Aurora -- let Norway's winter be as gorgeous as fireworks
Days: 10 days
Time: February
Per capita: 25000 yuan
With whom: with friends
Play: free travel, photography, self driving
The author went to these places
Norway
Oslo
Tromso
Lovetown Islands
Oslo Cathedral
Oslo City Hall
Oslo Opera House
queen
Published on March 18, 2016 21:59
Hei, Aurora
Aurora (Latin: Aurora), the goddess in charge of the northern lights in Nordic mythology, is also known as the goddess of dawn because aurora in Greek is the first light from night to day.
I remember when I was still in primary school, there was a course called nature class at that time, and my love for it was no less than the status of physical education in my heart. Once, when the teacher talked about the knowledge of the north and south poles in class, he took out a picture. The magical light like rolling curtains appeared in the sky, which surprised my classmates and me. The teacher simply told me that it was Aurora, which appeared near the north and south polar circles.
At that time, chimneys could be seen everywhere in Beijing, Zhongguancun was just a few small alleys, full of CD vendors. I never thought there was such a beautiful place in the world.
That was the first impression that the aurora gave me. Since then, the magical polar region has been my destination. Unexpectedly, for this dream, I have been waiting for 20 years. When the chimneys in Beijing are gone, the haze is still serious; Zhongguancun has become a brilliant place for countless people to dream of, but now it is desolate; When I was thirty years old, I still like to have some beautiful dreams.
Finally, I stepped on the Arctic Circle and saw the aurora dancing, stretching and disappearing over my head.
Beautiful, but so
About accommodation
This is the first time that we try to stay in airbnb during our trip to northern Norway. At first, the reason we considered was that there were three people in a row. Many hotels did not provide three people. The high prices in northern Europe also reflected the hotel accommodation incisively. However, airbnb has sufficient room resources to provide us with choices. As for me, I always listed the cost performance as the first choice for travel, Airbnb is definitely more suitable for me. Fortunately, each of the four landlords we met was very friendly. We shared our stories with each other, which brought us a different perspective of Norwegian life and experience from tourists. Matt, a handsome Canadian who is studying for a doctorate in Oslo, is handsome and talkative; Mother EVA of Tromso is kind and hospitable; Fat Ronny of the lovetown islands, friendly and forthright; There is also Ms. line. K, who lives in a wealthy area of Oslo, who is polite and friendly.
It is said that the best way to know a place is to know the people here.
These people I met during my trip to Norway and their stories filled my trip with joy and emotion. I will write the story of getting along with them in the main travel notes to share with you.
Some suggestions on Norway travel
First of all, about visa:
Norway is a Schengen visa. The data can be prepared according to the normal Schengen materials. The size of the white background color photo is (35mmx45mm). There are many online agencies, the price is about 1000 yuan, can provide air tickets, hotels and insurance policies. If you have already reserved a hotel ticket, you can handle it yourself, and the cost is about 600 yuan.
Mode of travel:
When traveling in Norway, in addition to Oslo, which is a big city with convenient public transportation (population is only 400000), there are relatively few buses in small towns in the north, and the distance between destinations is relatively long. The temperature is cold in winter, and it is often accompanied by rain, snow and wind. It is recommended to rent a car for self driving tour. At the same time, due to the relatively slippery roads in winter (the snow on Tromso road is serious), it is recommended to rent a manual stop car, It's exciting.
About car rental:
You can book a car on Hertz's official website, but you don't need to provide notarization certificate. You only need Hertz's Chinese and English translation documents and driver's license. Translation files can be automatically generated free of charge on Hertz official website.
https://www.hertz.cn/rentacar/reservation/
Food problems:
The prices in northern Europe are really high. The prices in Oslo are the first in the world...
How expensive is it? The average person eating in ordinary restaurants is 200-300 RMB (one main course and one glass of juice), except Burger King and 711 hot dogs. Coke 20 yuan a bottle, cucumber more than 10 yuan, these are supermarket prices, you don't think expensive, you don't buy, some people buy, go late, cucumber is not fresh... Is there anything relatively cheap? No! But it's true! Salmon. If you eat Norwegian salmon in Norway, you can't call it imported food any more. They are authentic local products. Fresh peeled salmon in 500g package costs about RMB 40. Open up and eat it. There's no such store after Norway. Do you have any cheaper ones? Yes, coffee! More than ten yuan, now grind a cup of Luzhou flavor coffee, but it's recommended to drink less. It's easy to go to the toilet after drinking too much. The public toilet charge at the railway station is 15 yuan per time.
Shh! Who! Who whistles!!!
It is suggested that if conditions permit, you can buy ingredients from supermarkets and cook by yourself, which is much cheaper and can meet the needs of Chinese stomach.
Weather issues:
In northern Norway in winter, the sunshine time is short. The sun rises at 8 a.m. and it gets dark at 5 p.m. Although it is located in the Arctic Circle, due to the influence of the warm current in the Gulf of Mexico, although the latitude here is very high, it is not very cold. The night temperature of Tromso is more than minus ten degrees. However, if the weather is stormy, rainy and snowy, and the body temperature is very low, it is recommended to have outdoor high top waterproof shoes, winter hat and gloves, assault pants, thermal underwear, down jacket and thick socks, etc.
