Europe

We had not long been back in our room last night and were just heading off to sleep, when we got a call from the hotel staff to tell us that the Northern Lights were on display. We quickly rugged up and headed out for a look. They were not as bright as we had previously seen them but they were very nice. Since it was now the early hours of the morning, we headed back in from the cold and had a second go at getting off to sleep!

After a slightly interrupted sleep, we got off to a pretty slow start this morning. It was after 10:00 am when we ventured out of the room to get some breakfast.

After breakfast we headed to the spa, where we had each booked a facial with the beauty therapist. The facials were amazingly relaxing and we both thoroughly enjoyed them. After the facials we went back to the geothermal pools for a bit more relaxing, before heading back inside to the spa to do the full-body scrub again. We really have adapted to the spa life!

Feeling very relaxed by mid-afternoon, we decided to go for a drive around the beautiful Reykjanes Peninsula, which was not far from the hotel.

Our first stop on the peninsula was Brimketill, a beautiful pool of crystal clear seawater that sits at the bottom of a cliff. Today the sea was calm but the danger signs around the viewing platform suggest that the North Atlantic waves can be very unpredictable so extreme caution is required in this area.

From Brimketill we headed to Gunnuhver, the site of Iceland’s biggest mud pool.

The smell of sulphur at Gunnuvher was pretty strong and the vapour clouds were so thick that we got disoriented just walking through them. But it was a fascinating area.

Just near Gunnuhver is Reykjanesviti, Iceland’s oldest lighthouse. Whilst it was walkable from where we had parked the car, it was a bit too chilly to walk so we took the long way around in the car. The lighthouse was built in 1908 and sits about 70 metres above sea level.

Just past the lighthouse is Valahnúkur, a stunning mountain formed in a single volcanic event around 10,000 years ago, which surges upward and outward from the shore into the North Atlantic.

We hopped back in the car and headed back up the 425 highway to a fascinating spot, the bridge at Sandvík over the mid-Atlantic Ridge. This ridge is the divide between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. So just by walking across the bridge we crossed between two continents. The fissure below the bridge was formed due to the stresses created by the tension that builds up as the plates move away from each other. The bridge was built as a symbol for the connection between Europe and North America.

After all of this sight-seeing we decided it was time to head back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Back at the hotel, the rooftop terrace provided a great spot to watch the late-afternoon sun lighting up the lava that surrounds the hotel.

The next item on the agenda was dinner. We had booked at the Moss restaurant at the hotel. Moss is run by Icelandic chef Aggi Sverrisson. The restaurant provides a set menu that focuses on the best of native Icelandic produce.

Not only does the very talented team of chefs have to time every course to perfection, they also have to do it around sightings of the Northern Lights, at which point the restaurant empties as everyone rushes outside to gaze and take photos. We were lucky enough to see the lights tonight during the meal.

After an incredible dinner we headed back to our room. Since the Northern Lights were still on display, it was worth staying up a bit longer to watch them and get a few more photos.

Now, after a very full day, it is time for bed. Tomorrow we are checking out of The Retreat and heading to Reykjavik via a very round-about route to take in some more of Iceland’s incredible scenery.