It was Nowruz holiday. This is New Year in Persian cultures, including places like Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, to Azerbaijan, and almost everywhere in between. Instead of taking a shared taxi or the train, we hired a private taxi to take us. Shared taxis are common in Uzbekistan, and train travel there is typically simple. However, for the holiday many taxis weren’t operating and the trains were sold out. So, onward, for a full day journey down to Samarkand.

1. History of Samarkand

Samarkand is one of Central Asia’s oldest inhabited cities. This is mostly because of its location on the Silk Road. Archaeological sites in the area revealed that its earliest inhabitants were between the 12th – 7th millenia BC. Although there is no direct evidence when Samarkand was founded, scientists believe it to be between the 8th and 7th centuries BC.

In 329 BC, Alexander the Great conquered Samarkand. At that time, the city went by its Greek name, Maracanda. From then, a string of conquerors and empires ruled Samarkand. First, the Persian Sassanians around 260 AD. Then, the Turks and Arabs. Legends from this time tell a story of two Chinese prisoners from the Battle of Talas (751 AD), who revealed the secret of papermaking, leading to the foundation of the Islamic world’s first paper mill in Samarkand. The secrets of making paper then spread to the rest of the Islamic world, and onward to Europe.

By 1220, the Mongols under Genghis Khan conquered Samarkand. The Mongols ruled until 1307 when Timur (or Tamurlane) made Samarkand the capital of the Timurid Empire. And so began the Timurid Renaissance, during which all of the places we visit in this post, were built.

This is where our journey begins.

2. The trip to Samarkand

A brief note for travelers to Uzbekistan, most Uzbeks do not speak English. Of course, I don’t really expect them to. Oftentimes, the ability to communicate with locals is the key to easily getting around a country. However, let me just say, we could not communicate with our driver.

There were times where we thought we had communicated to pull over for a bathroom break. As soon as we opened the door and stepped outside the car, the driver yelled at us to get back in. The driver subsequently sped off with some kind of vigor. There were times that my friend attempted some form of communication to say she wanted food with no meat. We even showed “no meat” in Uzbek on Google Translate. Curious what we got? Meat filled samosas.

This isn’t to say the driver was unkind or intentional in the way he treated us. There were just serious gaps in communication.

When we were nearing Samarkand, our driver began (almost frantically) yelling “Ulugh Beg! Ulugh Beg!” Do you have any idea what’s happening? Neither do we. But soon, we pulled into a parking lot of the Ulugh Beg Observatory on the outskirts of Samarkand.

3. Ulugh Beg Observatory

3.1 Who is Ulugh Beg?

You can’t visit Samarkand without being introduced to Ulugh Beg. But, if you don’t know who Ulugh Beg is, you wouldn’t be the only one. Ulugh Beg (prounounced oo-LOOG beg) was a sultan in the Timurid Empire, reigning only from 1447 – 1449. During his short reign, he never established authority and was subsequently overthrown and assassinated. However, the world remembers Ulugh Beg foremost an astronomer and mathematician.

The Ulugh Beg Observatory, built in the 1420s, was one of the finest observatories in the Islamic world. From there, Ulugh Beg calculated the length of a year, within 25 seconds of today’s calculations. Copernicus, on the other hand, only calculated the length of a year within 30 seconds. His great contributions to astronomy include the calculation of earth’s axial tilt and the creation of a star catalogue. His star catalogue, which has 1,018 stars, includes only 11 less than Ptolemy.

3.2 Ulugh Beg Observatory Museum

Below are photos from the Observatory Museum itself. Extremely crowded inside, because of its small interior and the holiday tourists. I am claustrophobic when there’s lots of people around, so I couldn’t fully enjoy myself. The plaques included English translations, but my claustrophobia forced me out before I fully read them.

3.3 The Astronomical Sextant

Across from the museum was a giant tunnel, with a beautiful tile facade decorating the entrance. Tons of people crowded around the entrance to this giant tunnel. But what is it?

When we reached the mouth of the tunnel, we stared into the below abyss. With literally no clue what we were looking at. This is the only part of the observatory that still remains. Yet, we were clueless as to its importance.

Little did we know, this abyss was the pièce de résistance of the Ulugh Beg Observatory.

