Nordic Northern Lights Said ‘Surprise!’ (And I’m Still Not Over It)
For those of you reading this, I’m going to make an ass out of you and me and assume you have bucket list experiences that you hope to one day experience. Personally, I have many… and the Northern Lights have always been in my top three.
Earlier this year, I found myself on a side of TikTok that wouldn’t shut up about how spectacular the Northern Lights are supposed to be this year. After seeing so many videos about it, I felt I had no choice but to book a trip and go hunt the Northern Lights… so that’s exactly what I did. I invited my mom to join me on this quest because I knew she had always wanted to see them too and figured it would be a good mother-daughter trip.
Our 10-day Nordic adventure consisted of much more than just the Northern Lights, but those are stories for other posts… Day 6 was our most action-packed day of the whole trip. Santa, huskies, reindeer, snowmobiling, and spa time at our igloo hotel. After fitting all of those amazing activities in, we were exhausted. Not to mention, running off minimal sleep as we had taken the overnight train from Helsinki up to Rovaniemi the night before.
We had booked our Nordic adventure through one of Finland’s popular tour operators that specializes in Northern Lights experiences and Arctic excursions. While they came highly recommended for their expertise in the region, I have one complaint about the company… their communication skills.
They left out some major details, such as the following: the Northern Lights tour we were supposed to go on that night required us to be driven 45 minutes back into town. Once arriving in town, we would get on a bus with 40-50 other people to drive another 50 minutes into the wilderness in hopes of seeing the lights. Once there, there would be one photographer to take one photo of everyone there. We’d then be out until potentially 2 AM.
This could have been fine if not for the next, and arguably the biggest detail of our trip that was not communicated to us. The next morning we were being picked up at 5:30 AM to drive 8 hours north to Kirkenes. I know what you’re thinking – just sleep on the drive? Yes, for me that’s doable, but my mom can’t sleep in cars, so for her this was not enticing.
My mom told me it was up to me to decide whether we skipped the Northern Lights tour that night or not. We were tired, hungry, and really didn’t want to deal with all of that. So I decided no, and instead we had a little more spa time followed by a fantastic dinner at our hotel. Our hotel was on the smaller side, quite luxurious, but quaint. While at dinner, people started rushing outside; there were whispers and conversation about the Northern Lights.
Shortly after the first person went out, everyone was outside. The aurora had indeed come to play. However, to the naked eye, there was barely anything to see. The lights simply looked like lighter patches of sky, but with a camera, you could see them.
For me, that was reassurance enough that we made the right choice not to go. The thing with hunting the Northern Lights is that they are a beautiful naturally occurring phenomenon. You’re never guaranteed to see them. We considered ourselves lucky for the pictures we got and went to sleep ready for our 8-hour drive the next day.
Danielle picked us up at 5:30 sharp. She was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as she helped us load our luggage into the van. We had two more ladies to pick up before we could hit the road. Earney and Linda were two lovely Taiwanese friends that were on their first adventure together. We were heading to Kirkenes for a king crab excursion.
During our drive, Danielle gave us the option of potentially hunting the Northern Lights that night if we were interested. Danielle made sure to share with us that the forecast for seeing them wasn’t super high that night, but everyone wanted to try anyway.
Now, I’m a lucky girl, Miss Universe has been on my side for years and I trust her immensely. I shared this with the ladies in the car and told them I had a good feeling we would be graced with their presence that night. They all kind of laughed along with it thinking I was just trying to stay positive and be silly. I was being dead serious.
Danielle picked the four of us up around 9 PM. We drove about 20 minutes to a lookout, but I saw them out of the window before we even got there. Everyone was excited. We parked, got out, and walked the path a bit. Tears rolled down my cheeks. Miss Universe had pulled through for me, just like I knew she would. I made sure to take some time to have a conversation with her, thanking her for showing me her beauty. I couldn’t help but feel not only immensely grateful but also immensely proud of myself.
I’ve felt this a handful of times, but the most vivid and notable was last year. I was in a hot air balloon looking down upon Cappadocia, Turkey. When I began that adventure, I said I would leave that adventure from Turkey because I needed to experience the sunrise hot air balloon ride. Living in that moment, when you realize you’ve accomplished this wild experience you’ve set out to have, for me, it sets my soul ablaze.
Actually seeing the Northern Lights, after wanting to see them for so long, that’s a moment and feeling that I will hold near and dear to my heart forever. The lights weren’t super bright or dancing a lot, but they were spanning almost the whole sky. They were a beautiful green mixed with some blue. The stars were incredible as well. My mom and I laid on the ground and just watched the sky for some time. I was the last one back to the van. On our drive home Danielle said, “Thank you Andi for bringing your luck!” Everyone else chimed in with comments about me being a lucky girl, and we all shared some giggles.
When I first saw the Northern Lights outside of the van window, I knew in my soul I had made the right decision not to go on the other tour the night before. It didn’t feel right to me, and I don’t think either my mom or I would have enjoyed it much. In my heart, I knew that was not how we were meant to experience the lights. I was rewarded for having faith and trusting the universe. We may not have witnessed the craziest show, but we got to see them, really see them, and that was enough.
Going into this trip, I didn’t even consider that my mom and I may not see the Northern Lights. I simply believed and trusted, and for my mom’s sake, I am grateful for the reward. Together we checked off another bucket list item and made memories that we’ll get to share for the rest of time. I hope I am lucky enough to see them again in the future… I have a feeling I will! 😉