December 2019
Sunday, 26 July 2020 21:52![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iguana
In December I had Sean and Lexie stay over at mine for Samathy's birthday weekend; her partner Lex had arranged for us to surprise her by turning up on her doorstep on the day. It was great to see everyone! We played some board games (including the Star Trek VHS game) and went out for dinner in the evening. The next weekend, I flew out to Tromsø for my second visit.
Tromsø 2: Polar Night
I'd seen the summer solstice in my previous visit; this time I was there for the winter solstice, during polar night when the sun never rises.
The difference was stark; vivid green hills and blue skies replaced with snow absolutely everywhere (even covering the roads) and lit up with sodium lights. This was the view from Varden at midday on the 18th:
I'd seen the summer solstice in my previous visit; this time I was there for the winter solstice, during polar night when the sun never rises.
The difference was stark; vivid green hills and blue skies replaced with snow absolutely everywhere (even covering the roads) and lit up with sodium lights. This was the view from Varden at midday on the 18th:
Saturday - Nattmålsfjellet
I arrived on the 14th, though I snoozed through most of the day because I hadn't quite put together when I booked the flights that I would need to be at the airport at 0400, which even makes getting to check-in from one of Gatwick's hotels a challenge! In the evening we went for a walk up to Nattmålsfjellet. With the chance to see the Northern Lights this trip, I wanted to make sure I was out and about around the time they would peak, though we didn't see any this evening. According to Emily I was drunk with tiredness too, so perhaps just as well!
I arrived on the 14th, though I snoozed through most of the day because I hadn't quite put together when I booked the flights that I would need to be at the airport at 0400, which even makes getting to check-in from one of Gatwick's hotels a challenge! In the evening we went for a walk up to Nattmålsfjellet. With the chance to see the Northern Lights this trip, I wanted to make sure I was out and about around the time they would peak, though we didn't see any this evening. According to Emily I was drunk with tiredness too, so perhaps just as well!
Sunday - Åsfjellet
The next day, we went out for a longer walk to the top of Åsfjellet
I got a little unnerved on the way back down; our tracks were covered by snow, and what was an easy bit of navigation in the light was a lot more tricky as the light quickly waned. But we found our snow angels, and followed some arctic hare tracks back down the hill. When I was happy I knew where I was, I cheered up quite a bit and did some grippy skiing in my snow shoes.
The next day, we went out for a longer walk to the top of Åsfjellet
I got a little unnerved on the way back down; our tracks were covered by snow, and what was an easy bit of navigation in the light was a lot more tricky as the light quickly waned. But we found our snow angels, and followed some arctic hare tracks back down the hill. When I was happy I knew where I was, I cheered up quite a bit and did some grippy skiing in my snow shoes.
The Week
I was working remotely during the week, since although it's dark enough for aurorae most of the day, the physics of the auroral oval mean that unless there's a huge solar storm (and we're currently at the nadir of the sun's 11-year cycle, so that's unlikely) the best time to see the lights is a couple of hours either side of around 2200. It was cloudy almost every day during the week, anyway!
I did have time during my lunch break to walk up to Varden and back, and stand by the radar dish at the top, looking down at Tromsø.
The clouds cleared on Thursday night and so we went to Nattmåls again. We got a tiny amount of activity, which I was just about picking up in greyscale, but Emily says she saw green (and she has better night colour vision than me). My camera picked it up too.
I was working remotely during the week, since although it's dark enough for aurorae most of the day, the physics of the auroral oval mean that unless there's a huge solar storm (and we're currently at the nadir of the sun's 11-year cycle, so that's unlikely) the best time to see the lights is a couple of hours either side of around 2200. It was cloudy almost every day during the week, anyway!
I did have time during my lunch break to walk up to Varden and back, and stand by the radar dish at the top, looking down at Tromsø.
The clouds cleared on Thursday night and so we went to Nattmåls again. We got a tiny amount of activity, which I was just about picking up in greyscale, but Emily says she saw green (and she has better night colour vision than me). My camera picked it up too.
Saturday - Rismålhøgda
On Saturday Tim joined us and, despite having the same time flight as me, he wasn't dead on his feet, so we walked up Rismålhøgda. I did a lot of zoomies down the hill. It was fun and slightly unnerved Emily.
In the evening we had traditional home-made rømmegrøt, which is rice pudding with cinnamon.
On Saturday Tim joined us and, despite having the same time flight as me, he wasn't dead on his feet, so we walked up Rismålhøgda. I did a lot of zoomies down the hill. It was fun and slightly unnerved Emily.
In the evening we had traditional home-made rømmegrøt, which is rice pudding with cinnamon.
Sunday - Trehørningen
After a walk up to Varden in the morning, we played three escape rooms after lunch! Arctic Escape holds the title for the world's northernmost escape rooms, so we couldn't pass them up. And they were all really good too! I've reviewed them on my escape room blog here.
By coincidence I finished off the winter visit with the same hike as when I visited in the summer, to the top of Trehørningen and back. This was a tougher climb than expected towards the top, as the snow had been refrozen to quite a hard slippery surface. Coming back down was worse but I don't remember anyone slipping too badly.
I flew back the next day and, expecting this to be my last trip to Tromø, at least for the foreseeable future, felt a profound sense of sadness as the plane took off. Once again the Arctic has been very special for me.
After a walk up to Varden in the morning, we played three escape rooms after lunch! Arctic Escape holds the title for the world's northernmost escape rooms, so we couldn't pass them up. And they were all really good too! I've reviewed them on my escape room blog here.
By coincidence I finished off the winter visit with the same hike as when I visited in the summer, to the top of Trehørningen and back. This was a tougher climb than expected towards the top, as the snow had been refrozen to quite a hard slippery surface. Coming back down was worse but I don't remember anyone slipping too badly.
I flew back the next day and, expecting this to be my last trip to Tromø, at least for the foreseeable future, felt a profound sense of sadness as the plane took off. Once again the Arctic has been very special for me.
Rest of December
I actually travelled back to my parents rather than home from Tromsø, spending the night in a Gatwick hotel before the train journey, arriving in Budleigh mid-afternoon on Christmas Eve, and I stayed there until the day after my birthday. For my birthday my parents organised a trip to a birds of prey experience where I got to hold a number of big birds. I also got a reference book I asked for, for organising a vegetable plot.
I actually travelled back to my parents rather than home from Tromsø, spending the night in a Gatwick hotel before the train journey, arriving in Budleigh mid-afternoon on Christmas Eve, and I stayed there until the day after my birthday. For my birthday my parents organised a trip to a birds of prey experience where I got to hold a number of big birds. I also got a reference book I asked for, for organising a vegetable plot.