About photography
This trip brought Canon 5d3, 5DS two SLRs, lens 8-15, 16-35, 24-70 and 70-200. Along the way, I feel that 16-35 and 24-70 are the most widely used, because they mainly shoot the aurora and the natural scenery of the fjords in northern Norway, coupled with the weather (10 days, 8 days, cloudy days, rain, snow and strong wind...) Therefore, street sweeping and character shooting are rare, and 70-200 is relatively less useful. However, friends in the same industry, the Sony a7r and a7rii they carry are much lighter. They are more convenient to operate in bad weather. If portability is considered, wechat is more suitable for travel. It is recommended to take more batteries. The battery is unstable due to low temperature.
I recommend you to enjoy the aurora. First, you can report an Aurora Group in Tromso. The professional team will make us more likely to see the aurora. In the next few days, you can consider looking for the aurora to shoot by yourself. Of course, in northern Norway in February and March, as long as the weather is clear, the aurora can be seen almost every night.
(GROANS) http://chasinglights.co
Most travel websites offer a one night or a few days trip to Aurora Fjord, as well as dog sledding, reindeer and whale watching routes（ I hope my friends in Tromso will go before the middle of January, otherwise the Whale will swim away ~)
About music
《No Subtle Men》—Anna Ternheim
Aurora recommended app
I recommend two practical apps for Norway travel
Norwaylights is a software specially used to predict the order and occurrence of Aurora in northern Norway;
The other is the practical software for the weather conditions in various regions of Norway and the travel of food, housing and scenic spots.
Itinerary
D1 (February 13) Beijing Dubai Oslo
D2 (February 14) Oslo Tromso
D3 (February 15) Tromso
D4 (February 16) Tromso
D5 (February 17) Tromso - lovetown Islands (Bodo transfer)
D6 (February 18) lovetown Islands
D7 (February 19) lovetown Islands
D8 (February 20) lovetown Islands
D9 (February 21) lovetown Islands - Oslo (Bodo transfer)
D10 (February 22) Oslo - Dubai - Beijing
Hotel: airbnb
Map uses [Google map] to find the local network, map the place you want to go, and support offline use when you go out.
Mobile wifi booking in advance, capital airport return, 35 RMB a day, unlimited traffic.
Currency - Norwegian Krona is used locally in Norway. It is planned that all industries and fields can consume by credit card. We only exchanged 100 euros at the airport, and all the remaining expenses are settled by credit card, which is very convenient and fast.
Language - Norwegian is a wide range of languages, but almost all local people can communicate fluently in English. If you are good at English, communication is absolutely barrier free
About Northern Norway
As the hometown of Sami, the indigenous people in Norway, northern Norway is considered the "most Norwegian" area. Here is Tromso, the largest city in the Arctic Circle, and Reine, the most beautiful town in northern Europe. The midnight sunshine in summer and the brilliant aurora in winter attract tourists from all over the world, including me. But unfortunately, there is a season's distance between the midnight sun and the aurora in winter. It's the so-called "fish and bear's paw" can't have it both. Comparatively speaking, the aurora is more attractive to me.
Aurora on the outskirts of Tromso
Harbor before snowstorm
Morning in the lovetown Islands
The dawn of hamnoy
This trip, focusing on the pursuit of Aurora, will stop for 8 days in Tromso and lovetown islands. As more than 70% of the trip will be in the Arctic Circle, it's a very special experience to stay in airbnb in the Arctic circle. In the cold winter, we have a chat with the landlord in the warm living room. We come from all over the world and meet in the Arctic circle because of the aurora. I think we have a different feeling.
Having said so much, let's begin with the theme. Let's start from Oslo, the starting point and the ending point of this trip.
Oslo -- come and go in a hurry, never forget
Because there are only about 10 days of vacation, in order to set aside enough time to enjoy the scenery of northern Norway, I have to give up the visit plan of Oslo and only stay half a day for each. I know that one day in the future, I will set foot on this city, quietly look, slowly walk.
The first landlord in Oslo was an international newlywed couple. They were very friendly and went to central station to pick us up. Matt is a Canadian, studying for a doctorate in Oslo, and the hostess is a Norwegian of Vietnamese origin, working as a nurse in a local hospital. They know each other in the journey, and sometimes fate comes so inadvertently. Chatting with the host, he learned that his former girlfriend was Filipino. He asked him why he liked asian girls so much, "because Asian girls are not tall." his answer made us laugh. Indeed, in northern Europe, there are many boys of 1.81.9 meters and many girls of 1.7 meters. For example, boys of 175 meters are considered to have failed here... (I shed a tear in silence)
As a Chinese, especially from Beijing, he always has an extraordinary thirst for knowledge about house prices... Matt told me that his wife bought the house, with an apartment of 60-70 square meters. The price is about 1.5 million US dollars, which is about 10 million RMB. Although it seems very high, you should know that the local average annual income is about 125000 US dollars. According to the average income in Beijing, it is probably less than 1 million RMB to buy an apartment in the city center... The house price is acceptable compared with the income. Of course, the opposite of high income is high prices. When I wanted to ask him about Tromso and the lovetown islands, he told me that he knew the two places, but he had not been to them. In the past two years, he has been studying for a doctorate and has no job, so he has no money to play around, although he likes traveling very much“ "No many" Matt shrugged and stressed it again. Maybe when you hear a person from a high-income country like Canada crying for poverty, you think he is loading X. however, when you know that a 500ml coke here is about 20 yuan, and a taxi on the road is a Mercedes Benz travel version... It takes about 800 yuan to take a taxi from the airport to the City for 40 kilometers, Mercedes Benz and BMW on the road are as common as Santana on our road. You will understand that the title of the most expensive country in the world is not in vain.