Not an expert on astronomy? Fear not! Neither were we. What you’re looking at is an astronomical sextant, basically 1/6th of a circle. No clue what an astronomical sextant is? Me either! It’s a device primarily used in measuring the position of stars. There are two types of sextants – a mural sextant and a framed sextant. The one at Ulugh Beg is a mural sextant. From the white, cylindrical model building above, the sextant would have been placed in the middle of the cylinder.

According to the radius of the sextant the height would have to be so large that it could cause the building to be too tall and could potentially fall. They were able to solve this problem by building half of the sextant underground. This allowed the size of the sextant to be maintained without the height being dangerously tall.

Wikipedia

4. The Registan – the Heart of Samarkand

4.1 What is the Registan?

The Registan, which means “sandy place” or “desert” in Persian, was the heart of ancient Samarkand. Comprised of 3 madrasas (Islamic schools) in a U-shape, the Registan is a public square which served as the center of the Timurid Empire. People gathered in the Registan, not only to hear royal proclamations, but also to witness public executions.

The three madrasas are:

1. Ulugh Beg Madrasa (on the left), built by you know who, between 1417 – 1420;
2. Tilya-Kori Madrasa (in the center), in Persian meaning “guilded” madrasa, built between 1646 – 1660;
3. Sher-Dor Madrasa (on the right), built between 1619 – 1636 along with Tilya-Kori by Yalangtush Bakhodur, ruler of Samarkand.

4.2 Photo journal of the Registan

The rest of the Registan, I will let the photos speak for themselves. Unfortunately, most of this is because I can’t remember which madrasa I took which photo in. I do have a general idea, but I don’t want to accidentally misinform.

Pro tip: Enter every single nook and cranny. The reward for your curiosity? Hidden courtyards, little shops, and of course, stunning Islamic architecture.

Archway, and close up of the tile work

4.3 The Golden Room

The following photos are what I call “the Golden Room.” I don’t remember which madrasa this room is in. However, do not leave the Registan without finding and visiting it!

5. Gur-e-Amir

5.1 History of Gur-e-Amir

Remember Amir Timur from my last post? Gur-e-Amir (or Gur-i-Amir) is the mausoleum of Timur. Gur-e Amir, Persian for “Tomb of the King,” was built between 1403 – 1404. It stands as an important example of Persian-Mongolian Architecture and as a precursor to other famous Mughal tombs – i.e., the Taj Mahal in India and Babur Gardens in Kabul.

Initially built following the sudden death of Timur’s heir apparent (Mohammad Sultan) in 1403, Amir Timur originally had another burial tomb ready for him. However, he too died suddenly in 1405 (while on military campaign in China) and mountain passes blocked by snow prevented him from reaching his burial site. Therefore, he was laid to rest in Gur-e-Amir, as was his grandson, Ulugh Beg. Since then, it became the family crypt of the Timurid Dynasty.

Following the decline of Samarkand in the 1700s, Gur-e-Amir fell into disrepair.

Tamerlane’s [Amir Timur’s] tomb was opened shortly before the German invasion of the Soviet Union, 19 June 1941. Exhumation of Timur in 1941 was made under the direction of Soviet scientist and anthropologist Mikhail Mikhaylovich Gerasimov, who was able to reconstruct Tamerlane’s facial features from his skull, and it was also confirmed that he was 172 cm in height and would have walked with a pronounced limp.

Wikipedia

It wasn’t until after World War II, that restoration on Gur-e-Amir’s exterior began. In the 1970s, interior restoration work began on the interior.

5.2 Exterior of Gur-e-Amir

5.3 Interior of the Mausoleum

Parting Thoughts on Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Hope you enjoyed this brief tour through Samarkand. Did it convince you to visit Samarkand? There are other sites worth visiting, but time and holiday hours prevented me from doing so. Although everything was stunningly beautiful in Samarkand, I enjoyed our next stop, Bukhara, much more. Stay tuned for more photos and stories of my time in Uzbekistan! As always, stay healthy and stay safe!

Heading back to Tashkent? Be sure to check out the Amir Timur Museum!

Travel Insurance when you visit Samarkand

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

The Bregenz Festival or Bregenzer Festpiele is an annual operatic event, which hosts two operas every summer. One opera takes places inside the Festspielhaus (or the Festival House), and one is a famous Opera on the Lake.

