Sailing Into The Natural Wonders Of Norway

By Rema Nambiar (It is probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Bernama sub-editor Rema Nambiar as she sets out on a six-night cruise to watch the northern lights, cross the Arctic circle and visit the North Cape in Norway, last December.) BERGEN (Norway), Jan 14 (Bernama) -- Hundreds of twinkling stars adorn the otherwise pitch-black sky. It is winter time and the air is frigid. Here I am in Tromso - one of the alluring towns that dot the western coastline of northern Norway - and thinking about how perfect the setting is for a northern lights "show". Tromso, located some 350 kilometres north of the Arctic circle, is a sought-after destination for those interested in watching the northern lights, besides being renowned across Europe for its music and cultural scene. As I make my way up the rather slippery steps to get to the iconic triangular-shaped Arctic Cathedral located smack in the city centre, I hear someone cry out excitedly: "Look... the lights!" I quickly turn around and look up at the sky - I spot some wisps of what look like grey clouds but soon they become bigger and a greenish tinge is obvious. Voila, it is the northern lights making a presentation. Soon, the grey-greenish lights twirl and swirl like a curtain and seem to "dance" from one end of the sky to another. The back of my neck aches as I crane my neck upwards for a good 10 minutes or so as I do not want to miss a single second of the celestial show. Seeing the northern lights or the aurora borealis had been on my bucket list ever since I came across photographs of spectacular displays some years back. Finally, the chance came when my husband and I, as well as my sister-in-law, got the opportunity to join a six-night Hunting the Light cruise in Norway last month, organised by the travel wing of The Duchess Club, a 10-year-old women's organisation based in Chennai, South India. We meet up with the 25-member Indian group, ably led by Duchess Club founder Rathi Nilakantan, in Bergen - an enchanting city located in the south-western coast of Norway - before embarking on a Hurtigruten ship (www.hurtigruten.co.uk). We board the Finnmarken, one of the more modern passenger cum cargo ships in Hurtigruten's fleet, that will take us on a 2,000 kilometre-long voyage along Norway's west coast. Since Hurtigruten ships are bereft of the frills and glamour associated with normal cruise liners, there are no fancy restaurants, clubs and glitzy shows aboard the Finnmarken. Soon, I learn that when on a Hurtigruten cruise, the main stars are the marvels of Mother Nature. DANCE OF THE AURORA The aurora experience in Tromso is, in fact, my second brush with the lights. My first-ever encounter takes place four nights into the journey, after the ship passes the famed Lofoten Islands. The lights are caused when electrically-charged particles from solar flares collide with gaseous particles in the earth's atmosphere. Known as aurora borealis in the north and aurora australis in the south, the lights appear above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres and are visible in the northwestern parts of Canada, southern tip of Greenland and Iceland and, of course, the northern coast of Norway. Winter is generally a good season to view these lights as the long periods of darkness provide many good opportunities to catch them. Although grateful that I got to see the natural phenomenon (many northern lights seekers had gone home disappointed simply because there is no guarantee the lights will materialise), I was somewhat disappointed that the experience was not as awe-inspiring as I thought it would be. Maybe all those outstanding photographs (obviously taken by professional shutterbugs) of the northern lights in their vibrant colours and formations had got my expectations too high. What my fellow travellers and I get to see are greyish "clouds" with a visible tinge of green. We seek an explanation from the ship crew and are told that the auroral displays we are seeing are pretty moderate due to "imperfect weather". Still, I must say that even in moderate form, the lights are a visual treat. It is a delight watching clouds of light bobbing about and dancing across the absolutely dark sky, more so when you are standing on the deck of a ship sailing inside the Arctic circle and listening to the icy-cold wind howling eerily from afar. It is so ethereal that I have to keep pinching myself to make sure that I am really there! SAILING INTO SCENIC FJORDS Interestingly, the northern lights appear very green in the photographs we take with our humble cameras. A quick check with google reveals that the camera sensor has a much higher dynamic range of vision in the dark than our naked eye, hence the greener shade captured by our cameras. But our cruise is not all about the northern lights - it is also about crossing the Arctic circle, visiting the North Cape, being mesmerised by the daylight colours of the Arctic sky and being blown away by the beauty of the numerous picturesque ports our ship docks at. And, not to mention gazing at all those scenic fjords that our ship meanders in and out of daily, from the warmth and comfort of the Panorama lounge on the eighth deck. Fringed by towering snow-capped mountains, these fjords are so picture-postcardish and I hereby conclude that in northern Norway, there is no shortage of Kodak moments! The Arctic circle may only be an imaginary line circling the earth at a latitude of 66°33′ north but it is a thrilling moment for all of us when the ship crosses it on the fourth day of our voyage at about 6.30am. It is pitch dark outside on the deck and we shiver in the cold despite being bundled up in layers of clothing. The ship's spotlight shines on a tiny island and there is no end to our excitement as we spot the globe that is stationed there to symbolise the position of the Arctic line. EXCURSION TO NORDKAPP We await day six with bated breath for that is the day the ship docks at the charming port of Honningsvag and we are whisked off in a coach to the North Cape or Nordkapp, a 40-minute drive from the port. We pass endless treeless white plains before arriving at our destination - a mighty plateau that rises 307 metres above the Arctic Ocean. As I trudge through the piles of snow and adjust myself to the -2 degree Celcius temperature (winter temperatures in northern Norway usually do not plunge drastically due to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream), it finally begins to sink in that at 71° north we are standing at the end point of the European mainland and a mere 2,000km from the geographical North Pole. The silence (save for the noise we tourists are making), Arctic scenery and sense of space at the cape is inspiring, to say the least. And, I cannot help but recall what Franscesco Negri, an Italian priest who was the first known person to have travelled to the North Cape, had written: "Here I am at the North Cape, at the edge of Finnmark, and I dare say the very edge of the world since there are no other places further north inhabitated by man." Bathed in the deep-blue daylight typical of winter, the cape's atmosphere does evoke a sense of the sublime. I am jolted into reality when I am reminded of global warming and reports that climate change is faster and more severe in the Arctic than in most areas in the rest of the world. To cheer myself up, I head towards the globe structure (the symbol of the North Cape) to take a photograph but the hundred or so visitors there also have the same intention, so I have to jostle with them for space. STUNNING ARCTIC LANDSCAPES After our North Cape excursion, we return to our ship for the tail-end of our journey. That night, the vessel rocks quite a bit as it sails onto the open Barents Sea over the northernmost part of Norway and docks at Kirkenes, which is located quite close to the Russian border, the next morning. Upon disembarkation, our group departs for the airport but before we catch our domestic flight to Norway's capital, Oslo, we have enough time to feast our eyes on the breathtaking colours of the winter-time sunrise. Its stunning landscapes aside, the Arctic region's winter skyscapes are equally magical, despite having only a few hours of daylight each day. This period is referred to as the polar nights which is a misnomer actually because even though the sun remains below the horizon during the heart of winter, northern Norway is not entirely blacked out. On clear mornings, splashes of crimson and hues of other colours spread across the sky and by noon, the residual light is reflected off the blue sea and the white snow, resulting in a landscape bathed in a deep blue colour. Trust me, it is beautiful out there during winter. After spending a night in Oslo, we return home replete with memorable experiences. Travel publisher Lonely Planet is right - indeed, the Hurtigruten does, as it claims, "take you on one of the most spectacular coastal journeys anywhere on earth". (photoBERNAMA) -- BERNAMA