Horseback Riding, Vesturbæjarlaug, & Aurora Borealis
I love riding, so when plans for Iceland were made, this activity was immediately a must. I looked at a number of different tours online and finally settled on the Lava Tour with Ishestar, only a 20 minute drive from our Airbnb in downtown Reykjavik.
We arrived at the stables for a 10 AM ride and were greeted with warm snowsuits (no points for attractiveness but very practical) in addition to standard boots and helmets. Then, it was straight outdoors and onto our respective horses.
It was another beautiful sunny day, and thanks to the full body suits, we stayed warm the whole couple hours outdoors. After 5 minutes of riding, we split into beginner and intermediate groups (we were in the latter), and we took off again at a faster pace.
Not only did we get to see a unique landscape of lava fields as we rode (or as Brennan called them, "earthbender battle fields"), but we also got to try the tölt gait (similar to a trot but far smoother), particular to Icelandic horses. Our guides also shared a bit about the breed's history, from their long life spans to diverse colours and more.
After complimentary hot chocolate back at the stables, we headed to the top-rated public swimming pool in the city, Vesturbæjarlaug, to warm up some more. Highly recommended by our Airbnb host, it was mainly filled with locals and featured multiple outdoor pools, hot tubs, a steam room, and sauna -- all perfect for a cool February day.
Our late lunch was soup in a bread bowl at Icelandic Street Food, which was well worth the price for their unlimited soup refills. I had a shellfish soup followed by lamb soup and was quickly stuffed. We also got to take advantage of a couple free beers at Icelandic Craft Beers next door.
Our evening plan was only booked yesterday. Originally, it had been to drive outside the city to find the northern lights on our own, but with a moderate forecast for the evening that we didn't want to miss by wandering around getting lost in the dark, we decided it was worth booking a tour from the city to maximize our chances.
In retrospect, that might not have been the best decision. There were definitely pros: we didn’t have to drive in the dark, and we did see the lights! They were faint and white but definitely visible towards the beginning of the evening, stretching like a path across the skies.
However, the experience itself was far from pleasant. The tour advertised itself as “identifying the best locations to optimize our chances at spotting the lights,” relying on “science-based aurora forecasts, a network of people in the field,” etc. I imagined small groups driving into the countryside; instead, bus loads dropped off literal hundreds of tourists in one lodge to the south.
We saw the lights for a few minutes in a crowd of flashing phones, ate a highly overpriced waffle, then waited on the bus for 2 hours for the return. We had so little control over our time and with an early start to the day tomorrow, sleep was sorely missed as midnight approached.
Overall, the day didn’t quite exceed expectations like yesterday, but that just means I’ll have to wait for another trip to fully cross the Aurora Borealis off my list.