OUR DIAMOND CIRCLE

The splashing waterfall

The first stop we made was at the famous waterfall «Dettifoss». With its height of 45 meters, width of 100 meters, and average flow rate of 193 meters cubed per second it is one of the most powerful waterfalls in Europe. To get to this waterfall we had to pass a big black stone desert. Even if you arrive at one of the several vantage points you can’t even see the whole waterfall because of its size but also since the spray is immense. When standing there you feel like getting soaked, so pack a swimsuit.

Iceland’s geothermal activity

After an hour-long drive, we arrived at our Dettifoss waterfall second stop — «Krafla». This stretches over 100 kilometres volcanic whereas area the Crater has a width of 10 kilometers. The clear blue «Lake Víti» located in the middle of the volcano once was a glacier that melted in 1724 due to many volcanic eruptions. Due to continental drift, the continental plates diverge and magma leaks out meaning the «Krafla» is still active. Not only magma but also sulfurous steam as well.

Nearby there is the so-called «Námjafall», a geothermal area that belongs to the «Krafla». Due to Iceland being located between the European and the North American plate the earth's crust is thin therefore the ground gets hot and Fumarole develops. Fumaroles are holes in the ground from which volcanic gases and steam are released due to Iceland’s volcanic activity.

Not far away there is a small lava cave — the «Grjótagjá Cave», which appeared to be our next stop. The geothermal spring inside this cave was used for bathing until approximately 1970 when it became too hot due to volcanic activities. After a short steep entry, one finds The whole area around «Krafla» including «Námjafall» looks so different from what we have seen before and somehow feels like being on another planet.

Game of Thrones cave

themselves directly in the cave and is even able to touch the water. Grjótagjá is very famous among «Game of Thrones» fans since this cave served as a filming location. Though the cave was smaller than we expected it is still worth a visit.

The troll field

At our next stop – «Dimmuborgir» – you can still see traces of volcanic activity from more than 2000 years ago in which the volcanic system «Krafla» was involved too. The lava developed into rock piles up to 20 meters high forming dramatic structures. Legend has it that these piles of stone are frozen trolls. As soon as we arrived at this place you could somehow feel the mystical atmosphere occurring.

Time to relax

The whole day was rounded-off by a visiting the «Myvatn Nature Baths» also called «Green Lagoon». Although it might be a tourism hotspot this lagoon is way less crowded than the even more famous «Blue Lagoon» near Reykjavík. In this natural bath containing lots of minerals, there are two baths connected by a small bridge. Swimming or just sitting and talking in the lagoon during the sunset was immensely relaxing and such a unique experience after this long day.

The perfect end

Although the Lagoon should have been the end of the excursion the journey didn’t stop even after arriving back home. The whole day was filled with seeing impressive but also stationary sights and traces of the past. So when we arrived home there was something else waiting for us: the Northern Lights or also called Aurora Borealis. Although we already had the luck to see them a few times it is still something very special since they are looking and dancing in the sky differently every time. All in all, this was the perfect ending for this amazing day where we realized again how diverse, unique and impressive Iceland’s nature is and how thankful we are to get to experience it.

Hanna ZÖBISCH Luzie NICKEL Námjafall

A U R O R A B O R E A L I S : F A C T S V S F O L K L O R E

Magical Lights dancing in the sky! Awe-inspiring colors and movement. For most people, seeing them is a dream come true! Of course, we are referring to the Northern Lights, aka the Aurora Borealis. But what is this beautiful phenomenon?

Let’s begin with some facts... What is an Aurora?

The Northern Lights result from collisions between charged particles released by the Sun, with Oxygen and Nitrous particles from the Earth’s magnetic atmosphere. They are mostly visible around the Earth’s North and South magnetic poles (Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis respectively), and their color depends on the gas atoms that meet the Sun’s charged particles.

Aurora Borealis vs Aurora Australis

Both Auroras happen simultaneously and are almost mirrored images of each other (depending on the season and the Earth’s magnetic field changes). The only reason why the Aurora Borealis is more popular than its southern sibling is its location. The Aurora australis can be seen from very remote parts of the lower hemisphere, thus accessibility makes it easier for travelers to view the light show from the North. The green Aurora is produced by Oxygen particles

While Nitrous particles create bluish or purple hues

Southern (on the top) and northern (on the bottom) auroras

Where can we see the Aurorae from?

