Sleep, Schmeep: Why Staying Up for the Northern Lights Was Worth It

I have always wanted to chase after the Northern Lights. I could only read about them and see them in photos and in movies and they were somehow a myth. I once gave up the ease of routine vacation in one winter to go on an adventure to Iceland and booked an all inclusive Iceland vacation.

I had to know whether the sky was really capable of bursting into color. This blog re-lives that night: the anticipation, the shivering hours of hope, the electric first flash of green, the surprise of being overwhelmed with strangers who had also shared the awe. A tale of insomnia made into amazement, that sometimes the most frozen spots will touch the most heartfelt emotions, and that when the heavens choose to do a show, you do not merely watch it, you feel every beat of it.

The Night I Traded Sleep for Wonder

Iceland in winter is very cold. It was the silent night, and it seemed that everything was waiting. I was layered up and I looked at the sky. I asked myself: is it possible that the Northern Lights can be so beautiful as people say? In an instant the gloom stirred. The green and violet lines would come out, thin, yet powerful. In an instant I knew, this was one of the best things to do in Iceland in winter.

I got to know something at that time: the appearance of the Northern Lights is not merely concerned with the visibility. It is also the way you feel. Astonishment and surprise that something so magical could exist. One cannot capture the electricity in the air or time standing still in a picture. It was an event that was written in my bones and not merely a sight. I lost my sleep that night but I gained something I will never forget. Yes, visiting Iceland in winter is as magical as they say.

The Long Wait – How the Sky Makes You Earn It

Chasing the Northern lights in Iceland in winter is not for impatient people. You monitor the sun and cloud predictions first. and then you pile on: thermal underwear, fleece, parka, a pair of warm socks. It does not matter how long you stay in the cold. You go out into the cold night and believe the promised fair skies mentioned as one of the “things to do in Iceland in winter”.

It is silent tension. You and strangers are standing in a snow-bound field or on a frozen lake. Nobody is talking yet everybody has the same hope. Each movement in the air draws common breath. Are they coming or was that only an optical illusion? Time goes by, toes numb, cameras are set-and you wait. Visiting Iceland in winter is special because of cold, the silence, the not-knowing. The aurora will not come on at a signal. You have to earn it. That is how the reward is memorable.

First Glow – When Green Cracks the Sky

It starts in a subdued way. You see something of light, something of green on the horizon, where the sun is setting. You hesitate an instant, perhaps you are imagining, then the color increases. It runs in broad bands, and curls and twists like the sky was alive. The black sky does not stand still anymore; it flows, breathes, and pulses. That’s when you know that visiting Iceland in winter is worth it.

Your ears hear no sound, but there is a heaviness of silence. The individuals surrounding you will gasp or become frozen in their track with their eyes wide open and their faces illuminated with the natural show. It is as though you are having a dream that you never dreamt of. Still darker greens are seen, shot through with purples and pinks, shimmering veils wrapping up like cosmic waves.

This can never be captured by any camera, filter, description. It is rough, real, and surreal. You are not the mere observer of the sky, you are the participant of the show. This, then, in that first glowing moment you know: this is not just beautiful; this is soul-stirring. This experience tops the list of things to do in Iceland in winter.

Cold Fingers, Warm Hearts – The Shared Joy

The auroras are swirling out in the dark. The cold is still biting, however, it does not matter. Strangers who had been standing quietly awaiting just a few hours ago are smiling, laughing and chatting like old friends. A cup is put into your hand with a hot thermos. Another person tells about his or her first encounter. You nod, you listen and you share your story of visiting Iceland in winter.

Now the night is not just a light-seeking game. It is the congregation of wonder-seekers-individuals of various regions of the globe, coming together under the same sky. An all-inclusive Iceland vacation in the true sense. Eyes are lit with the green light; hearts are heated with the feeling of belonging to something bigger.

You can experience this and much more with an all-inclusive Iceland vacation. Whether your fingers are frozen or your toes are numb, does not matter. It is not at this moment, when the silence of amazement and the soft laughter are all around you, that you are merely watching magic. You are living it, together. And that warmth remains even after the lights go out.

Photos? Who Cares – This Was for Me

Human beings strive to get the best picture of the lights twirling in the sky. They prop up tripods, press the shutter or hold their phone sky high, trying to get a picture of the most nominated things to do in Iceland in winter. After some time they drop their camera. The shimmer, the pulsation and movement of the colors like breathing cannot be caught by any lens. No picture can contain the feeling, the silence, the sense that the sky is talking to you alone.

Your photographs are okay. They are not even halfway there. The actual beauty did not fit into social feeds and albums. It was to be at that instant, to be in your eyes, and in your heart, and in your memory.

It was not a show to get likes. It was a secret performance, and the universe preferred that you be allowed to see it. That is what made it real. The aurora appeared and disappeared without the necessity to be recorded, as the strongest memories are not always the ones you can re-watch. They are the ones that will not leave you, after the sky turns dark.

Conclusion – I’d Miss a Thousand Hours of Sleep for That

I was quite tired when the lights were out and the air was cold. I was numb, my feet were numb, my eyes wanted to close and sleep appeared to be so far. Nevertheless, I would not lose even a second. Nothing can open your eyes like wonders. Even the most caffeinated coffee will not be able to compete with the excitement of night sky becoming colored. Visiting Iceland in winter was memorable.

Northern Lights are not a mere natural display; it is a reminder. There are times when you are the most alive when the world is asleep, and you are standing, looking at something special.

I booked the trip on Travelodeal, through the ‘Iceland vacation packages all-inclusive’, and it was simple. I would sacrifice yet another sleepless night just to be able to watch that scene.