Another Way To See The Northern Lights

Okay, so I'm not a cold weather fan. I am, however, intrigued by the Northern Lights. Finland is one of the places in the world that is easily accessed and a place where viewing the phenomena is optimum. Enter the idea of staying in a glass igloo.

In Levi, Finland is the Golden Crown Levin Hotel. And yes, they have glass igloos. Now before you shiver hear the description. You can fall asleep in a luxurious warm bed on a fell slope (that means a summit) admiring the Arctic sky--wait! I want to stay awake and see the Northern Lights. Guess that just means I can stay warm while I do. Continuing. . .A breakfast buffet is included and there's some mention of not having to leave the igloo but I guess I'm confused about that unless it's connected somehow to the main restaurant area.

A suite igloo has a private terrace with a hot tub. Yup. Just see if you can race from the tub to the room without your feet sticking to the ice.

The pictures look beautiful as do most travel pictures advertising hotels and resorts. I'm sure if the actual experience is even half as good as the pictures, it would be amazing.

Again though, it would keep Bob up all night wondering how to pay for it. The igloos/suites run over $1,000/night. I didn't convert the numbers exactly. The price in Euros was shocking enough.

Connecting To Iceland

If you live in the Cleveland area you no doubt heard the news that Iceland Air and WOW Air will soon (May of 2018) start flights out of Hopkins to Reykjavik, Iceland, and beyond. What a great opportunity for travelers who are looking for cheaper fares to Europe. Both airlines offer flights to many points in Europe from their base in Reykjavik. But I say why go on to Europe when you can have Iceland?

Our trip to Iceland in 2016 was amazing--so much so that with the new opportunity to fly direct from Cleveland we will seriously consider another trip. Last year we drove to Toronto to catch our flight to Iceland. It saved us $800 less gas money and it's just a five hour drive from our home without traffic. It took us eight hours getting home again because of the long line getting back into the US and then hitting rush hour traffic in Buffalo. It's only 20 minutes to Hopkins for us and usually we can avoid any traffic. Already I'm excited!


Iceland is a little pricey for food and lodging but it is an amazing place to visit. If you are at all interested in the Northern Lights, the best time to go is between September and March. Our trip was in early September and the lights were on! We missed the best night however as we were in flight and then the next night we were so tired we missed a second great night. Still, we did get to see them and experience the wonder.

Be aware though that if you go later than September you may be limited in your travel as the weather will turn on you and there will be many places that will close for the season. But the country is beautiful. We loved the food. The people were wonderful. Yes, I definitely see another trip in our future.

Iceland - Northern Lights Take 2

The Aurora Bourealis prediction for this night was excellent as far as clouds went. It was to be a clear night. The only problem was that it also meant it would be a chilly night as well. The question though was how active would the lights be? It was only a number 3 on a scale of 0 to 9, a moderate forecast.


We were waiting to go outside and set up the camera when a knock came on our door. The gentleman proprietor of the guesthouse was letting everyone know that the action had begun. I think it was about 10 PM. I didn't look at the time. I just grabbed my jacket and my camera and headed out the door looking back briefly to see if Bob was behind me. He was.


We tried to set up right by the cabin but there was too much light streaming out of the cabins around us and also a large hill behind us that was obscuring part of the action. We decided to walk to the end of the drive past the cabins and set up there. It was perfect except for the occasional car that went by on the road in front of us and the moon that was almost full shining brightly behind us. Thankfully there wasn't a lot of traffic and the moon was hidden for a time behind some clouds.


I got a little more experimental with my settings but still found that the best shots seemed to be with an ISO of 400, F stop at 4.5, and shutter at 30 seconds.


Several people joined us with cameras on tripods. We stayed for about an hour and then gave up. The lights were not quite as good I thought as the first time and we were really getting cold. Still, I got a few good shots out of it and the experience of seeing them a second time.

The Big Dipper looked so much bigger in the sky over Iceland.

Iceland - The Lights Were On!!

This was it. Our big chance to see the Northern Lights, the Aurora Bourealis. According to the website, www.vedur.is, there would be a good chance to see them. The cloud cover was predicted to lift for the most part by 10 PM and the activity scale showed moderate so we could expect something but I had no idea what.

We've all seen those fantastic pictures of the aurora but I had no idea what to expect when we would be viewing them with the naked eye. And then there was my nervousness over what settings my camera should be on. I'd of course researched it and found suggestions: set your lens to infinity, ISO at 400, Fstop at 4.0 and shutter speed should be between 15-30 seconds. Of course a tripod and a delayed shutter were essential as well to steady the camera.

Another breath-holding trip thru the one lane tunnel at about 10 PM and we found our turnoff spot, pulled in and parked. Bob turned to me and even in the dark I could see the twinkle in his eye. "Just like the old days, huh?" Sure.

I got out and set up my tripod, attached the camera and took a picture to the west where the horizon was still light from the setting sun even though it had set at around 8:30. It was amazing how long the light lingered.

The warmth of the day however faded quickly and I was beginning to hop on one foot then the other and decided to get back in the car. The only problem we had was that we couldn't figure out how to turn off the dashboard lights so we could see more clearly. Bob finally found a switch and except for opening and closing the door to get in and out we could keep the light from ruining our view.

