Chasing the Lights (Norway Part 2)

That night as the sun set, we got ready to attend our lecture at the Polar Light Centre. The lecture was informative as it explained all about how the aurora borealis is formed and what are the favorable conditions for her to make an appearance.

Our first night in Laukvik and we were hopeful about getting a glimpse of the Northern Lights.

We met the owners Rob and Theresa, a couple originally from Holland but moved to Laukvik to set up the Polar Light Centre all for the love of Lady Aurora. Rob is so passionate about his research on the northern lights and both are them are just so inspiring.

The wonderful perk about signing up for a lecture at the Polar Light Centre is that Rob provides a complimentary SMS service to notify us about the sightings of Lady Aurora; so we won't need to brave the cold outside to wait for her appearance.

By the way, Theresa makes the best cookies ! Couldn't get enough of them!

That night, my eyes were affixed on this device…

Spikes indicate a possible appearance of Lady Aurora.

According to Rob, that night was not a good night for sightings as the sky was not clear.

The other devices Rob uses to track her…
This maybe what passion and dedication looks like!

Rob and Theresa shared many of their encounters and stories about Lady Aurora. Like a child, i listened in awe and anticipation of meeting her. I was eager. Such is the beauty and magnificence of Nature which man has no control over. She decided not to make an appearance on the 1st night of our arrival. 

Hearing the stories, i figured the best way to meet her was to make her a gift as a token of my sincerity to meet her. Somethings have no explanation, and explanations need not be sought. 

I went into the Art Studio in the same premise where i lived, as our land lady is gracious enough to open up her art studio to those who board with her.

Even though i was never so confident about art, i whipped out the paint brushes and did my best potrait of Lady Aurora from my imagination and pictures I had seen. 

Afterwards, I braved the cold of the night and lifted up my painting to the sky as a gift to her. 

I think she must have heard me.....

Despite the disappointment of not meeting her on our first day, we were treated to this beautiful sunset…

This was just the beginning of things to come…

If you do go by Lofoten Islands, please pay Rob and Theresa a visit at their Polar Light Centre
http://www.polarlightcenter.com to maximize your chance of seeing the Northern Lights!

TBC…

Read Chasing the Lights (Norway Part 1)

pics taken with a Panasonic Lumix camera 

Chasing the Lights (Norway Part 1)

A spontaneous decision sparked off a trip of a lifetime- to chase the elusive aurora borealis.
The northern lights is one of nature's most spectacular displays most commonly sighted in the Arctic circle. Of all the places, we decided that we were going to Norway taking opportunity of the reasonably priced ticket via Qatar Airways. (approx USD$1000 at the time we booked)

Our instincts led us to one of the most beautiful places in the world- the Lofoten Islands which is in the Arctic Circle. We felt a draw to the Lofoten Islands of all the possible locations for sighting of the Northern Lights.

Our first stop over at Oslo...

In Oslo, we were welcomed by a pinkish-blue sky that morning. It was a great start to our 10-day trip!

We flew over the Lofoten Islands that afternoon on the SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) from Bodo.
It was like a scene from the "Lost World".

After almost 23 hours, consisting of 3 transits, we arrived to the beautiful white landscape that February 2012.

We landed in a little town called Svolvaer, which is a 20 minutes drive to the Polar Light Centre in Laukvik. 

It was pretty surreal journeying through this landscape...

It was too breathtaking, I had to stop for a picture...

So exhausted but feeling really excited! 

All the hours of tiring travel was worth it and this was just a glimpse of things to come.

Since it was the winter season, most places in the Arctic Circle only experiences about four hours (or less) of sunlight everyday. 

At about 2.30pm that day, the sun was setting....

TBC....

Pics taken with a Panasonic Lumix camera

Today's Daydream...

spectacular!
The Northern Lights.