Connecting with nature in the Arctic circle

There was a pretty pale pink sky in the background, when we reached Jukkasjärvi. We decided to explore the town while there was still light and walked towards an old church on the edge of the Torneälven River. The little wooden church had brightly coloured drawings on its walls and after sitting there for some time, in the silence of the church, we went out.

I stood on the soft snow and looked. Pure white snow. Distant hills. No sound, except for the noise of my breath. Clear, fresh air. The sky had donned a beautiful coat of greenish, red. I took a deep breath. There was a sense of exhilaration within. I could die this minute and be perfectly content. This was paradise. I was standing on top of a frozen river and feeling complete peace of mind and contentment.

Returning to the ice hotel, we passed people rushing out of little, steamy wooden huts, screaming and jumping into a hole in the ice. To go out into the extreme cold needed mental disciplining. To run out and jump into the freezing cold water naked was suicidal. To pay more than 1000 SEK for that experience makes you wonder.

Kiruna space station predicted 90% possibility of citing the aurora that day and we were determined, refusing to admit that clouds were gradually progressing over the sky as we waited on the river behind the ice hotel. Nature is neither moved by determination nor by statistical predictions. After more than 6 hours in the cold,we had to finally give in.

A year later, as I sat at my window in Stockholm one night in silent contemplation, my eyes focused suddenly on movement over the tiny rock formation beyond the church opposite. I held my breath as there was a rapid movement across the sky. Beginning as a circular green ball and moving across the sky as if it had been flung out. The intensity started increasing and then there rays of green aurora in the sky. Finally, there was a dullish green glow left in the sky - a reminder that an amazing event had just taken place in the past hour.