Kiruna was our planned destination to catch the Northern Lights. It was also my first official time sitting on Ryanair. The few months I spent in Europe actually turned me into a Ryanair fan. I adore the cheap prices, and the fact that I never ever had any troublesome with my carry on luggage thanks to my trusty trekbag which was the perfect cabin sized bag. Special thanks to my friend who loaned me his trekbag!
Back to Kiruna. We headed up in the middle of February 2012. At this time, Europe was in the midst of a particularly cold winter. Nonetheless, the allure of the Northern Lights beckoned. We stayed at Camp Ripan in Kiruna, and the cabin we had was so homely!
However, because Kiruna is a small town, and a tourist destination, everything there was expensive. I ate a lot of bread. After Kiruna I was in need of a good meal (I flew to Budapest after Sweden, and went a little insane there because it was comparatively so much cheaper!).
Our plan for Kiruna was to do a two night tour to catch the lights. On the first night, we rode on snow mobiles to head out into the wild in hopes to see the lights. Unfortunately the sky was a little overcast and we didn't manage to see anything. But the thrill of being on a snow mobile for the first time more than made up for the disappointment of not seeing the lights.
On the second night, we went on a dogsled tour. The huskies were so adorable. I felt so bad that they had to pull me along. This time, luck was on our sight and we managed to catch sight of the elusive lights! It was surreal seeing the faint wisps of green cutting across the night sky. What made it even more magical was that we were surrounded by snow, in this mystical forest, in the middle of nowhere.
We chased the lights, hoping to catch more. The huskies darted in-between trees and round bends. And all the while, my eyes were enraptured, captivated by the streaks of green gracefully prancing across the sky, mingling seamlessly with the shining stars.
While nights were spent chasing lights, days were spend mulling around. We only spent two nights in Kiruna though. The first day we soaked in the atmosphere of staying in a cabin. The second day we built a snowman. And failed miserably. But the budding excitement that came with the thought of creating our own snowman, was a childhood dream fulfilled. My hands were frozen after that!
Living in sunny Singapore, we had to make do with whatever tools we could come up with, and the advice of how to pack snow together on the internet. I'd say it wasn't too bad of a first try considering the condition of the snow. At the end of 3 hours, we were exhausted fingers numb with cold, and yet oddly satisfied with what we had accomplished.
Mornings were also worth waking up early to because we had free breakfasts daily, and the sunrise, took my breath away. I'd wake up together with the sun everyday, if this is what is about to unfold upon me.
On our last day, we explored the town before heading to the airport and here are some photos. Everything was pretty much covered in snow. I like to think of Kiruna as my winter wonderland.
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