On our first day in Norway, we met such a hospitable landlord as Matt, which was a good start for our trip. When we stayed at line's home in Oslo on the last day of our trip to Norway, I am sure her home will make a perfect ending for our trip.
My first impression of the line family, which is located in the affluent area of Oslo, is "moat", a century old house, a 220 square meter mansion with different styles of oil paintings and pendulous pendants. The layout reveals the line family's high aesthetic vision. When we got in touch with Ms. line, we found that she was very easygoing and hospitable. She showed us her room in person, told us that we could use all the other rooms except her, and took out a map to show us the nearby restaurants and places to visit, and how to take the bus to the railway station with less time and money“ My family used to be on TV, and they used my home as a set. "When we praised the style of her house, Ms. line told us with pride. To our surprise, Ms. line and her family traveled to China ten years ago and were very impressed with her.
"The Great Wall is spectacular, but there are a lot of people," Ms. line pointed out from her photo album.
"It's Chinese characteristics," we told her with a smile.
Norway has a high degree of modernization, people have long been used to credit card life, almost any life consumption can swipe the card, people travel will not carry a lot of cash, everything is running in an orderly way. Because the gap between the rich and the poor is relatively small, people do not show their identity through luxury brands. On the contrary, outdoor sports brands can be seen everywhere on the street, and many people usually wear outdoor clothes. People here enjoy life and enjoy the happiness brought by sports. At the airport, I saw an old man in his sixties and seventies carrying double skis. I also saw a little girl in her sixties and seventies wearing this suit to travel with her parents.
All the people we met on this trip are very polite. We didn't encounter a scene of quarrel on the road. Our easygoing personality makes people feel that this is a world free from strife. At the intersection without traffic lights, when the car saw us far away, it slowed down and stopped to let us go ahead.
Of course, I've met people who run red lights and litter here, but it's a rare phenomenon. When a country's system is accepted and abided by by the vast majority of people, naturally people will get used to living under a good system. It's not that we can't or won't abide by the system. It's just that in most cases in China, self-restraint is not enough to maintain a good system. It takes time and everyone's efforts to change. I believe we will get better and better.
Rail transit is the first choice of transportation in Oslo. There are a lot of underground and underground rail networks here. On weekends, people go skiing on the fast track with snow gear on their backs. They are drunk when they think about it.
In Norway, sculptures can be seen everywhere along the streets, in parks and even in front of hotels. The Norwegians' love for sculpture art has reached the acme. Therefore, Oslo is known as the "sculpture city". Next to our line home is vigland Sculpture Park, which is named after the famous Norwegian sculptor Gustav vigland. It is said to be the largest sculpture park in the world today. Because of the time, we didn't visit this time. We'll leave some regrets and come again next time.
The rental houses in Oslo this time are all located near the city center. We can walk to most of the main scenic spots in the city, which is very convenient.
Walk to Oslo Cathedral, which was built in 1694 AD and took about a century to complete. It was renovated in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Church of Norway, the evangelical Lutherans, centers on this cathedral. Oslo cathedral is the official Church in Norway, where many national and royal celebrations are held. On August 25, 2001, the then Norwegian Prince Haakon and the Modern Cinderella Princess met Marguerite held a grand wedding.
Every country and nation has spirits or gods they believe in, such as Chinese dragon, Thai elephant, Indian cow and so on. However, the Norwegians revere a kind of Sprite, which is in sharp contrast with their tall and powerful figure. The appearance of the mountain demon is ugly. It is short, with disorderly hair, sharp ears, big belly, long nose, uneven teeth, but it has a lovely strength. Walking in the streets of Norway, you can see mountain demon souvenirs or trinkets everywhere.
The mountain demon is the mascot of the Norwegians. Many Norwegians grew up listening to the story of the mountain demon, which is similar to what our parents used to say when we were children crying, "cry again! Cry a little longer and the wolf will take you away! "
In the imagination of the Norwegians, mountain demons are the earliest aborigines in the country. They have families, tribes and even their own kings. As a native of Norway, the Norse mountain elves are everywhere. Mountains, lakes, firewood piles, vegetable gardens, warehouses, stables and cowsheds are considered the habitat of all kinds of mountain elves. As long as people don't disturb it, their relationship with people is always friendly.
Oslo's city hall is a slightly serious office building in terms of appearance. However, according to the introduction, the walls of the memorial hall are covered with beautiful murals depicting Norwegian history and mythology. It's a pity that we all went in this time. Since this time we are here for the aurora and the fjords of the Arctic Circle, let's enjoy Norway's charming and short summer scenery in another season. In addition, Oslo City Hall is another place for Nobel prize awarding besides Stockholm City Hall, where the Nobel peace prize awarding ceremony is held on December 10 every year.
At the wharf opposite the city hall, yachts dock on the quiet fjord at night. The only twilight in the sky slants into the whole Oslo fjord through the gradually thickened clouds. It's quiet and beautiful.
