What Norway Taught Me.

There are places in the world that shoot the Global Warming theory to bits. Yep, that's what I learned.
Now to tell you about my trip.

We began last week on Sunday with a long night in Copenhagen Airport. Our best option for a place to stay Sunday night didn't work out so we wound up bumming it in the terminal.

After a long day of flights we finally arrived in Tromsø. We had to rush out to our first activity, Dog Sledding! When we arrived we were ushered into a small wooden hut with a roaring fire and the smell of home cooking in the air.  We knew what was coming. Reindeer stew. Though I'm not a vegetarian, I was hesitant to taste the food. Especially after smelling the cup of soup. Almost got a gag out of me. But I muscled it down.

After dinner we went and got suited up in very large, puffy, warm snow suits.  They smelled like wet dog.

This was one of the more calm/less stinky dogs there.

                                                      Puppies!

The next day we checked out of our hotel and wandered Tromsø.  Tromsø is a quiet university town. Probably because it is the northernmost university town in the world.  This is the Arctic Cathedral, somewhat boring but cool architecture.

 While we wandered the streets we found the glass company of Tromsø.

Later that evening we boarded the M/S Lofoten. A traditional boat owned by the Hurtigruten company. It was a very tiny ship and of course the cheap missionaries got the cabins down in steerage.  The first night on the boat we saw nothing. It was a cloudy night with very rough seas.  It took us quite a few hours to fall asleep as we slid from one end of our beds to the other.

But at the sound of the ship's horn we awoke to clear skies and frigid temperatures. The boat was pulling into Honningsvag. The city (if it can be called a city) claims to be the northernmost city in the world. Located at the 70th Parallel, there isn't much there except snow.

 While we walked around Honningsvag we witnessed one of the most awesome modes of transportation I have ever seen. People young and old were riding these sleds. They had a seat in the front for apparently groceries or your small child. And in a city where there is no such thing as pavement, only ice and snow, they work perfectly for propelling ones self along the road.

Contrary to popular belief, not all oranges are 100% orange. This little sticker however, is assuring me that this particular orange is genuine.

 Ok I take it back, this is more awesome than the sleds. But I have a feeling this kind costs a bit more...

As we were ready to board our boat again we were greeted with the most glorious sunset.

That night was much better for viewing the Northern Lights.  A few hours after the sun set we went up on deck and witnessed a fantastic display of God's creation.  The heaven's do reflect His glory! Unfortunately it was also another rough night at sea, so the pictures I was hoping for didn't happen, but here is proof that I saw them. The pictures you see really can't describe how amazing it is to see this huge green, yellow, and red curtain stretch all the way across the sky. It was so close you felt you could reach out and touch it. It was a fantastic night, we didn't go to bed until around 3 am, when the lights decided they were done with the show.

The next day we pulled into Kirkenes. After checking into our hotel we went in search of the Snow Hotel we had heard so much about.  On our walk we discovered the Adventist church of Kirkenes, I wonder if this is the northernmost Adventist church?

 At least he doesn't drive it in this weather.

 After almost missing it we found the Snow Hotel. Isn't it fantastic! No, your right it's worthless. After seeing the pictures of the inside I guess I was expecting something a little more, elegant.  It is basically an igloo.  For a price I could have gone inside, but we decided it wasn't worth it, and we were all freezing. Elmer's toes were numb. And for good reason, it was -27º C with windchill.

After a long night of movies, searching for Northern Lights and a little sleep thrown in there, we woke up for the long return trip back to Denmark.  Even though something went wrong on every leg of that journey, it wasn't that bad. Our delays were actually welcomed because we were starving.
I am now back safe and sound in my home away from home, and all the snow here has melted. Not to say I'm ready for Spring, but I'M SO READY FOR SPRING!

Vi Ses :)

Tromsø, the land of...

Nothing. Granted we haven't been here very long, we have seen no lights. Well ok, I take that back. Last night we went dog sledding about 30 minutes outside of town. When we got there we had a dinner. Consisting of reindeer stew and bread. Except for the smell it wasn't too bad. Then we got outfitted for our dog sledding trip. While we were out in the field waiting for the first group to return we technically saw the Northern Lights. However it was still so bright that it looked more like a cloud than the extraordinary phenomenon I was expecting.
Dog sledding was fun though not as fast-pasted as I was expecting. I wanted to be a part of the Iditarod but that was far from the truth.

In a few hours we depart on the M/S Lofoten for ours two day cruise along the coast. Hopefully one of those nights we will have a front row seat to the Aurora.

The Trials of Travel

Don't get too excited, I'm not stranded, the airlines haven't lost my baggage, and I didn't miss any flights.  But I am sitting in Copenhagen airport waiting for my flight.  A couple of other missionaries and myself are headed even further north to hopefully get a glimpse of the miracle that is the Northern Lights.  This week is winter break for Vejlefjordskolen and we're going to Norway.  Our trip is a smorgasbord (which originates from Danish meaning bread and butter in case you were curious) of different travel opportunities.  We are flying to Tromsø, Norway where we will quickly depart on a dog sledding expedition.  Then after a day of exploring the world's northern-most university town, we will board a boat called the M/S Lofoten as we sail up the coast to Kirkenes.  Kirkenes is a small town at the very top of Norway right next to Russia and Sweden.  Here we have one more night to catch a glimpse of the elusive Aurora before we head back to the school.
The primary reason for this trip is to photograph the Northern Lights.  I have always wanted to see the Northern Lights and when I read that this is supposed to be the best year to see them in 30 years I couldn't pass the chance.  We will be living 300-400 km inside the arctic circle for the next week.  Over the past months we have all been collecting various item to keep us warm, including the cheapest boots we could find, hand warmers, and large, obnoxious wool scarves.  Though we will be headed much further north than we are now, the temperature difference won't be that great.  However, as I am planning on spending at least one night out waiting to snap some pictures, I figure it's best to be prepared.

Time to check bags and check out.