1. Introducing the Bregenz Festival and the Seebuhne

The Bregenz Festival is hosted from late-July to late-August, and showcases two different operas.  There are two stages, the Seebuhne (the lake stage) and the Festspielhaus.  But really, the Seebuhne is where the action is at.  The lake stage is exactly that – an elaborate stage built to float on Lake Constance, with the Alps and gorgeous alpine landscape as a backdrop.

The lake plays a role in the story too.  Each opera has a new, larger than life floating stage on the lake which lasts at least 2 seasons.  I’d imagine that the building of such a massive stage warrants the multi-year showing.

Bregenz is located about 8 hours (by train) away from Vienna and less than 3 hours from Zurich.

2. James Bond Filming Locations in Austria – the Bregenz Festspiele

Some of you may know that James Bond has always had an affinity with Austria. Do you remember my post on visiting the alpine offices of Dr. Madeleine Swann in 2015’s Spectre?

A few years before Spectre, there was Quantum Solace (2008). There’s a scene where Mr. White and associates are watching a performance of Tosca and discussing pipelines. James is somewhere in the background watching and listening to them, having stolen one of their earpieces. You may remember it because of the giant eye on the stage.

Now, I wouldn’t say that I intentionally visit places inside movies, but seriously, how cool is that eye and that stage?! And an opera too? It’s definitely one of the most incredible James Bond filming locations in Austria! Sign me up!

3. My first attempt at visiting the Bregenz Opera

In 2013, when I had a summer school program in Vienna, I knew I had to visit Bregenz. Although Bregenz is far from Vienna, I was absolutely determined to visit. Bregenz is located on the western end of Austria, situated on the banks of Lake Constance, where the German and Swiss borders meet Austrian shores.

That year, Mozart’s The Magic Flute was showing.  However, due to … unfortunate, unforeseen employer circumstances, I had to cancel my trip to the Bregenz Opera and thus my ticket.  Luckily, I was able to give away my hotel reservations and tickets to a friend, who happen to be in Vienna for a conference at the same time. 

Behold the absolute magic of what he witnessed – The Magic Flute at the Bregenz Festival.

4. 2018 Bregenzer Festspiele: Carmen

When I was finally able to fit a return to the Bregenz Festival into my schedule, the selected opera on the lake for 2017 & 2018: Carmen, by George Bizet. Not going to lie – one of my favorite operas!

When I arrived in Bregenz, the chance of rain for the night of the performance was about 60%.  The following day, that had risen to 80%.  Accuweather got even more specific. Rain was scheduled to start at 9:30 PM, the exact start time of the show.

When you’re gonna get drenched checking off a bucket list item… ☔️@bregenzfestival @VisitBregenz pic.twitter.com/gjqgWpjHjh

— Lannie (@lannietravels) July 21, 2018

Although I would have loved nothing more than to get dressed up and watch this grand opera on a lake, with the impending thunderstorm, I thought it silly to do so.  I’m really glad I dressed down and brought my rain jacket.  I’m also glad the rain didn’t ruin my camera, which I had to put inside my backpack, on the floor.  I was trying my best to use my rain jacket as a shield and I guess it worked.  Suffice it to say, it rained about 75% of the whole show.  Poor me, yes, but poor performers!  They did an AMAZING job and I thank them for performing in the rain, so flawlessly and beautifully!

The stage was also amazingly constructed!  Now that Carmen’s official run is over, I can give it away some of the details… the cigarette stayed lit and smoking during the whole show.  There were images of playing cards and some videos or photos projected onto the massive playing cards.  There were scenes where people were on top of the cards and repelled down!  Carmen jumped into the lake!!!  What an amazing show.  Absolutely amazing!  Was it fun sitting in the rain?  Absolutely not.  But it was definitely a once in a lifetime experience, and you have to admit, there’s something kinda funny about being forced to be outdoors during a downpour.

5. Bregenz Festival 2023

The 2023 Opera on the Lake will feature Puccini’s Madama Butterly! For anyone wanting to make the journey in 2023, here are the deets:

Practical Information: Visit Bregenz for the Opera on the Lake

• In 2023, Bregenz Festival, or Bregenzer Festspiele, will be from July 20, 2023 to August 20, 2023.
• Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini will be performed.
• Tickets are already on sale.
• Ticket prices range from 30 to 258 EUR ($34 – 288 USD).
• More information and ticket sales is on their website.
• Bregenz is located approximately 2 hours from Zurich by train (19 to 38 EUR | $22 – $43) or a 7 1/2 hour train ride from Vienna (78 EUR | $89 USD).  Fares can be found on the OEBB website.
• I had a very comfortable stay at the Hotel Germania in Bregenz, a 4-star hotel 350 meters away from Lake Constance. Highlights for me were definitely the Finnish sauna and steam bath they had, and my dinner before the festival!

