The Northern Lights, The Russian Border, And The Northern Lights Once Again...

Il 18 dicembre

Kirkenes, Norway

Last night we heard "the big announcement”... the appearance of the Northern Lights. Seeing the Aurora Borealis had been the impetus behind my signing up for this trip, although, after a week on board with no sightings, my friends and I were reconciled to the fact that we might not see them; the trip had been such a terrific adventure and we were all happy to have been a part of it, in spite of the disappointment. When we heard lots of Norwegian coming from the PA system, we assumed it was a message to the crew...but then...the English translation of “Northern Lights”... and we made a mad dash for Deck 9 where it was freezing cold and windy...but there they were! At first, the lights looked cloud-like, but then they swirled into a myriad of shapes in shades of pale green. We were without our multiple extra layers of clothing (Thank you, John, for lending me your jacket) and without cameras, so the only memory of this unforgettable night is in my mind. Five of us watched the lights, banded together in an ecstatic huddle, and then celebrated the sighting with a bottle of champagne and toasting...an indelible memory.

In great spirits, we left the ship this morning for a stop at the Russian border; it was dark at 10:00 am, the snow was coming down in big flakes, and I took much pride in my three snow angels.

Later in the afternoon, after a brief respite at our hotel, some of us met up for a walk in town. Kirkenes is Norway's northern turnaround point; located 400 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, seven kilometers southeast of the Russian border, and 37 kilometers west of Finland, it served as a base for the German air forces and navy during the Nazi occupation in World War II. Known for the Midnight Sun in summer and the Northern Lights in winter, we knew that it would be our last hope for one final sighting.

So, after dinner, three of us set out in search of the lights. We had to walk out of town where there would be no interference of artificial light and, as it was a sizable hike in the freezing cold and windy dark, I was grateful to have a couple of “bodyguards” with me. Our trek was rewarded, however, because, without a warning, the Aurora Borealis appeared, not only for a few minutes at first, but, for almost the entire walk back down the hill. I don't have any photos of me shouting for joy and jumping up and down, but, those of you who know me, can well imagine it. We arrived at our hotel to find many of our friends outside because the show was, again, in full view, but, this time, the display went on and on and on. It's hard to describe what it felt like to see a sight so remarkable and otherworldly. Not only that, but we were very lucky as the conditions for a sighting must be perfect; not only does it depend upon solar activity, but also on having a cloudless sky and, up until the last night on board, we had been followed by clouds.

Photos can't to justice to what such an experience is like and many online pictures have had a bit of retouching; what you will see below is just a bit of what I saw...compliments of one of my travel buddies, Ed, who was most adept with his camera. 

To say it was glorious...well, those are just words. Take a look...