Oslo Opera House is located in Oslo Fjord, near the central station. From a distance, it looks like a luxury yacht, and it is also known as a masterpiece of architecture. This magnificent building made of marble and glass is the site of opera and other cultural activities. The first night we arrived in Norway, we took a walk on the roof of the opera house. Unfortunately, the sudden snowfall in the evening reduced the time for sightseeing in Oslo（ It's ten days, eight days cloudy and rainy. After we left, we looked at the weather forecast for three consecutive sunny days and discussed the importance of character
Walking on the streets of Oslo, you have to sigh that as the capital of the world's richest and most developed country, it is full of a sense of technology and modernity. At the same time, walking on the old streets with hundreds of years of history, you can feel the strong medieval color and unique Nordic style. Fashion mingles with history, modernity with culture, and Oslo gives me such an impression. Next time, you can take a city trip in northern Europe to explore this ancient and charming place.
From Oslo, I'll head all the way north to Tromso, the largest city in the Arctic circle.
Tromso: Little Paris in the Arctic
"Another little Paris, vulgar!"
When I first saw the introduction of Tromso on the Internet, I almost blurted out instinctively.
Indeed, it seems that any city in the world with exquisite and historical European style buildings and charming night will be called "little Paris". In China alone, there are two "Oriental little Paris", Shanghai and Harbin. These "little Paris" represent more prosperity and development. In foreign countries, there are Ho Chi Minh of "little Paris on the sea" and Nairobi of "little Paris in East Africa", and most of these cities are regional centers. Tromso, known as the "little Paris of the Arctic", is comparable to the international importance of Paris in the Arctic circle.
Tromso is the largest city in northern Norway and the largest city in the Arctic circle,. It has the world's northernmost universities, wineries and cathedrals. There are the largest number of wooden houses in northern Norway in the center of Tromso, and the Arctic cathedral is the most famous landmark building in Tromso. Here, the natural landscape is perfectly combined with its active cultural stage. The coastal mountains around Romsey are neither steep nor precipitous. They are very suitable for safe and comfortable hiking activities. In Tromso, there are two natural wonders: the beautiful Aurora Borealis and the warm gold? Color midnight sun（ The midnight sun is the summer solstice, and the phenomenon of extreme day is not seen in winter.)
From the satellite map, Norway's unique landscape is like a huge dragon ridge, water chestnut clear, full of power extended to the Arctic circle.
From the afternoon of February 14 when the Oslo plane stopped at Bodo to datromse, we picked up the car directly from the Hertz car rental window at the airport. At that time, the car we were given was the Volvo V60 with manual gear. We proposed to change to the automatic gear, and the staff determined to replace it for us again and again. After the event, it turned out that the automatic gear driving on the snowy road in Tromso was really annoying. It was "emotional and awkward" for countless times. If you can, it is suggested that the self driving rental car in northern Norway should use the manual transmission car in winter, and the "great miracle" is also suitable for driving on ice and snow.
We were in Tromso's rental house near the south corner of the city. Worried that we would get lost, the landlord EVA had been contacting me by email since we got off the plane until we were sure that we had appeared in front of her house. The door opened and a fashionable woman with red hair appeared in front of us.
WOW! Cool!
During the three days of our stay, except for the last night, she stayed on the first floor in order to see us off the next morning, and spent the other two days in her mother's home to take care of the elderly. The house has three floors, two or three floors all belong to us, the room is very clean and tidy, there is a sense of home.
Aunt EVA's home is a three story villa with a single door and courtyard. You can see the midnight sun when you open the curtains in summer and enjoy the aurora at night when you open the windows in winter.
Tut tut!
What is happiness? This is happiness!
On the morning of the last day, Tromso took a group photo with aunt EVA and spent three days together, from strange to familiar, more thanks.
It is often said that "travel is to go from a place where you are tired of staying to a place where others are tired of living."
Living in a local family brings me the greatest feeling of travel, as if from one's own home to another far away home, with more novelty, but more sureness in my heart.
On the morning of the last day, we invited EVA to have breakfast. She told us that her child worked in Oslo and her mother lived near her, which was convenient for her to take better care of her. The most beautiful season in Tromso is August. There will be a lot of flowers here. In the Arctic Circle, the sun is very precious, people will make full use of the short summer vacation. Tromso, known as the largest city in the Arctic Circle, actually has only about 60000 residents. When we told EVA that Beijing has a population of 20 million, she asked "really" three times and made an incredible expression. No wonder, for people living in Norway, Oslo, the capital of 400000 people, is already a big city. It's hard for them to understand the figure of 20 million. EVA also told us that she thinks China is very good, people are very enthusiastic, and people always get together. In Norway, they seldom walk with their neighbors, and jobs are not so easy to find. Although this is a high welfare country, people can get well-off with subsistence allowances, but local people hope to get respect and recognition through work. I really want to tell EVA that her idea in China is "I don't know if I am lucky"... Before I came here, I heard that the prevalence of depression in northern Europe is surprisingly high. The reason is that people are too comfortable and feel that there is no motivation and goal to move forward in life... I didn't believe it before. After I came here, I am sure that this place is really too comfortable, and it really achieves small government and big democracy, Communism is highly modernized.
The fresh food materials bought in the supermarket, along the way we basically buy vegetables in the supermarket, go home to cook, not only save money, but also eat.
This breakfast is better than what I eat in China. It's too meat!!!
As early as the 19th century, tourists have come to Tromso, which was once thought to be a wild land, a place of ice age. In fact, even at that time, Tromso was not a primitive place, and people even talked about philosophy in French (which was a symbol of high society at that time). Today, Tromso is more international. People from more than 140 ethnic groups and different nationalities live a traditional and modern life in this fjord city with a population of 60000.
