik, Iceland

         Flights to Iceland are really inexpensive (by European standards), especially if one books well in advance.  We didn’t. Our decision to travel there was pretty much made at the last minute—about a month before our departure. Airfares skyrocket as one comes closer to date of departure—hence, we had no choice but to look at budget (read: no frills) airlines. Both Norwegian and WOW Airlines offered the best deals; but because I am very familiar with traveling by budget airlines (I have lost count of the number of flights I have taken by Easyjet and Ryanair from the UK to destinations in Europe), I was more than willing to put up with its baggage and other restrictions. Fortunately, we always travel ultra-light and we would be away for just a week: there was no reason to travel with more than 22 lbs—which is WOW’s free baggage allowance. Accordingly, we equipped ourselves with new purchases (a Boarding Blue backpack each that exactly met WOW’s measurements —17X13X10) and after reading a large number of blogs that advised me on how to pack for Iceland, I carefully edited the belongings I would carry and was off. (I have written another blog post on what I packed for a one-week trip).

         Our flight left from Newark airport in New Jersey at 5. 40 pm. Llew took the day off but I taught a class at NYU that afternoon and right after it, met him at Grand Central Station from where we took the Newark Shuttle to arrive well in time for our departure. A terrible blizzard was supposed to whip through our area the next day—so we were glad to get the heck out of the USA before we became affected by it. WOW Airlines’ check-in was very swift and courteous (I had checked in online, the previous evening, and we had our boarding passes on our phones) and there was no fuss whatsoever about our baggage size or weight (much to our relief). We had a very pleasant flight (although there is no in-flight entertainment) as I had carried a paperback and used the in-flight magazine to stay occupied. It was a red eye flight but neither Llew nor I got much of a shut-eye—we were probably too excited about our travels ahead. I have to tell you that we had a most incredible view of Manhattan as we flew over the city.  The lights had come on below us and the city glowed like an iridescent carpet as we glided above it. It was a delightful send-off. 

     Until tomorrow....goodnight.