I just returned home from a visit to northern Norway. A college friend and I visited my college roommate who lives in Tromso which is 200 miles above the Arctic circle. We were celebrating 40 years of friendship. How can it be that long??

I now think that northern Norway is the most spectacularly beautiful place that I have ever seen. I have seen many many sights that I found beautiful but none that combine water and mountains so dramatically and for a distance that seemed infinite. Everywhere were mountains going down to the water. Everywhere. We were as far away as four hours north of Tromso and still the mountains and water- fjords- went on and on and on.  I never expected so much wild beauty. So easy to imagine trolls especially in the dark winter.

I never knew what time it was. We were in a time zone 6 hours ahead of our own and there was sun 24 hours a day. Before I went I thought that would mean that brightness would make it hard to go to sleep. There are curtains that keep it out but that wasn’t an issue. Instead it was that we never got cues about the time from darkening skies.  People could be out and about as if it was still afternoon when it was 11 at night. How would I ever stop gardening or doing fiber things when natural light would continue on and on if I lived there? It is hard enough to stop here when it gets dark.

The flip side is that they have no sunlight for several weeks in the winter. I would not do well with that. But after this trip I think it would be fun to visit then for just a few days to see how it looks. Dark of course but how it looks with the lights on in Tromso. Mysterious and beautiful I am sure.

We did a lot of walking and of course my knitting went along.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Met some interesting characters.

Ate more waffles than I ever had before in a week and still always looked forward to the next coffee and waffle break wherever we went. It was always there. The waffles were always the same size and heart shaped. Toppings were fruit and sour cream. Never maple syrup!

Spent time on a beach because after all it was July! But this time with a twist- happily wearing my handspun hand dyed hand knit…winter headband.

 

Found some snow high up on a mountain. Maybe because it had been all of three months since the last melted from our yard. Of course I had to make a little snowball.

More next time on spinning, weaving and flowers.