#88: See the Northern Lights

 
 

 Arctic vacations are the 'hottest' vacations right now. Everyone has been heading to Iceland, Norway and even Antarctica. I have been wanting to go to Northern Norway for years. My family is originally from that area and I still have many family members that live there. So for me, not only is it one of the most beautiful regions in the world, it is also where I could feel connected to my family roots.

 


 This February I finally got the chance to put on my snow boots and my giant snowcoat that makes me look like a 90's rapper. I went to go stay with a cousin I had never met and had the time of my life seeing the raw natural word of the Great North.




 


One of the reasons that I wanted to go in February is because I wanted to make sure that I didn't miss out on any winter activities, one of those being seeing the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights are tricky because they aren't guaranteed. Some people spend hundreds of dollars going on tours where you spend 8 hours driving around the country side hoping that you get lucky. And sometimes after all this effort, they end up with nothing to show for it. I was lucky because we were able to go out in my cousins car and go where we want at our own pace. It was really relaxing just sitting in the dark gazing up at the stars. We went out two nights and the first night we saw a faint glow of the lights and I took the absolute worst picture of the Northern Lights.





     The next day that we went out again and we saw an amazing view of the lights. It was cold but absolutely amazing. I could have sat there staring at the sky all night, but eventually frostbite might have set in. I tried to take some pictures, but holding a camera in the cold without a tripod is a challenge, and it was more about the experience anyway. I had of course seen pictures before had no idea how they moved and danced across the sky. I was so excited that we actually were able to see them and it wasn't a wasted night. I would highly recommend doing this but it is much better to go without the tour company because it makes for a cozy and relaxing experience.