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Mayur Polepalli, Rashmi Polepalli, Rose Pandey, http://www.vinaydeep.com
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I’m beginning to wonder whether there is some force influencing my travel that tend to make all the planning and associated logistics start and flow right into place just a week before the real thing happens. But i must admit that i loved the way how a random take while flicking pages over this good Lonely Planet guide took us to a spectacular island in Northern Norway surrounded by mountains, fjords and islands in all directions. Tromso, is connected by picturesque roads to numerous villages with fishing being the major occupation of the yesteryears from where they coined the phrase, “In Cod we believe”. (Yes, Mr.RamantheB there was no typo there ;))
We flew in to Rovaniemi, the capital of the province of Lapland, to get closer to Santa “who really lives deep in Finnish Lapland in Korvatunturi (Ear Mountain)”, which i discovered here. But we had the privilege of meeting him at the Santa Claus village and official post office in Rovaniemmi, which made it easier for us to get started on the real adventure we were about to embark on and crossing the arctic circle and into what quite easily could be termed as “paradise land”.
To admit, i was quite nervous about the whole thing as i self assigned myself to be the one behind the wheel for this ~1500 Km drive across international borders spanning three days, considering the fact that this was my first drive over 100 kms in videsi land.
But nevertheless i always had the itch for adventure and exploration, and there i was taking delivery of our car that delivered in excess of 150 horses that empowered us to maintain an average speed in the whereabouts of early three digit figures for most of the trip. First destination was the western Finnish bordering city of Pello when we were cutting through what ‘at this point of time’ i would call boring lakes and countryside for the fact that what lay ahead of us was awe aspiring splendour for which two eyes were just not enough to admire.
The drive trough the snow peaked mountains, crystal clear and serene lakes alongside plush green meadows after the Finnish border, along Sweden and into Norway just took our breath away, the feeling which might be justified by the phrase, “The Journey is the Destination”
At this point i sign off leaving you to do all the imagination. Ah silly me, how can i forget to mention the whale safari where we cruised to the edge of the continental reef in the Baltic sea in search of sperm whales, seals and sea eagles.
You try to walk outa your den precariously,
You try to shield yourself,
You try to fight it off.
You try, just try and never succeed.
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Its time to feel it, time to feel something that has fascinated us whenever we used to see those romantic bollywood songs with scantily dressed actors who rock and roll amidst white landscapes and snow peaked mountains.
Welcome to reality folks. Its that time of the year when you prepare to leave the cozy warmth of your home and clad yourself with numerous layers of clothing in your desperate attempt to keep your privates from getting frozen. Its that time of the year that comes after partial Polar Night (when the sun is almost below the horizon and a lingering dusk will be pretty much the best thing that can happen). Its that time of the year when you see the Midnight Sun ( the opposite phenomenon to Polar Night. A phenomenon that occurs in latitudes north of the Arctic Circle where the sun is visible at the local midnight as a result of the tilt in the Earth’s axis w.r.t the ecliptic). Its that time of the year when your planning/estimation/forecasting skills are tested to its very limits while you precisely plan your bus connection to office and back.
Yes, its winter, -18 degrees centigrade, and in contradiction to what you might be thinking, “Im Enjoying It, enjoying every bit of it”. The kids, all protectively covered and playing with their sledges and shovels, building snowmen who can whether the winter. The people hurrying home to have that hot cup of chocolate. The heavy machines that clear inches of snow off the road and walkways and spread grime for grip. The pure white expanses wonderfully spoilt by those tree barks in contrast coloring. These scenes will remain fresh in my mind for many years to come. Or at least till the snow melts ;D
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