TRAVEL

 

 

 

Midnattsol

 

 

The land of the Midnight Sun 

 

 

We boarded in Bergen. The crew cast off and we set sail for Northern Norway.

We were bowled over by the warm welcomed on deck by the staff who were happy to be back on board, following the Coronavirus restrictions. This was Hurtigruten’s second voyage after many months moored during lockdown.

Over several days we saw the changing landscape up Norway’s West Coast. We watched waterfalls and gazed at sheer cliffs. The captain manoeuvred the ship to enter the stunning Geiranger Fjord, an UNESCO World Heritage site. We wandered around the port of Alesund where we basked in the evening sun.

We meandered through the old streets of Trondheim, Norway’s first capital city. We enjoyed the old warm charm of this port town, with its ‘artsy’ vibe. We visited the Gothic Nidaros Cathedral, walked over the old Bybro bridge and looked at the old wooden buildings on Bakklandet, along in the Nidelva river.

I met an old man sitting on the new flower bridge, the first person we had seen begging on Norway’s streets. I gave him a Kvikk Lunsj. He smiled and said “Shukrun”. I wondered where in the Arab world he had come from, why he had to leave and how he had ended up in Trondheim.

That evening was Norway’s Midsummer’s Eve, June 23; the evening before St. John’s Day, also known as Jonsok in Norwegian. Traditionally in Norway, there would have been Midsummer’s Eve bonfires. Some would light the bonfires at their church or at festivals. It was believed that the flames would guard against evil spirits, which some believed were more active on Midsummer’s Eve.

Many of 2020’s big events have been cancelled all over the world. Of course that doesn’t apply to the natural world. This year’s summer solstice went ahead. The summer solstice, or midsummer, is the longest day of the year. Typically on this day, various sites would normally attract people from all over, to watch the sun rise.

This Midsummer’s Eve, we watched the midnight sun out on deck, drifting on the calm Norwegian Sea, under summer skies. For two sun seekers, this was amazing. We gazed at the phenomenal colours and swirls of light; flares and flashes of light, a warm, golden glow. And the next morning we crossed into the Arctic Circle. Unforgettable.

We have spent most of the last twenty years living in places with hot temperatures. We’re not cold people.

We chase the sun.

In recent weeks the nights have got shorter and shorter. It has been fascinating to watch these northern skies. In the south, it would typically only get dark for about three hours. Most mornings the birds on Hisøy would wake us just after 3 a.m.

Here in the north it is light all the time. There are over 70 days of midnight sun between May and July. There is even a special word for this time, døgn; the time between one midnight and the next, a 24 hour period. The photo in the port, was taken just after midnight.

So much of Norway is north of the Arctic Circle, where the sun simply doesn’t set during during these summer months. In the fishing village of Sommarøy, local people want to introduce a “time free zone” during the summer months.

Our parting gift from Norway was the magical Midnattsol; luminous, glimmering, brilliance. Balmy summer nights. Endless sunshine.

Have you experienced the midnight sun?

 

 

 

© Maggie M /Mother City Time