Today started off with the best, and I don’t say this lightly, buffet breakfast we’ve ever had. And for Glen in particular, that’s a big call as i do consider myself a bit of a consissuer of hotel’s buffets. You name it, they had it. Breakfast small meats were there of course, but have you seen not one, but two types of salmon available? Custom smoothies? Soft boiled eggs (as well as scrambled and fried)? You name it, they had it – it was just incredible. Well done The Grand Hotel, Oslo – you made up for your poor attempt at providing wifi.
I’ll skip the boring bit where with the air travel as that was smooth as silk – but this part of the trip is where it gets super interesting, at least to us. This is where we’re hoping above all that mother nature is kind to us and puts on a light show in the form of the Northern Lights. We’ve done everything we can to see them, we’ve come at the right time of year, and to the place where the most lights are seen anywhere in the world – Alta, Norway. A very northern town 1.5hr flight from Oslo.
The place we’re staying is a forest lodge 25 minutes out of Alta. To get to it, you go through 2 tunnels, pass an enormous fjord, go off road for 4km and go over 3 wooden bridges. It truly is in the middle of nowhere. It’s also cute as a button.
Michael, the host, is an ex-Irishman who has spent many years in Sweden and now Norway. He makes dinner and breakfast for the guests – of which at this time of year, there aren’t many. Last night it was just us ana Hong Kong couple. Michael is very obliging so he’s leant me his tripod, head lamp and a map.
After a delicious homecooked dinner, I was super anxious to get outside and check if the lights were out. Ahead of schedule, they were out around 20:40 and we were on the viewing platform in a flash. And what a site it was – like nothing we’d ever seen before or likely to again.
My best explanation is as follows: it starts off with a light glow in the night sky, white which turns a hint of green as time goes on. Then in another part of the sky, a brighter light begins which then starts to move across the sky. Last night, which is very unusual apparently, it swept from one side of the sky to the other in one continuous band of light right over our heads. Similar to a laser light show mixed with a smoke machine, the lights literally dance up and down, fade from one colour into the next and almost wave to you with a “hey down there!”. Also what was unusual was the pinks and reds mixed into the colour wheel – just incredible!
It’s impossible to photograph as the lights move constantly and therefore blur with the 25 second exposure, but with the naked eye, the colours are a lot more separate and well defined.
Anyway, on with the photos that do it no justice whatsoever, but it’s a nice momento if nothing else.
We’re obviously hoping for more the next two nights, and now with a night of experimentation done with the camera, hopefully we can get some more great shots!
But even if we don’t – it’s seriously a bucket list item checked off. Both of us feel super lucky and fortunate to not only be here for a night when it’s so amazing, but that we can in fact do this kind of thing in general.