And so, the sun has risen above the horizon for the last time this year in Tromsø (10.55). It will dissapear below the mountains at 12.06, not to appear again until January 15.
I thought that I, having been brought up in Umeå where the sun rises at 10 am and sets at 2 pm in mid December, would be well prepared to the arctic night. I am not. Seeing nothing more than a flicker of sunlight for three months is extreme, in so many different ways. It is extremely beautiful and extremely dark. It is extremely exhilarating and extremely depressing.
I am not at all sure how I should tackle all this extremeness. I don’t know if it will make me go mad in a bad or good way, probably a bit of both. Right now, I try to stay sane by taking daily lunch walks around campus, evening walks around Kvaløysletta, by keeping the fire going in the stove, and by taking a double dose of vitamin D.
I don’t know if any of those things will keep me from loosing my mind, but at least the fire will keep me warm and walking around in the arctic night will make me remember the wonders of this crazy place.
By the way, did you know that the dark time is also called “Fargetiden” (the colored time)?
Lovely images! what an amazing sight
The Science Geek
http://www.thesciencegeek.org
Thanks! We get an astonishing number of fantastic views up here. To see them, you just have to endure the rain and the arctic night :). I am very happy to do so!