Lapland is so close to the Arctic Circle that in January the sun barely rises above the horizon. It's dusky all day and dark by three o'clock in the afternoon. The Northern Lights have yet to make an appearance, but at night I am finally lucky! As I savour a delicious Lapp salmon soup in the hotel restaurant, I sense a commotion. People are getting up and rushing outside. That means only one thing: the Northern Lights!
I bundle up and head outside. At first I notice a dim milky white stripe in the sky. That can't be it surely? Then suddenly the stripe gains some colour and the entire sky becomes green, a bright neon green. The stripes of light are constantly dancing, twisting, turning, and changing shape. Spectacular!
The Northern Lights remain visible all night. Even in bed, through the ceiling of the glass igloo, I treasure the view that draws most visitors to Kakslauttanen. Surrounded by such magical beauty, it seems almost a shame to go to sleep.