Sunday, March 1, 2009

Chasing the Northern Lights

Ah, Valentines Day! What better way to spend the ultimate romantic holiday than tramping through the snow with snowshoes strapped to your feet and your Valentine by your side (occasionally pushing you into snow drifts)? Jason and I certainly couldn't think of one so we headed waaaaaay up north to Tromso, Norway to chase the Northern Lights and play in the snow for a few days.

Things weren't looking so good for viewing the Northern Lights when we landed in Tromso - the sky was a heavy gray and showed no sign of clearing up. But we hopped in the tour van all the same and, after picking up a few more people, headed outside the city and away from the city lights. The weather in that area proved to be very localized and we were soon cruising along under starry skies. We were not disappointed!

What you may not know about the Northern Lights is how coy they are. As we drove from one viewing spot to another, they would appear over the tree tops, often fading as soon as we got out of the van, only to reappear brightly once we had started driving again. They are eerily beautiful - wide streaks of ghostly green flowing across the night sky as oil flows down a slow moving river, caught in the ebb and flow of the currents of the universe.

There was also snowshoeing! An activity I love but haven't done in years! Next time we make our way up north, I would like to combine the two - snowshoeing and chasing the Northern Lights. Get my exercise and be humbled by the mysteries of the nature at the same time!

When we weren't looking at the sky or playing in the snow, we were staying warm and eating ourselves silly at the breakfast buffet (who knew Swedish meatballs, beans, and crepes with raspberry sauce could be so incredibly yummy for breakfast?).

While the natural beauty of the area was striking, the town is not nearly so. It feels very much like the college town that it is (home to the northern most university). Not there there weren't opportunities for photos!