When we came to Tromso, the city had just passed the darkest season of the year and was gradually waking up. The sun does not rise in Tromso for 50 days between November and January. Darkness envelops this "little Paris of the Arctic", with only a few hours of light at noon every day. Local people call this period "morketiden" - a "dark day"
Tromso, more than 5 p.m., has completely entered the night mode. During our three days here, we encountered the bad weather of strong wind, rain and snow every day.
It only takes ten minutes, and the wind and snow will suddenly come, which makes us unable to take precautions. The camera lens will soon be covered with small snow particles and raindrops, which makes us very angry but helpless. We have to go back to our room early every day to have a meal and play mobile phones in a daze...
When we drove to Xiawan Town, the pictures we saw on the Internet were very beautiful. However, when we came here after driving more than 20 kilometers, we suddenly heard that the wind was blowing and the snow was falling from the sky. If we were in Beijing, it would definitely change into the rhythm of Peiping.
I just want to say "it's snowing all the time, the atmosphere is not harmonious" (crying bee)
Local roads don't use deicing agent. This big guy is used to sweep snow. Wherever you go, you can shovel snow or ice stones to one side. However, there will be a layer of ice on Tromso's road. You must drive carefully. If you don't pay attention, you will slip.
I see a snowman at the dock of fjord town. In the distance, there are fjords and mountains. It's a pity that they are very close, but they are far away from each other. Travel outside, can't be too obsessive, otherwise it's easy to affect their mood, or the sentence "what you want to see is not important, the important thing is what you see."
When I see the children coming home from school, I find that Norwegians' love for cycling is second only to ice and snow sports. No matter it's windy or rainy, dark or cloudy, they can always see cyclists on the road.
Not only after sunset can only be in a daze in the room, even during the day, but also basically through the wind and snow, short sunny days, need to be especially cherish.
I ran into a reindeer on the side of the road. I didn't expect that it was the only reindeer I met on this trip. Slowly approaching, worried that the deer would be frightened. I never thought that the deer here would compete with Nara, Japan. They ate the grass leisurely, and looked like I didn't have a bird at all. After a while, they raised their legs to take a nap and turned around and left...
When I go home to see the picture, I always feel that the horns of reindeer in this picture are like those of the dragon in little dragon man when I was a child...
After the blizzard, the weather cleared up. I thought it would be sunny that night, and the aurora would be all over the sky. I didn't think about it. Two hours later, the rain and snow came again, and my heart was broken
Arctic cathedral is the landmark of Tromso. It was built in 1965. The architectural design is like a snow mountain and has the largest stained glass window in northern Europe. When we went there, someone was holding a funeral, which was not open to the public. Pingru needed to buy tickets, 60 kronor (about 45 yuan).
The population of northern Europe is very small, especially in the Arctic circle. Even in "big" cities such as Tromso, it is difficult to see the crowd on weekdays.
Rain and snow are like daily tasks. It takes a long time every day. In three days, there is almost no clear sky except half a day's sunny day and the first night's aurora.
One night's Blizzard, the next morning, school children hand in hand, by the parents of a rope escorted to school. The children here started skiing when they were four or five years old. For them, ice and snow sports are an indispensable part of their life.
On Tromso's last night, the rare rain and snow stopped, and the sky was clear. Although the lights in the city were bright, the dancing aurora in the sky could still be seen, as if we were saying goodbye to us the next day. I can't help regretting that the first night the aurora shot too little, I didn't enjoy watching it. However, we are lucky to see the aurora in cities shrouded by lead gray clouds all the year round. Think about the pictures we see on the Internet, which are hard won or coincidental. Aurora, can meet can not ask, when she quietly appeared, only surprised at the miracle of nature!
Aurora: winter fireworks from the sun
For thousands of years, people living in the northern part of the earth have been amazed and awed by the wonders that occasionally appear in the sky and illuminate the night sky. But until a century ago, people had never thought that these strange lights in the sky were related to the sun, a star 150 million kilometers away.
There are many introductions about the aurora borealis on the Internet. I'm not a scientist and I don't have any professional terms. However, since I come to see the aurora borealis, I still hope I can try my best to know what it is and why it is. Thanks for the basic magazine about Northern Norway sent by my friends. After reading it, I benefited a lot.
As for why the aurora borealis appears, we borrow the explanation of Dr. Bauer black, a solar physicist: "in short, the sun continuously releases a stream of particles called the solar wind. These particles are blocked by the earth's magnetic field, but some successfully penetrate the magnetic barrier and are taken to the night side of the earth. They collide with atoms and molecules in the earth's atmosphere (about 80-500 kilometers above the ground), forming bright lights of different colors - mostly green（ And the neon signs all over the street. After a solar storm, the solar particles will have greater speed and produce stronger aurora. At the same time, the aurora borealis will move to the south of the earth. "It is not difficult to understand why even Hokkaido or Mohe in Japan may see the aurora after a solar storm.
In Tromso, if you want to enjoy the better Aurora, you need to drive tens of kilometers away from the urban area. For those of us who are new to Tromso, few of us sign up as "tourists" to join an aurora group with zero difficulty coefficient. A group of 13 people, and "tourists" from the United States, Japan and Switzerland gather together for the aurora. This is also the call of nature~
Tromso's Aurora Group has many kinds, one night and many days. We had planned to join the Aurora Group on the night of the 15th, but due to the late registration time, we only had a place on the night of the 14th. It turned out that we were very lucky. The next three days were covered with clouds, and we didn't see a trace of Aurora until the last night.
