When they say ‘travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world’, I believe every single word of it. When we travel, we see how vast the world is, our planet is. How much there is yet to discover. How much is unknown. We could visit 50 countries, but we cannot confidently say we have seen every inch of those 50 countries; because it is damn-near impossible.
But experiences. Aha. Experiences are something we can fully complete, tick off our lists and help others visualize them too. Something like the Northern Lights; a magical fusion of gases that dance for us in the sky with colours of life, of love and everything in between. It is god’s way of saying there is still magic, you just have to be patient and make the effort to see it. And this is exactly what we ever need to do for the Northern lights. Sometimes, they can be seen for nights together, and sometimes, we wait for nights in a row to catch one glimpse of these dancing colours.
For northern lights there are limited places to visit. Some head to Northern Canada, some head to Northern Norway, some to magical (but, commercial) Finland. But my choice would surely be unexplored and raw Sweden. Something about the Swedish Lapland and its lack of commercialization attracts someone like me: curious, aloof and still wanting for experiences galore.
So while I would most definitely arrive in Stockholm and take in this city with Fikas and some excellent sightseeing; please note, Stockholm is filled with history and architecture, and I would like nothing more than some excellent walking around and discovering to begin an adventure. And once I am done enjoying coffees and poor man’s hash, a flight to Kiruna is what I’m jumping on, because nothing beats waiting for the Northern Lights at the Treehotel in Harads; an extra-ordinary collection of treehouses including one designed like a UFO and one designed like a bird’s nest among the other delightful stays.
Wake up to Sami reindeers and a wonderful lake with some fishing boats strung all over. Days are easy here; nights are adventurous and picnics are endless. Kent & Britta, who own and manage the property are more than generous with their help in exploring the countryside with picnics, day trips and as many other services you may need to make your stay comfortable. A personalization is always welcome, and what better way to experience it than as you head into the hotel and they walk you right up as you enter the woods. A hot tub and sauna await your arrival in your room, after which you are all set to grab the northern lights by poetic hands!
If activity is your vibe, then zip-lining, moose safaris, ice-fishing and dog-sledding are just the beginning. Choose from a variety of activities to keep you entertained during the day and chomp down brilliant home-cooked meals by Britta every time you need to refuel. One on my list is to try reindeer for sure, and by her lovely hands at that. Don’t skip the homemade vodka either; Kent will surely surprise you with his birch vodka to warm up your freezing nights out!
It’s time to start planning my Northern Lights trip for sure. When is yours?
Written by Mohit Gupta
Week 3, January 2021
