Iceland and Svalbard The Magnetic North There’s something to be said about the longstanding fascination travelers have with the stark, untouched arctic wilderness. Perhaps it’s because it kindles a primordial connection with the natural world, or offers tranquil respite from the congestion and pandemonium of the modern metropolis. In Philip Pullman’s fantasy novel The Golden Compass, the witch-queen Serafina Pekkala utters as she flies towards Svalbard, “We feel cold, but we don’t mind it, because we will not come to harm. And if we wrapped up against the cold, we wouldn’t feel other things, like the bright tingle of the stars, or the music of the Aurora, or best of all the silky feeling of moonlight on our skin. It’s worth being cold for that.” Here are two hyperborean destinations absolutely worth shivering for. Southern Iceland The rundown Probably the most visited part of the country, Iceland’s south coast is renowned for possessing...