One is a group similar to the aurora guerrilla warfare, which will trudge around different observation points to find the shadow of the aurora, so that it will undoubtedly have a greater chance to see the better aurora; The other is similar to the "wait for the hare" Aurora Group, which chooses a place and dies. Generally speaking, as long as the weather is better and the character is not bad, you can see it. Of course, in any case, the Aurora Group will send a professional Aurora leader to follow them, who will be responsible for explaining and shooting (not all the tourists who watch the aurora will carry large cameras). At the same time, proper meals and hot drinks will be provided on the road, probably from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.
I think our team's way of looking for the aurora is a hybrid one. First we look for it at several observation points, then we choose a suitable place and wait patiently. It all depends on the personal judgment of the team leader. Fortunately, our team leader is very professional and responsible, so that we can see the unforgettable aurora.
In order to see the aurora, I need to go all the way north, gazing at the dark sky in the Arctic cold night, waiting for the attention of the aurora goddess.
69 ° 46 ′ 16 "n, which is the northernmost section I have reached so far. The latitude value of the Arctic Circle is 66 ° 34 'n
When we arrive at a fjord, the snow mountain in the distance is reflected on the lake by moonlight. When the night wind is strong, the lake is not calm, otherwise the reflection of the aurora will be more dazzling. We choose a good location, set up a campfire, put up a tripod, quietly waiting for the aurora.
At first, there was only a faint light beam. For me who saw the aurora for the first time, I was already excited. After all, I realized a childhood dream.
Slowly, the aurora became brighter and bigger. The red and green light beams danced in the sky like a curtain. You can really see the dancing Aurora with naked eyes, like an elf dancing. Look, the aurora has an unwritten rule not to whistle at them, because according to the old Samir legend, it brings bad luck.
The aurora changes very quickly. In just a few seconds, it crosses the whole sky, drowns the stars and darkens the moonlight. The green light beam is like a giant spirit, dancing in the air, changing its dancing posture all the time. At first, we were just admiring and looking to the side of the mountain. Gradually, we had to hold our heads up and look straight up. We felt that the Aurora was pressing us all out of breath, and several beams of light were passing through our heads. Snow capped mountains, lakes and even the ground were dyed green. Even our guide was very excited and asked us to take photos. It was a rare opportunity.
Who would have thought that the most beautiful miracle in the night comes from a sneeze of the sun? Compared with the arrival of the aurora, the night and cold were not hard at all. Time seems to be compressed, and a few hours slip away.
We were drinking hot chocolate, eating cake and curry beef rice. We didn't know each other. We talked about many words that we can't remember now... Just vaguely remember, everyone is very happy, like in the festival in general.
Aurora is the winter fireworks that the sun gives us.
The lovetown islands: the secret land of the demon world
When traveling in northern Europe, we have to mention Nordic mythology, which is well-known. Even in world of Warcraft, which we played in college, we also learned from many Nordic monster prototypes, such as trolls, dwarfs, Titans and so on. Most of the mythical demons and ghosts live in the bottom of the fjord. To this day, Norwegians still believe that there are mysterious creatures or beasts living in seclusion in the mysterious fjord. Of course, these monsters are different, but Norway's coastline is really long and winding. People who have lived by the sea for generations feed their lives with myths and legends. Among the coasts, the most famous is the lovetown islands. In Norwegian, lovetown means "Bobcat's foot", and also refers to a series of steep Islands rising above sea level - "the wall of lovetown". The "wall of lovetown" forms a 160 kilometer barrier between the Western fjord and the North Sea. The warm current of the Gulf of Mexico makes the winter here relatively warm and humid. From January to the end of April every year, a large number of fish will gather in the shallow waters of lovetown to lay eggs, and a large number of fishermen will come in every year.
Carved by ancient glaciers, the most mysterious and beautiful archipelago in the world has been formed.
The most anticipated place to visit Norway is the lovetown islands, known as Scandinavia's most beautiful scenery and most fertile fishing ground.
In my opinion, this is the magic world.
I met a little episode on the plane from Tromso to the Rockton islands. Several friends from Shanghai were on the same flight. They chatted and learned that they also arrived at Tromso on the 14th, preparing to fly to Stockholm after the Rockton islands. One of the girls accidentally broke her leg in Tromso. She took the diagnosis certificate from the hospital and returned the full cost of her Aurora Group and reindeer group to the local travel agency (non refundable within 24 hours). The most surprising thing is that when they asked to buy a wheelchair or rent a wheelchair, the hospital staff directly gave the wheelchair to the injured friend. The reason is that Tromso didn't have a wheelchair to sell, and it's also very troublesome to send it back in other places... The humanized service in northern Europe is not surprising. It's absolutely reasonable that people are willing to pay taxes because of high taxes and high benefits.
In lechners airport, as usual, I quickly picked up the car I rented. This time, I'm very careful. Manual transmission is necessary! Starting from datromse, our 7-day trip in the Arctic circle was all self driving. We really galloped freely in northern Norway in winter.
Due to the navigation problem, we drove past the rented house and called the landlord Ronny. After he had a brief understanding of our parking lot, he drove to pick us up and showed us to his home in 5 minutes. It's a real two-story fisherman's cabin. The room is connected to his boat dock. Every morning, Ronny and his companions will drive his small fishing boat out to sea at 5 o'clock in the morning and come back at 5 or 6 o'clock in the evening. We live four days, every day, the first day cast nets, the second day harvest fish. In the next four days, Ronny will drive to another place to live after work every night, and give us the whole fishing house. When we leave, we will put the key in his workshop. This kind of trust from strangers is still very touching.
