I have seen the light

I feared it would be dark all day but with clear skies it was absolutely beautiful. We walked over the bridge to the Arctic Cathedral which is a fabulous building, though it doesn’t open till 1pm so we pressed our noses against the glass and retraced our steps till we found ourselves a cafe to have a much needed rest and warm up. Then on to the Polar Museum - oh my word, so many interesting artefacts and the lives of the greats, Nansen and Amundsen, laid out in such detail. Who knew Amundsen first crossed the North Pole in an airship? The best exhibition case had to be, “Pieces of airbag from famous balloons” which displayed four inch squares of fabric from a number of historically important dirigibles.
Later we gathered, an excited throng of young travellers, and us. Off we went. Our guide cautioned us to dampen our expectations. There were going to be Northern Lights, but nothing like in the photos. At our first stop we saw them! At first just shafts of light but then increasing in size and strength. By the second stop inland from Fagernes we were treated to a terrific display.
But my word it was cold. And then there were further stops and it got colder still. But the hot chocolate was passed around, and a small fire made by the guide.
Well, that’s a big tick box, absurdly enough. Now we can die happy, murmured the SK on the treacherous drive back to town. Not quite yet - the guide has still to download his photos.