This January, we decided to do a hatke trip.
Not the usual “chalo sunshine dhoondhte hain” holiday.
No beaches. No warmth. No vitamin D.
Instead, we decided to voluntarily freeze ourselves in the Arctic , all in the name of watching the Aurora Lights.
Naturally, there was scepticism.
Mainly from me.
I’m not a very fussy traveller, but I do like my comfort, my leisure, and the occasional luxury ,especially when I’m supposed to be relaxing. Cold, darkness, and discomfort didn’t sound like a holiday… they sounded like punishment.
But once the decision was made, Kiran promptly announced:
“Let’s go to Tromsø, Norway.”
And just like that, the remaining three family members took over.
In no time, a neat, concise, action-packed (or should I say packed with action) 5-day Tromsø itinerary appeared and we got packing.
As our flight approached Tromsø, we started seeing faint green streaks in the sky.
Suddenly, the whole flight turned into a school bus ,everyone standing, craning necks, pointing excitedly.
Me, being me, thought silently:
“Wow. This is a good omen.”
छान संकेत आहे बरे का.
We landed at a tiny, beautiful airport glowing with two kinds of lights , the aurora above and the actual airport lights below. Magical already.
A cab then took us to our Airbnb , a smallish apartment perched on a snow-covered hilltop.
Away from the bustling city centre.
(Read: away from all amenities.)
And yet… we fell in love instantly.
The place looked straight out of a fairytale. Snow everywhere. Fairy lights twinkling outside houses. From a comfortable UK 8°C, we were suddenly plonked into Norway’s –8°C.
But thanks to layers upon layers of thermals and mid-layers (we were basically human onions), everything felt manageable.
The next day was the reindeer experience.
A 45-minute drive through landscapes so beautiful it felt unreal.
The reindeer?
Utterly adorable. Gentle. Curious. And thankfully horn-less , because it was peak winter and most had shed their antlers. Thank God for small mercies.
We were given buckets of food and immediately mobbed.
They clustered around us like naughty children at a birthday party , pushing, nudging, fighting for snacks.
We learnt about the Sami culture, had hot chocolate and cake in a laavu
(not a tipi — important distinction!), and headed back… only to gear up for the main event.
At 5 pm, we joined the “Chasing the Lights” tour.
Think tornado chasing , but colder and greener.
If you don’t see the lights in one place, the guide drives you elsewhere, hunting them down. We reached the Sommarøy coastline, right by the sea.
Within 20 minutes, a faint, fluffy streak appeared in the sky.
Our guide Sam went wild.
“LOOK! WOW! THEY’RE STARTING!”
Inside my head, I thought:
“…Really? Is that it?”
We came all the way to Norway, braved the cold, and this is the only fluff we expect to be seeing ???
I was disappointed. Properly gutted.
And just as I started sulking, Gargi and Kiran pointed upwards and said,
“There they are.”..
And oh my God.
The sky came alive.
Waves and waves of glowing green danced above us ,deep green, pale green, moving, shifting, breathing. Then came a delicate pink lining.
Apparently, that pink is rare , and yes, we were told we were very lucky.
For 45 minutes, the sky performed just for us.
Sam clicked photos non-stop. The clouds cleared further, revealing a sky studded with stars, a half-moon, Orion (मृगशीर्ष नक्षत्र), and the Saptarishi. I’ve seen them before ,many times , but never like this.
It felt divine. Other-worldly. Almost unreal.
It was –12°C, but layers, bonfires, hot soup and sheer awe made us forget the cold completely.
We returned home at 1:30 am, exhausted, frozen… and deeply content.
Some memories don’t just stay with you — they etch themselves into your soul.
The following day was husky sledding.
Gargi, the adventure seeker, chose self-driving.
I, the lazy one, chose to be the passenger princess.
Poor Kiran did all the driving — managing six hyperactive huskies is no joke.
Apparently, female huskies have excellent direction sense (unlike human females, ahem), so they lead the pack. Males follow.
We rode for an hour through endless white mountains , just snow, silence, sleds, and huskies racing ahead. Mesmerising doesn’t even begin to cover it.
We learnt there are Siberian and Alaskan huskies ,ours were Alaskans: shorter, faster, and full of energy.
At the end, we spent time cuddling them.
I’ve never been a big pet lover, but Mozzie , our friend’s dog ,has softened me.
At the husky kennel, I felt oddly chosen. They came to me for cuddles, affection, and snacks.
It was… humbling.
The next day, the three of them explored museums and took a cable car ride .
I chose to slow down.
I stayed back at the apartment, soaking in the view ...snow, silence, stillness.
Something shifted inside me.
I often dream of going to the Himalayas, staying in an ashram, searching for calm.
But sitting there, in that quiet Norwegian hilltop apartment, I realised something.
Sometimes, peace doesn’t need incense sticks or mountain caves.
Sometimes, it finds you ... wrapped in snow, silence, and green lights dancing in the sky.
And I know now…
exactly where I want to go next.
Hehehehe…..
Comments