READER STORY: NORTHERN LIGHTS
In the middle of the northern hemisphere winter, Christien Neser travelled to Sweden and Norway in search of the aurora borealis. Along the way, she saw a reindeer race, howling wolves and a hotel made of ice.
“The lights move in green waves; one moment they look like bubbling lava, the next like feathers blowing in the wind. I wanted to cry. The Vikings believed the Northern Lights were the spirits of loved ones who had passed away. I can’t help but think there’s some truth to this. It felt sacred.”
Aurora borealis. You probably heard about this phenomenon at school: Colourful light patterns that appear in the sky above the snowy landscapes of the polar regions… One morning, I heard a travel agent talking on the radio about a tour of northern Scandinavia. My interest was piqued – I’d been fascinated by this region ever since
I read about it in a children’s encyclopaedia. There were still two spots available on the January 2020 tour. My husband Thys and I looked at each other and made the call. We were going to see the Northern Lights!
Stockholm DAY 1
The tour started in Stockholm, which means “islet of logs” in Swedish. Indeed, the capital city consists of a number of islands and was named after the wooden poles once planted in the sea, either to ward off enemy ships or to control access for toll fees.
It’s a fascinating city, especially if you’re a fan of Stieg Larsson’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. I’d read the books and the street names felt familiar: Gamla Stan, Prästgatan, Tyska Stallplan...
Our tour group was made up of 15 people and the only outing we had time for was a guided city tour. In the Vasa Museum
( vasamuseet.se) we explored a restored war ship from bow to stern. The ship sank in the Stockholm harbour in 1628, only minutes after it had set off on its maiden voyage. It was dredged up 333 years later and remains the best-preserved example of a 17th-century ship in the world.
The local residents were abuzz about the “warm” winter and the lack of snow in the city, but we got our first taste of the cold to come when temperatures dipped below freezing point.
Stockholm to Jukkasjärvi DAY 2
I realised that Stockholm had been warm when the icy air of the village of Kiruna hit me. The temperature was displayed in bright lights in the small airport building: -16° C. And it would only get colder from here.
A bus took us to the village of Jukkasjärvi, home to the world-famous Ice Hotel. When I got out of the bus, it felt like I was walking into a freezer. I lost all feeling in my hands and feet. It was -20° C. At the hotel, we received snowsuits and boots to wear whenever we ventured outside.
We pulled on our suits on the first night to look for the aurora on a frozen lake far from any lights. With numb fingers, we reached for the supplied tripods and cameras, and then we waited.
Suddenly, white streaks danced against the dark sky – the aurora borealis! With the naked eye, the Northern Lights looked like soft, whitegreen clouds, but through the camera lens, they came alive. Your eyes simply can’t take in all the subtle colours. The lights move in green waves; one moment they look like bubbling lava, the next like feathers blowing in the wind.
I wanted to cry. The Vikings believed the Northern Lights were the spirits of loved ones who had passed away. I can’t help but think there’s some truth to this. It felt sacred.
You can freeze to death out on the ice waiting for the perfect photo. After an hour, our guide made us head back to the fire to drink hot tea and eat a slice of customary berry cake. Around midnight I stripped off all my layers and climbed into bed, tired but thankful for my cosy wooden house. If you’re willing to spend about R6 000 per night, you can sleep on a bed made of ice in the Ice Hotel: You leave your clothes in a changing room and crawl into a sleeping bag on top of a bear skin. You’re surrounded by unique artworks carved into the ice by well-known sculptors.
The Ice Hotel melts in summer and is built anew each winter. It’s stylish but cold inside. We had a drink at the Ice Bar earlier. The glasses were made from ice – the barman adds your drink to the ice, not the other way around! Careful your lips don’t freeze to the rim…