Trade Turkey for the Northern Lights

By Cherri Briggs, Founder & President

Why I Keep Going Back to Iceland

I first visited Iceland ten years ago when I realized how quick and easy it was to pop over from New York or Boston on Icelandic Air before continuing onwards to Paris to catch my Air France flight to Africa. I hadn’t planned to spend more than two nights, but stayed five, and found it was not enough.

So, I went back. Starting in Reykjavik, I had more than my share of fabulous seafood, fashion, art, and music. Then my explorer nature took over, so I extended my stay and identified a great guide who took me up the west coast, where we explored brilliant aquamarine ice caves, stunning lava tubes, and a fairyland of fields full of ferns, moss, and wildflowers. More than half of the population of Iceland still believes in fairies, gnomes, and trolls. After a few days in Iceland, you will too.

My visit this June with my husband, Richard, over the summer solstice (three hours of darkness a day) took us to the far north, where we took wonderful walks and hikes looking for puffins and saw many, many spectacular waterfalls. There are well over 10,000 in Iceland. No one has an accurate count, as they come and go all the time. We also visited a wide variety of spas and hot springs, some quite wild and a few elegant properties boasting gorgeous, contemporary design. We took a small boat with a whale expert and saw four magnificent blue whales. Astonishing!

This year, why not think Icelandic cod and crab, and forego the turkey? I recommend going to Iceland over Thanksgiving when the dancing Northern Lights are peaking, and the weather should not be too snowy yet, so you can still see the sky, including a super moon on November 24. October also provides fantastic visibility. Days are short, and it will be cold, but there will be fewer tourists, at a better value.