North America

Under the correct circumstances, the lights can be seen from many places around the world, but mostly closer to the magnetic Poles during a clear night. For the north, the areas with the most visible Auroras are Greenland, the Scandinavian coast, Iceland, Siberia, Northwestern parts of Canada, and Alaska from September to April. For the south, Antarctica, and the southern Indian Ocean from May to September.

A brief history of the Northern Lights

Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei named the Northern Lights in 1619, Aurora after the Roman goddess of dawn, and Boreas after the Greek god of the north wind. However, the earliest suspected record of the northern lights is in a 30,000-year-old cave painting in France. Also, according to NASA, a royal Babylonian astronomer reported the phenomenon on a tablet dated to 567 B.C, while a Chinese report from 193 B.C. also contains notes about the aurora. Nevertheless, the scientific theory behind the marvelous sight was not put to paper until the beginning of the 20th century.

Myths and Legends

Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei named the Northern Lights in 1619, Aurora after the Roman goddess of dawn, and Boreas after the Greek god of the north wind. However, the earliest suspected record of the northern lights is in a 30,000-year-old cave painting in France. Also, according to NASA, a royal Babylonian astronomer reported the phenomenon on a tablet dated to 567 B.C, while a Chinese report from 193 B.C. also contains notes about the aurora. Nevertheless, the scientific theory behind the marvelous sight was not put to paper until the beginning of the 20th century.

Europe

Indigenous Greenlanders believed that the lights were the spirits of stillborn children. Some also believed that if you whistle to the Aurora, it will come down and dance next to you. In Sweden, the lights were believed to be gifts from benevolent gods or good omens of

benevolent gods, or good omens of

future good harvest and fishing

seasons.

In Finnish, the word for aurora is «revontulet», which means «fox fires». Thus, the aurora was caused by a fox running fast across the snow and its tail sparked flames up into the sky. The Greeks and the Romans thought the lights represented the path of the dawn, named Aurora. She rode her chariot across the sky every morning to warn her siblings–the sun and the moon (Helios & Selene)–that a new day was coming.

Contrary to European countries, for France, England, and Italy-the few times the lights were visible in that part of Europe- the lights seemed to correlate with war, plague, death, or other tragedy. So, the bright sky was an omen of bloodshed or ill fortune.

Asia

The Chinese people rarely saw the aurora. However, when they did see a rare display, they thought the northern lights were the flames from the breath of good and evil dragons, battling each other across the night sky. In Japan, it was believed that children conceived during an Aurora will be born with good looks, intellect

and great fortune.

Russia

Similarly to the Chinese, Russians believed that the aurora was a massive fire dragon, but according to the Russians, the fire dragon would descend to earth while a village’s men were away in order to seduce the remaining women.

Iceland

In Iceland, the northern lights were thought to relieve the pain of childbirth, but only if the mother didn’t look directly at them. If she did, it was believed that she’d give birth to a crosseyed child. During the 18th century, the lights were often feared for being able to put one under a spell, and in the 19th century, it was believed that the lights uncovered hidden people, probably the dead. Also, it was believed that if an individual looking at the lights for too long, they would get «absolutely mad».

In Norse mythology, the lights were believed to be the glow from the shields and armor of Valkyrie warriors. However, it was also believed that the aurora is the «Bifrost Bridge», an arch that connected the earth to Valhalla. A poet, Grímur Thomsen (d. 1896), depicts a powerful image of nature, the lights and gods in his poem Ásareiðin [The Ride of the Gods], which begins (Grímur Thomsen 1934:1):

«Far and wide I see the horseman’s dust cloud roll forth from the heavenly pole — the clearest splendor of the aurora. — Óðinn rides fiercely the whole length of the winter road»

So... dancing lights of insurmountable beauty, tales of Gods, and good fortune. How better to describe this beautiful event in the sky? These are the Northern Lights! Have you seen them? What was your first thought? Incredible, no?

Marina SEFES