Ronny usually doesn't talk much, but she is very considerate. She has prepared all the necessary materials for us and promised to take us out to sea to catch fish when the weather is fine. However... The idea is always beautiful, but the reality is cruel. On the first day, when we asked Ronny if we could go to sea together, he replied "no good". On the second day, he got the reply "bad weather" and on the third day, "very bad weather"... Indeed, looking at the huge waves more than three meters high on the shore, it's hard for me to imagine what kind of bird I would be swayed into if I was on the boat... Ronny takes care of us while fishing, and occasionally we get sick and spit... It's a wise choice not to go to sea.
On the fourth day, it was fine and we could go out to sea, but how could we let go of the only sunrise morning? We didn't see everything on the island for three days. We still wanted to see more beautiful weather and take some films, so we had to decline... Next time, I'll stay in the lovetown islands for half a month. I don't believe I won't have good weather!
Ronny's boat dock, standing on the small pier, can enjoy the charming scenery of the fjord. When you are lucky, you can also take a bath to watch the northern lights.
It is a typical fisherman's residence, with living room, kitchen and toilet on the first floor and accommodation on the second floor. Compared with staying in a hotel, this kind of environment that can really experience the fishermen's life is what I most yearn for. In fact, the price is almost the same as that of a hotel, but this sense of freedom and integration is unmatched by the hotel. After all, traveling is a mindset. Good feelings will greatly enhance the quality of the trip, even if the weather suck.
Drinking coffee, eating cod, looking at the scenery, this is the 100% fjord view room.
On the third night, Ronny was very happy to come back and told us that we had a good harvest today. We had 2000 kg cod, which is called King COD by local people. Ronny took one from the boat and gave it to us. It was about 6kg or 7kg. She cleaned up the fish and told us where to eat. She pointed to the meat on both sides of the gills and said "it's good."
Ha ha, it seems that people all over the world know where fish is delicious.
Ronny is nearly 1.9 meters tall. Look at the photos and compare the size of COD. This size of COD is not big in the local area.
“Big fish！ Big Ronny！” We told him with laughter
He also told us that this kind of COD can be sold for 20 kronor (about 15 yuan) per kilogram locally and 200 kronor per kilogram in Oslo.
Since ancient times, whenever cod arrive in lovetown from January to April, it will be a festival for local fishermen, whether they live by fishing or not. Ronny's family has been fishermen for generations. His grandfather, father and even mother are fishermen“ Now there are fewer fishermen. Young people go to the city and never come back. Only cod return to this area every year. This is their hometown Ronny told us that with the discovery of oil in Norway, people are becoming lazy. It's a common problem in high welfare countries. People can go to a comfortable life with labor insurance...
As a Chinese, he is born with a talent for cooking. He can cook soup with such fresh ingredients. Of course, as a cod fish that can be added to the Michelin 3-star restaurant's delicacies, you can buy a fish steak in the supermarket for 10 yuan, which is really hard for other fish to reach. Fat but not greasy, excellent taste. This 6 or 7 kg COD was wiped out by us in a day and a half.
In other words, when I can eat, I'm afraid of myself...
Because it's not bright every day and I come back after dark, I don't get the picture of the fishing boat in the daytime. The small fishing boat carries too many stories and traditions.
During the day, we drive through the fjords that Norwegians are proud of, and try our best to enjoy the scenery of the lovetown islands.
These fjords are picturesque and elegant, making people feel the irresistible power of nature, solemn and slightly cold. The peaks you see in the lovetown islands are different from those in other places. They are like mountains in the fairy tale world, in which there are cannibals. In Nordic legend, mountain demon and giant are important roles, just like our journey to the West or the list of gods. Local people believe that there are many legendary goblins living in these mountains, which are worthy of people's awe.
For millions of years, the sea has been beating this fragmented coastline, and it is hard to tell whether the Norwegian fjord has extended into the Atlantic Ocean or whether the Atlantic warm current has penetrated into the heart of the fjord. Norwegian geographers once calculated the coastline. They included the islands that were not calculated in the past. They surprisingly measured more than 100000 kilometers of tortuous and broken coastlines. If they were connected together, they could circle the earth two and a half times. Even according to official statistics, they would circle the earth at least two times...
Looking down from the clouds, you can see countless dazzling islands close to the continental margin, and the lovetown islands are more like the epitome of Norway. The number of islands and the density are amazing
There are no whales, no reindeer, no seals. I was going to move out a polar bear model to make up for it. Considering the size difference, I had to invite Icelandic birds to join us. At least they are well-known cute animals in the Arctic circle
The gloomy weather makes people helpless, but the windy and snowy weather can highlight the scene of the magical world of the lovetown islands.
The photographer taking photos in the rain on the beach, a seemingly ordinary photo, may be behind the photographer's waiting for hours or even days or weeks. In my opinion, everyone's preferences are different. Photos are good or bad. As long as you work hard, it's the best result. Only you know all kinds of hardships and happiness.
I suddenly thought of a passage written by Jiang Yan in migratory birds flying north
"If there is an afterlife, I would like to be a tree. Stand into eternity, no joys and sorrows.
Half in the dust, half in the wind
Half is cool and half is sunny.
