Norway

One of our bucket list items was to see the Northern lights, so in early December, we flew to Tromso (Tromsø) in northern Norway, in hopes of seeing them.  Since Tromso is above the arctic circle, there is no sunlight this time of year.  This phenomenon is called Polar night.  It is dark all day.  Conversely, they experience the midnight sun in July, when the sun never sets.  It was so bizarre walking around in the middle of the day in the pitch black.

In reality, there was a twighlight-like period for about three hours from 10-1, but otherwise, it was totally dark.

Tromso has been inhabited for thousands of years, is the largest city in northern Norway, and has the northernmost university.   It also has the northernmost brewery!  Perfect for us, except that beers cost $18!

Being December, there are many Christmas beers, also called juleøl – sounds like yule ale – being served in Norwegian bars.  The tradition of Christmas beer began in northern Norway over 1000 years ago, when the local rulers required all farmers to brew them a batch of Christmas beer.  If they didn’t comply 3 years in a row, they were banished.  To qualify as a Christmas beer, the ale must be maltier than the regular pilsners, and contain spices.  The type of spice depended on the area of the country.  Interestingly, there is a ban on alcohol advertising in Norway, so breweries rely on word of mouth for sales.

So, what the heck are the Northern Lights anyway?  When charged particles from the sun collide with gases in the earth’s atmosphere, light is produced, causing the Aurora borealis (the scientific name for Northern lights).  Red, green, and purple lights can be seen, depending on which type of gas the charged particles collide with.