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| I know, this picture is so original.. I just couldn't help myself. |
Seeing the Northern Lights has been on my bucket list for what feels like my entire life (especially since I took an astronomy class my freshman year of college and got kind of obsessed with it). So, when husband and I realized that we would only be a short plane ride away from one of the most incredible places to view them, we booked the tickets basically as soon as the realization had arisen. When we finally arrived in the little town of Tromso, we decided that instead of hopping on a Northern Lights tour (which are expensive and well, you know.. so tour-like), we would just rent a car and chase them ourselves.
It was such a good decision. Our very own Northern Lights chase would begin long before sunset.. mid-afternoon, husband and I would go to the grocery store to buy a rotisserie chicken, salad that we put together ourselves at the salad bar (I've basically come to the conclusion that every grocery store needs a salad bar), apple cider, and Snickers. We then would load the car with all of our grocery goodies, a thermos of hot coffee, an iPad with a few movies on it, photography gear, and as many warm clothes as possible. After that, we'd pick a spot on the map that promised clear skies and little light pollution.. and head out! We tried to be at our destination before dark (mostly to set up camera gear.. okay only so that we could set up camera gear) and once we arrived we would enjoy that rotisserie chicken, along with a movie, while we waited for dark.
Once the Lights started to make their appearance and after we gave them the freak out happy dance that they deserved, we spent the rest of our night talking or listening to podcasts while sipping on coffee and sporadically jumping out into the freezing cold (which by freezing cold, I mean the I want to put on every single layer of clothing that I've ever owned in my whole life kind of cold) to take a few pictures. The show usually lasted for several hours and we loved every single second of it.
Everything about those colors dancing in the night sky was beyond what I even hoped for or imagined. It was amazing. But the memory that I will cherish even more than witnessing something so incredible is just being still with my husband amidst something so spectacular. It is truly one of the most beautiful things I've ever experienced.
