An Icelandic Adventure (IV)

"It's cloudy everywhere. The reading is low for solar activity. I'm not getting any reports of sightings. I don't know. We can try I suppose. Drive north a bit." Followed by big sigh and a shrug from our driver guide for the night tour.

Daughter and I were in hysterics. He was so unbelievably pessimistic. "Maybe he's trying to lower our expectations," Daughter giggled.

"You know if we don't see any tonight you can try again tomorrow or another night for free." He really knew how to make our evening that little bit brighter.

We drove north for about half an hour then there was a sudden screeching of tyres as he drove off-road onto a bit of rough land at the side. "It's showing activity!" he exclaimed, waving his phone to show us. He got out of the bus, looked around, then got back in, and moved the bus a little. "You can see them behind the bus," he said. Did he sound a bit disappointed?

We clambered out and peered in the direction he'd said. There was a very faint blueish streak over the hill. "Well, that's underwhelming," I said. But Daughter had her camera out and using that could see brighter lights. I opened my phone camera and all I could see was darkness. "Why can't I see anything?!"

On the bus the driver had not only explained how the northern lights worked but also given us camera instructions. Samsung cameras, he'd said, were better than iphones. My phone was a Samsung while Daughter's was an iphone. "Why can't I see anything?!"

Daughter suggested I try taking a photo and waiting while it 'developed' 

"Oh look! I've got it! It is there!"

After taking lots of photos I, along with others, got back in the bus. It wasn't clear whether we were going anywhere else or whether this was it. Time passed and I got off the bus again. Daughter dragged me in front of a camera on a tripod. "Will you take our photo, please?"

Our lugubrious guide hadn't announced it but was doing a proper photo shoot of all the tourists - or those that noticed him anyway. 

Similarly he later began offering cups of hot chocolate and chocolate snacks in a 'I'm here if you want some' manner. The warm drink and a snack were very welcome, and as the lights began to fade everyone got back on the bus.

"Activity level is getting lower but we can go on a bit further if you want to," our guide again, "or we can just go back. Whatever you want to do."

We went back. 

Twice on the way back the driver screeched to halt, leapt out with his camera, before getting back in again, shaking his head and saying, "No, nothing there."

Now from what I've written you might get the impression he was a dreadful guide but he made us laugh a lot. We also saw the Northern lights, perhaps not the most impressive ever, but we saw them. And it was late and it had been a long day so we were happy to go back to the hotel, with a tale to tell of our own Marvin. (For those who remember Marvin, the depressed android in Hitchhiker's Guide.)

I've been delaying posting this waiting for the photo of Daughter and me in front of the northern lights but it still hasn't made an appearance on their website so I'll tell you about the other exciting thing.

There were four or five of us loitering at the side of the bus when a 'thing' flew through the sky. It was greeted by gasps from all of us. We think it was a comet but it might have been an alien spacecraft burning up as it entered the earth's atmosphere.

It was very close and clear - and remarkable. It had a long tail and was red around the edges. Like this.