Information updated as of November 23, 2022.

6. Parting Thoughts on the Bregenz Festival

If you’re a huge fan of James Bond (and honestly who isn’t), and an opera fan, and you want to visit some incredible James Bond filming locations in Austria, then the Bregenz Festival is definitely a must! While you’re in Bregenz, check out nearby Solden for a mountain-top Spectre location.

If James Bond isn’t your thing, but outdoor operas or outdoor performances are, the Bregenz Festival is a fun thing to do on a weekend during the summer!  Although cold and drenched by the end, I’m so happy that I finally got to watch my favorite opera, Carmen. To be able to watch it on Lake Constance, with the Alps in the background, even more surreal and magical.  Bucket list: Check!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

First of all, so sorry for the lack of posting this summer.  It had turned out to be so much busier than I anticipated.  From research and school work to beginning contract work on the side, it’s been challenging to stay on top of posting.  I have a plan in my head to catch up on posts, but for now, I’ll just give you some monthly highlights (with photos), and I’ll fill in the details in more posts on a regular basis now.

But before the monthly highlights, I just returned from the Cook Islands the other day, for a quick 6-day island getaway. My story of how the Cook Islands came to be seems to be an amusing one.  Last year on Black Friday (after-Thanksgiving Day sale), Air New Zealand had a fare sale to Auckland, NZ, for under $400.  Sales were posted to Twitter around 6 am, Eastern time.  Being in California for Thanksgiving, by the time I woke up in Pacific time, they were sold out.  There were Twitter rumors that Air NZ would have another sale for Cyber Saturday the following day.  So I turned on my notifications and set a light alarm on my phone for 4 am Pacific time (7 am Eastern time).

$490 RT LAX to RAR?  For the week of my 36^th birthday?  (9 months in the future, at this point)  Sure, why not!  The Cook Islands sound like a great idea.  And it totally was!  More on CI soon, but it was wonderful!  It’s a Polynesian paradise, without the crowds and big resorts.  I will definitely be going back in the near future!

So now, that recap of my travels since April 2018!

April

• Oaxaca, Mexico with a friend!
• Eating all the corn-based tortilla products one can find!
• Day trips visiting Hierve el Agua, the Tule Tree, Mitla and Monte Alban
• Watching a donkey go round and round in circles, grinding agave for mezcal, in a roadside, artisanal mezcal distillery

• Big Island, Hawaii!
• Hives on the flight…
• Photographing the Kilauea volcano and Milky Way in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
• Epic hike on lava fields
• Above the clouds, on the world’s tallest mountain, Mauna Kea.

May

• Back to school! In Vienna
• Visit to lovely but crowded UNESCO village, Hallstatt, in Austria
• Relaxing weekend in Budapest, with a friend that I met in Nepal!
• Quick jaunt to Bangkok for some Thai massages and relaxation!

June

• Unexpected and amazing time in Slovenia!
• Cloudy, sunrise hike over Lake Bled
• Hiking at and amazing scenery in Lake Bohinj and Triglav National Park with one half of travel bloggers, Rambles on the Go
• Eating dumplings, walking around Ljubljana and recording podcasts with the Postcard Academy!
• And then, almost the whole month in Croatia!
• Starting in Zagreb, with awful allergies, lots of sneezing, and seeing the remains of failed relationships.
• Full day hike with lakes and waterfalls in Plitvice Lakes National Park, with new Canadian friends!
• Eat lots of amazing pork afterwards at Pri Zvonou, a Zagreb institution within walking distance of my Airbnb
• On to Pula, for sunsets, Roman architecture, and boats
• But wait! I was stung by a sea urchin and had to dig out all the spines from my foot by myself (cue sound: womp womp)
• Chasing sunsets in Zadar
• Hike up to Manita Pec cave in Paklencia National Park
• Lots of balcony time and strolls along the beach in Okrug Gronji

