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Reykjavík

Reykjavik in March: a northern lights boat from the old harbour, the full aurora show, and a food scene of whale counters, bread-bowl soup and Opal shots.

Reykjavik in March 2013 gave us the two things we came for: the northern lights, and a food scene with absolutely no fear.

Chasing the lights

We took an evening boat from the old harbour, all wrapped up like arctic explorers, and the sky delivered. First a faint green ribbon over the water, then, back on shore, the full show.

Inga in a white fur hat on a boat in Reykjavik old harbour at night, a faint green aurora over the water behind — Leaving the old harbour. The green smudge behind was just the warm-up.

Bands of green aurora borealis over the lights of Reykjavik harbour — The aurora rolling over the harbour lights.

Inga and Dileep standing together under a bright green aurora filling the night sky — The photo we came to Iceland for.

What we ate

Icelandic menus read like a dare. We found whale skewers priced by the counter, cured plates that arrived looking like art, soup served inside the loaf, and a bottle of Opal vodkaskot behind the bar to finish things off.

Thin slices of white fish carpaccio arranged on a black plate patterned with pale flowers — Fish carpaccio, almost too neatly arranged to eat. Almost.

Whale meat skewers in a refrigerated display case with a handwritten sign reading Hvalur, Whale, 1800 kronur — Hvalur at 1,800 kronur: Reykjavik does not ease you in gently.

Slices of dark cured meat fanned on a glass plate with rocket and a raspberry — A cured starter with a single raspberry doing a lot of work.

Grilled steak pieces with baked potato, mushrooms and vegetables on a white plate — The main event, with a baked potato the size of a puffin.

Thick soup served inside a hollowed round loaf of bread with the lid balanced beside it — Soup in a bread bowl: eat the bowl, obviously.

A bottle of Icelandic Opal vodkaskot liquorice shot on a wooden bar counter — Opal vodkaskot, the liquorice shot Iceland swears by. We are still undecided.

Round the trip off with the Blue Lagoon, the geysers at Geysir and a dive between continents at Silfra.