Tag: Northern Lights

Northern Lights

Two brilliant nights, above the Arctic Circle.

As noted in the prior post, we spent four nights in Saariselkä, near the northern tip of Finland. We stayed at the “Northern Lights Village,” which we all hoped was eponymously named! Guests are housed in individual little cabins, called “aurora cabins,” which have glass across half their roof, and a special in-room tablet computer that rings a gentle alarm whenever the Northern Lights are visible. We were all hopeful to see the aurora borealis, at least once. We did! Read on, and check out the photo gallery!

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Northern Lights in Sweden

A weekend above the Arctic Circle in an effort to photograph the Northern Lights.

I recall a warm summer evening, about forty years ago, when I reclined on the rocky shore of Lake Champlain to watch a distant aurora borealis dance across the stars of the far northern sky.  Ever since then I’ve held a quiet fascination with this phenomenon, determined to see the northern lights “for real” some day.  I’ve longed to visit the Arctic, in part so I might see the northern lights.  This weekend – capping a week of academic travel in Finland and Sweden – was my first opportunity to travel above the Arctic Circle.  I flew to a tiny village in the far northern tip of Sweden – so close it was practically in Norway – and spent two nights standing in the snow, watching the sky above Abisko National Park.  Did I see the aurora?  yes!  Was I satisfied?  no; if anything, I want to return to see more!  From the other people I met there, it is clear that Abisko has that affect on many people.  Read on, and check out the photo gallery.

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A reindeer seen beside the road in Abisko.

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