July

• Visiting with Rembrandt in the Rjiksmuseum and friends in Amsterdam
• Crashing a friend and fellow bridesmaid’s family vacation in Milan!
• Taking breaks between eating gelato, pizza, burrata and prosciutto to see Italian Renaissance classics at Pinacoteca Ambrosiana
• Hiking above Lake Como, hearing tales of Italian-Swiss border smugglers and getting stung by way too many mosquitos
• Crashing the tail end of a different friend’s (and also fellow bridesmaid in the same wedding actually…) 3 week European vacation, in the amazingly beautiful and wonderful alpine town of Innsbruck, Austria!
• Hiked an incredibly difficult mountain in the Zillertal Alps… (story coming soon)
• Relaxation at Aqua Dome, sparkly things at Swarovski Kristallwelten, and frequent trips to Himal Nepali restaurant, in Innsbruck
• James Bond, mountains, and Milky Way in Soelden, Austria
• Watching Carmen, performed over Lake Constance as part of the Bregenz Festival, in Bregenz, Austria! Bucket list (CHECK)
• And then, back to school in Vienna!

August

• Stumbling upon the Pride on the Canal parade in Amsterdam!
• And finally, back to America for family time and R&R!
• Watched the Perseid meteor shower and shot the Milky Way at Anza Borrego Desert State Park, an international dark sky park
• Chased a particularly foul bucket list item to disappointment, at the Huntington Library, in San Marino, California.
• Celebrated being another year older and feeling particularly thankful for the experiences I have in life
• Crossed the Pacific to the Cook Islands, where I found the perfect paradise, without overwhelming tourists and large resorts.
• Took a day trip to Aitutaki where they have the bluest, clearest waters I have ever seen in my life!
• Sat in the cockpit on the way back from Aitutaki because the owner of my villa in Rarotonga happened to be the co-pilot on the flight!
• Made friends with a group of people that kept running to each other on the island, and happened to be all on the same flight back to LAX.

And now, today, September 5th, I am in Mexico City for a few days before I head back to California!  My life will be a bit more structured starting next week, so stay tuned for (more regular) posts and thanks for your patience!  Hope everyone had a great summer!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

There are many tours that will take you there or renting a car is certainly an option.  But going from Zagreb to Plitvice by bus for a day trip is completely doable, quite easy to do, and incredibly cost effective! So, if you’re up for an adventure, read on! I’ll give step-by-step instructions on how to go from Zagreb to Plitvice by bus.

1. Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes by Bus

Buying bus tickets from Zagreb to Plitvice is easy enough.  A roundtrip ticket on Arriva, was 112 kuna | < $18 USD  | 15 EUR.  My 5:45 am departure (which arrived shortly after 8 am) meant that I’d have to leave my Airbnb around 5 am, in order to arrive early enough to figure things out…just in case.  My ticket was emailed to me as a PDF and included the platform number (#405), and sure enough, there it was.  Large luggage will cost you 10 kuna to put underneath the bus. My large 50 L backpack was fine as a “carry on.”  And then we were off! From Zagreb to Plitvice by bus!

There are 2-3 ten minute stops along the way, but I never left the bus fearing a) losing my seat, and b) the bus leaving without me.

Along the way, you drive through small villages and if you look closely, you can see sprays of bullet holes covering the village houses.  Rising ethnic tensions between Croatians and Serbs sparked with the death of a Croatian army commander.  The result was the Croatian War for Independence, which began in Plitvice, late March 1991.  Both sides had only 1 death each, during the “Plitvice Incident” or the “Plitvice Bloody Easter”, with over 20 wounded and 400 tourists evacuated.

2. Arriving at Plitvice Lakes

After a little over two sleepy hours on the bus, we finally made it from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes. So excited!

Plitvice Lakes has been a national park since after WWII, and became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1979.  After the Croatian War for Independence, the parks were swept for mines and all of the remaining mines were removed.  Over 1 million people visit the park annually.

When I went to Plitvice in June, the cost of admission for adults was 150 kuna | < $24 USD | 20 EUR.  In July and August (the country’s high season), that jumps to 250 kuna | $40 USD | 34 EUR if you enter before 16:00.

