The day I saw the Northern Lights. O dia em que eu vi a Aurora Boreal.

It’s been one of my biggest dreams since I moved to Norway. As the name suggests, you need to be in the North of Norway (Scandinavia, Canada, etc) to be able to see them. And even when you’re up North, you can’t take it for granted. As a natural phenomenon, it depends on some circumstances like clear sky, cold weather, darkness, etc. Clouds and city lights won’t help you.

One day, the opportunity came: one of my best friends from Brazil invited us to join her, her sister and her son on a trip to Tromsø. It’s in the North of Norway, one of the best places to spot the Aurora Boreal, as we call it in Brazil. There was my chance.

As we arrived at Tromsø airport, the beautiful snow was everywhere. It was early January. Christmas lights were still hanging on every window and outside of every house. It was super cozy and beautiful. My heart was already beating fast just imagining this wonderful contact with nature. I tried to keep my expectations low, though, because I knew it depended on the weather.
The weather forecast wasn’t very positive. Cloudy and snowing.

For the first evening we had booked a dog sled ride and dinner afterwards. We were very impressed by that company. The bus picked us up at a hotel, drove us to the farm where there’s a kennel with over 130 Alaskan huskies, a store and coat check with warm overalls and Winter boots we borrowed, restaurant and toilets. They were very professional, organized, polite and patient, as our children were playing with snow almost all the time and could hardly keep up with the schedule. We were all so happy and joyful!

Husky sledding was exciting and very special! The field was covered with fluffy snow. Only the ride itself was worth traveling to Tromsø. But would we be able to see the Northern Lights? At the beginning of the ride, it snowed so much we could barely keep our eyes open. It went like that for about 10 minutes. No chances, thought I. But I was going to enjoy it anyway. Great company and good contact with wild nature made me happy already.

Suddenly, in the middle of our ride, I saw a star, a very bright one, as the sky had opened up and two clouds were apart from each other. Then, right between those clouds, there it was: a belt of green light, narrow and long.

-There it is! I shouted.

-Isn’t it? I wanted to confirm with Carol if it was for real or if my eyes were playing tricks on me.

-Yes, it it. I can see it too. She confirmed.

Oh My God. What a feeling! The Aurora wasn’t so strong but it was there. I could even take pictures. Soon, the clouds got close to each other again and I lost sight of Aurora. When the ride was over, we went to the kennel to caress the other dogs and then the guide said:

-Look up. You can see the Northern Lights now.

I’m trying to find words to describe what I saw. Straight up in the sky, I could see the Northern Lights bright and beautiful. The Aurora Boreal was now stronger and more vivid, as a long green band crossing the sky. And it stayed there for a long time. Against all odds. It was cloudy, snowy, plus the strong lights at the kennel which looked like those in football stadions. But nature was stronger. We were very lucky. We saw it, smiled, took pictures, went to a darker place, and still the light was there. I can’t describe my happiness. It felt like we were communicating with nature.

Aurora, snow, cute dogs, best friends and family. What could be better?

O meu grande sonho, desde que me mudei pra Noruega, era vez a Aurora Boreal. Ainda me lembro das aulas de geografia do professor Fábio, na escola. Ele falava dos fiordes e também da Aurora Boreal.

A gente mora em Stavanger, ao sudoeste da Noruega. As chances da Aurora aparecer por aqui são mínimas. Tipo uma vez a cada dez anos, por uma noite apenas.

Nem acreditei quando minha amiga Carol falou que estava marcando uma viagem pra Noruega, em janeiro, pra ver a Aurora. Foi o empurrãozinho que faltava. Chegamos em Tromsø e o dia estava bem improvável pra ver algo bonito no céu: nublado e nevando. Munida da minha fé inabalável, fomos ao passeio de trenó puxado por cães husky. Só esse passeio já valeria a viagem. Juro. Eis que de repente, no meio da corrida com os cachorros, no meio da fazenda nevada, entre duas nuvens eu vejo uma luz verde no céu. Gritei: -Olha a Aurora Boreal!! É ela, não é? gritei pra Carmem me confirmar. Ela estava junto comigo no trenó. -Sim, é mesmo!

Gente, a emoção foi tanta!! Eu chorava e agradecia. A luz não estava tão forte, mas tanto faz. Ela estava lá. Contra todas as probabilidades, mostrando que o impossível também acontece. Descemos do trenó e fomos acarinhar os cachorros do canil. São uma fofura sem fim. Olhei pro céu, e lá estava ela de novo, dessa vez mais forte. Corremos pra tirar essa foto, que hoje é o ícone do blog. Ali estamos nós: Carmen, eu e Carol.