Not too long past 10 we suddenly saw the wisp of a cloud that just appeared from nowhere. It looked a bit greenish and we both said, "Is that it?"

Sure enough, the wisp got bigger and began to curl in the sky. I jumped out and started taking pictures. You cannot begin to imagine my joy when I saw the first picture appear on my screen and knew that I was getting this recorded.

As I watched I realized that a few nights ago when I'd thought I'd seen a reflection from town lights on the clouds it had really been the Northern Lights. Oh, if only I'd gotten up and out that night. Each time the lights faded and reappeared it started out as if it was a wispy cloud or a jet trail. Then it would curl, get brighter, curl again, disappear and reappear and sometimes in several spots at once.

I stood outside until I got cold and the lights faded then jumped back in the car. When we would see them start up again, I'd be back out hoping to catch a spectacular show. We stayed until around 11:30 when we got tired and cold and it seemed to be fading again.

  The show was good but I'm sure it gets more spectacular than what we saw. Still, I had my Northern Lights experience and pictures to prove it. I was a happy camper!

The Lure of the Northern Lights

Alaska has been one of our favorite places to visit. Unfortunately it's always been during the summer when we have visited and during the summer, the days are very long and the nights short and not very dark. Not the ideal conditions for observing the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis.

The phenomenon is a light display that dances in the sky. It has something to do with the magnetosphere and solar influence and charged neutrons and protons. I don't understand it all but I would love to see it for myself. Besides Alaska, there are several other popular places for observing the lights--one of them being Iceland. As I've already posted, we are planning a trip to Iceland and hope to experience the Northern Lights at some point in our travels.

The farther north you are the more apt you are to see them. Countries like Iceland, Norway, Finland, Russia, Denmark, Sweden and Northern Canada are some of the best places to visit if you are looking for the Northern Lights.

Fairbanks, Ketchikan, and Anchorage offer lots of different ways to search for the lights. You can take an Arctic Cruise, fly over the Arctic Circle or soak in the hot springs near Fairbanks while you watch them. When I was researching a while back I remember running across a place where you can stay and someone on Northern Lights watch will call you when they appear and you can observe them from a windowed shelter.

In Lapland in the northernmost part of Finland, the lights are called fox fire after the local legend that claims a fox's tail caught fire and swished through the sky causing the lights.

Sweden seems to offer quite a few options including Tornetrask Lake where its unique microclimate offers clear skies for viewing.

Tromso is the most popular spot for viewing in Norway. I remember seeing a lot of literature there advertising Northern Lights tours when we stopped there during a cruise.

Smarter Travel .com has an article that lists many of the spots for viewing the Northern Lights if you are interested in picking out a spot. Not sure I'd want to watch them in Russia but the other places all sound good. If we strike out in Iceland, we'll have to try again somewhere else. After all, the Northern Lights are on the bucket list. We'll even brave the cold to see them.

On The Bucket List - The Northern Lights

It always seems to follow that whenever there is a natural event that will occur in the skies our weather becomes cloudy. We did get to see Haley's Comet a few years ago but that was because it hung in the sky for several weeks. We've missed most of the meteor showers and most recently the Blood Moon phenomenon. There have been a few times where the news people have said we might see the Northern Lights but it didn't happen from our vantage point. So on to the bucket list goes "see Northern Lights."

There are quite a few areas to which you can travel to see this amazing phenomenon but before I jump ahead, let me tell you a little about the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. It is a light display in the night sky caused by charged particles in the magnetic field of the earth's atmosphere. Hmmm. Maybe not the best technical explanation but there are lots of science sites that will have you scratching your head to figure out what they are saying.

The Northern Lights occur mostly in the upper north latitudes and are caused by geomagnetic storms. Activity peaks with sunspot activity that is on an eleven year cycle and is more active during the equinoxes, spring and autumn. Confused? Well, when we get closer to planning an actual trip to see them, we'll do a little more research.

Meanwhile, we can take a look at the places to choose from for viewing. Fairbanks comes to mind first since when we were there some time ago, there were tours advertised for the purpose of viewing the Northern Lights. One resort that sounds inviting is the Chena Hot Spa Resort. Not only is there the spa but they have a heated lodge from which you can view the lights or if you like, you can take a ride in a vehicle to a ridge where there is a heated shelter where they serve you warm beverages as you watch. The only drawback is the time. The viewing doesn't happen until after 10 p.m. but the desk will give you a wake-up call if you want to nap until then.

There are several other options near Fairbanks and you can always stay in Fairbanks and then drive to some of the viewing cabins in the surrounding area. The trip does require sleeping during a good part of the day in order to stay up for the night time viewing.

Another place where we have seen advertising for viewing the Northern Lights is Tromso, Norway. Probably the best place to stay unless you're up for being out in wild. The trip to the base camp where the tour takes you though is a three hour ride. Check out the ratings on Tripadvisor for the Safari Base Stations Day Tour.

There are a few other spots to see the Lights in Sweden, Iceland, and several other northern countries. The SmarterTravel website has a neat pictorial article on all the other places. The hot springs in Fairbanks still appeals the most to me but I'm still checking out all the others. Have you viewed the Northern Lights? If so, from where?