2.1 Entrances to Plitvice

There are two entrances to Plitvice, smartly named Entrance 1 and Entrance 2.  The bus driver will call out the entrances to the passengers.  Depending on what you want to see in the park, different entrances lead to different attractions. The side of the road where you exit the bus is the same side of the road as the entrance to the NP. 

And remember, that means at the end of the day, when you’re waiting to catch the bus back to Zagreb, the bus stop is on the opposite of the road.

2.2 Hiking Plitvice Lakes – Choose your walking program!

You can go hiking in Plitvice Lakes either for a leisurely walk, or an immense (almost) 20 km hike! The national park has 8 different “lake tour programmes”, with the “K” programme being the longest at 18.3 km, with an estimated completion time of 6-8 hours.  I was able to finish in about 5 hours, with breaks in between.

EXPERT TIP: MAKE SANDWICHES AND BRING YOUR OWN FOOD AND WATER.  
There are long stretches with no food or water.

3. The Long Hike – “K programme”

It’s always strange going on a long hike on your own.  Granted, there were other people around, because most of the various lake programmes criss-cross each other and overlap.  But I guess not many people wanted an ambitious “Hiking Plitvice Lakes Day.” There were very few people on the “full K programme.” Most of the trail was on wooden planks along or over the water, and when the K goes off into the green wooded area, there are easy to follow paths.

From P3 (around the middle of the map), I had to take off my shoes and cross over a small section in the water.

And from there towards where it continues well into the green, I met one person and one dog on the K trail.  (The dog did not belong to the person). 

4. Not alone at Plitvice anymore!

At some point, hours later, I met C and K, who were two travelers from Canada and they graciously agreed to let me walk with them.  They were also doing the K programme, but started at Entrance 2. Hiking Plitvice Lakes alone – mmm, ok on the fun level. Hiking Plitvice Lakes with fun people – even better!

5. Thoughts on Hiking Plitvice Lakes

The hike ended with a short 5 minute ferry across the water (gushing towards the finish line!) Ok, maybe not such an exciting finish. But, I will say hiking Plitvice Lakes was an amazing way to see so many of the waterfalls. Plus, being off the beaten path was a great way to avoid the mass of tourists. 

Small warning, though… every time you are about to come across a waterfall, the crowds increase and the pace slows, as everyone tries to pose for a picture.  It can get mildly overwhelming.

I finished the hike around 13:30, and was able to catch an earlier bus back to Zagreb.  In the morning, the bus from Zagreb to Plitvice dropped me off next to the entrance. The bus going back is on the opposite side of the road.

Luckily, I had some time to buy an ice cream before the bus arrived. The bus left around 14:45, and I was able to make it back in Zagreb for a shower and amazing dinner.

So in the end, if you love to walk, enjoy waterfalls and crystal clear waters, PLITVICE IS THE PLACE FOR YOU.  Especially if you’re alread in Zagreb, the bus to Plitvice is easy and a completely manageable day trip!

Add it to the bucket list!

6. Resources on going from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes by Bus

Bus tickets and schedules
Sample Zagreb to Plitvice bus departure/arrival times (weekend schedules differ):

• 5:45 am – 8:08 am
• 6:30 am – 8:40 am
• 7:30 am – 9:45 am
• 8:30 am – 11:07 am
• 9:15 am – 11:30 am

Sample Plitvice back to Zagreb bus departure/arrival times (weekend schedules differ):

• 2:45 pm – 5:05 pm
• 3:45 pm – 5:55 pm
• 5:18 pm – 7:50 pm

Information on Hiking Plitvice Lakes National Park and entrance fees:

• Lake walking programme description and maps
• Price list

REMEMBER BRING YOUR OWN FOOD AND WATER

Recap on my Zagreb to Plitvice Day

5:45 am Bus leaves from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes
8:10 am: Arrival at Plitvice, Entrance 1
<< walk walk walk walk walk walk walk >>
1:30 pm: Make it back to Entrance 1
2:45 pm: Bus to Zagreb
3 pm: Rain, and feeling thankful to be on a bus and on the way home.  The man I encountered on the K trail, with the dog that was not his, went back to Zagreb on the same bus.
5:15 pm: Arrive in Zagreb
6:30 pm: Finish shower and eat amazing food at Pri Zvoncu
8:30 pm: Sleep.

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

On my first full day in Akureyri, Iceland, I started with horseback riding, and a food tour. Then, I immediately went from dinner to a Northern Lights tour. Coincidentally, Armann was my guide for both! 