Very quiet, very proud. Never rely on, never look for. "
Open the car window, breathing the smell of the island, an obvious smell took me to the hillside, in front of the unprecedented scene. Tens of millions of COD are chopped off and hung on sticks to dry. This method has been used for hundreds of years. When the Vikings invaded Britain, dried fish was used as food. At that time, air drying was the only way to preserve protein. Today, dried cod is one of Norway's most profitable exports. The times are changing, and human beings are developing. However, I think the pursuit of food is the most consistent goal and aspiration of all mankind, next to peace. All over the world
Ronny told us that after the COD was decapitated, it would be dried in the sun for three months and stored in local wooden houses. Local people also put a whole dried cod in their homes, believing that hanging such dried cod can bring good luck and predict the weather. Before the weather changes, it will rotate automatically, from which local people can learn about storms and weather changes.
They told me that in less than a month's time, four or five million COD in the lovetown islands would be dried with snow sticks.
It has been cloudy for several days, sometimes mixed with rain and snow. I go to sleep in the fishing house early every day. All night, with the sound of the waves and the sound of the seagulls, I look forward to the sunshine at dawn the next day. In the early morning, I was woken up by my companion, saying that it was fine, and the clouds finally dispersed. I pushed open the door in a daze, hardly believing the scene in front of me. It was amazing! Moonlight illuminates the whole Fjord, the air seems to have been washed, everything is particularly clean and clear.
In front of the fishing house, the aurora came out from behind the thinning clouds. Just for a moment, this strange green made the whole night of the fjord like a huge oil painting slowly spread out. After a few days of haze, the rest is thanks to nature. If you don't say much, it's a rare opportunity. Take more pictures with your camera.
In the lovetown islands, drive all the way south along E10 highway to the end of the island. There is no way to find it, and then you will arrive at "a" village, the shortest named village in the world. This E10 Road, which starts from "a" village and crosses several main islands of lovetown, was built in 1963. It was named after the king at that time, King Olaf Avenue, so it is called King avenue for short.
Most of the islands are connected by bridges and undersea tunnels. The classic route across the island is about 160 highways, which seems not far. In fact, it takes a day to drive, because there are too many places to stop and walk. From the scenery along the way, it is really a king's road.
Cod rack and lighthouse constitute the landmark landscape of the lovetown islands. Cod brought wealth to the local people and built the local cultural foundation. Lighthouse points out the direction of fishermen's home. No matter how far away and confused they are, they will eventually return to this small fishing port and their own home.
Hammy small fishing village is a very famous scenic spot on the islands. The fishing village is built close to the mountain. The huge rock wall rises from the sea level, which is majestic. In addition to the snow, it is like a fairyland.
Hammoy fishing village is so unreal at dawn
Rainy days, lost the brilliance of the background, the fishing village also seems to be particularly sad
We met the only clear dawn on this trip. The whole sky was pink by the morning light, and the waves were illuminated by the sun, bursting out with golden spray.
If I use one sentence to describe the lovetown islands, I think heaven is nothing more than that.
This is a place where you will miss your whole life once you have been here.
And Reine is the temple of heaven.
The small fishing village is built close to the mountain, cut to pieces by the huge granite peaks, and so is his charming place. Every time the sun rises, the warm sun shines on the rotun islands, the blade like peaks are dyed gold, and the people in the small town are still awake, quiet and peaceful. When the night comes, the lights in the town set off the surrounding peaks and brighten the water surface of the fjord. I can't help thinking of the night shrine in the lost. If I'm lucky enough, the sky is accompanied by the dancing aurora borealis. Such a scene makes us tourists envious. God is so partial to this place that he has given him fertile fishing grounds, unfreezing fjord ports in the Arctic Circle, and even Nora is so attached to this place.
At two o'clock in the morning, the cold wind in the Arctic Circle didn't shake our determination to shoot. We waited for four days. Just this night, thanks to the aurora, Reine is the most beautiful town in northern Europe.
After sunrise, the clouds cover the islands again. The weather here is hard to figure out. It's cloudy and sunny. According to the local people, it's really beautiful to see the flowers and grass all over the mountains in August in the lovetown islands! The time of winter day is always short, and the local people have already lost their enthusiasm for the aurora. For us tourists, the aurora is our most extravagant scenery. Even if we take a look, we are satisfied.
On a cloudy day, Reine also seems to be washed away by the rain and snow. She loses her vitality, but she has more magical atmosphere.
Make the journey as wonderful as Aurora
It's been a week since the end of this trip. Looking back, I found that this trip was originally for the aurora, but in the end I found that the aurora just led me to a place I should have been. The mountains here, the sea here, the people here, everything fascinates me so much. Of course, what attracts me most is the brief and gorgeous aurora.
Whenever I think back to the outskirts of Tromso, when I don't know how long I've been waiting, there's no warning. The translucent and faint Aurora comes down, like a curtain falling, brightening the whole sky. It's changing. Every second is different. It breaks out to the climax, brightening the whole sky. This kind of force is frightening and fascinating! That kind of beauty from the inside out is the most beautiful light that nature gives to human beings at night, and no camera can show the beauty of Aurora.
When I was waiting for the clouds to disperse in the early morning in the lovetown archipelago, a ray of Aurora suddenly appeared in the sky, like a piece of silk, and the green light caressed the stars. At this moment, I can only hold my breath and concentrate, immersed in nature, and feel thousands of emotions.
I hope that in the future, I can have a wonderful and energetic journey like aurora
perhaps
Next time