There are a few things I learned about the hunt for Northern Lights. I’m going to put my key takeaways in bullet form.  They’re very important as it appears there are A LOT of misconceptions about Northern Lights.

• In order to see Northern Lights, it must be dark outside.  That means, in the summer when there is 24 hour daylight, there could be northern light activity, but I guarantee you – you won’t be able to see it.
• That means that a full moon can affect how well you can see the Northern Lights with your naked eye.
• Besides being too bright, cloud cover is an enemy to the NL.  If there are too many clouds, the NL will not shine through the density of the cloud. Plus, because of long exposure times and cloud movement, it doesn’t do you any favors for the photos.
• The NL don’t happen every night, just because you’re in Iceland or in the North.  It’s based on solar activity.
• You have to actively chase or hunt NL.  Most experienced tour guides will have spotters around town, looking at the sky or conditions, telling the guides where to go for the best viewing. 
• A tour is definitely the best option.  It would be very rare for you to sit in your hotel, see it from the window, and walk outside to view it. It’s possible – but for your first time, I wouldn’t chance it like that.
• Most tours out of Reykjavik drive 1-2 hours outside the city, because of the city lights. This is also because there are less opportunities for NL in “the South.” It is definitely possible, but fewer opportunities.

Akureyri, in the north, sits in the middle of prime NL activity. 

• In Akureyri, we drove 5 minutes outside town for the first showing that evening, and then 20 minutes outside town for the second showing (more on that later).
• Adjust your expectations downward from those gorgeous photos people post online.  Those are heavy NL activity evenings, when they are shot.  That’s not every night or every NL showing.  And of course, everyone is showing their most vibrant, most exciting photos.
• The most thing I’ve heard is “I want to see a big NL covering the sky.”  Well, that’s great, but those are only under super, ideal conditions, which may not happen during the 1 or 2 nights you choose to go out.
• If you keep looking at your phone or your camera screen, your eyes will never adjust to the darkness it needs to view it properly.
• If you really want to photograph the NL, if you don’t have at least a tripod, or a super steady hand (and the Northern Lights camera app),  I really wouldn’t even bother.
• Also, fortune favors the prepared, so if you do want to photograph the NL, be sure you know your camera settings before hand.  I’ll give you my camera settings below, but if you just google NL photography, there are several sites with great tips.
• Last but not least, with a low to moderate showing, it is not super visible with the naked eye.  In our first showing, it was a green band (horizontal streak over the sky).  With the naked eye, it looked like a light streak of cloud with a light tint of green.  Then again, the moon that night was about 80% full and very bright, which lessened the color of the NL as well.

As you can see, conversations in the last few days yielded a lot of common misnomers about the lights!

So without further ado…

1st Northern Lights in Akureyri

• ISO 400,
• 14 mm wide angle lens,
• f/3.5,
• shutter speed 20 seconds.

Northern Lights are rated on a kp scale of intensity, from 0-9.  The above is about a 3.  We were lucky, that this was only a few minutes outside of town when the first aurora appeared (see town lights in the distance). 

Same camera settings as above, setting it on a timer, and running in front and standing there for 20 seconds.

The aurora lasted maybe 10 minutes or so, and gradually became lighter (the photo above is towards the “end”).

2nd Showing of Northern Lights in Akureyri

We quickly moved locations, as there was another sighting.  This time it was across the fjord, around 20-30 minutes from where we originally were.  Same settings as above, with the town of Akureyri in the lower center left.  This is a small curtain, as it starts to wave across the sky (versus the band in the first location).

We stayed out here for about half an hour, and then the next thing you know, it’s nearing 11:30 on and time to go home. 

Parting Thoughts on Northern Lights in Akureyri

Overall it was a very successful aurora sighting.  And even though it was a small showing, I was VERY pleased with it.

In case you’re curious, there is a good aurora forecast app, that shows you where there is aurora activity, what the forecasted kp score is based on your location, etc.  The rest of my time in Reykjavik was low forecast, so I’m just going to take it easy on the hunt!

Just a reminder, Northern Lights are possible in and around Reykjavik. But if you really want spectacular showings, they happen more in the north around Akureyri. So consider going more north for a northern lights adventure!

I hope you all learned a lot from my post and can manage your expectations accordingly!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

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