Page 36 - zcyj (1)

Delaying bedtime is a no brainer. That’s why so many of us were
wide awake when nature commenced her heavenly show.
It was well after midnight when the skies above the Snow
Hotel began to shimmer. Undulating shafts of soft light met
for a slow dance – blue-green, violet, even red. For nearly an
hour the Aurora performed a spellbinding celestial ballet – arc-
ing , snaking, swaying on a star-spangled stage that stretched
all across our night sky. We were mesmerized – frozen in time,
almost literally. Unforgettable. Memories for a lifetime.

IF YOU GO

See Northern Lights on your 2017 win-
ter Norway Coastal cruise – or get a free
future cruise. It’s Hurtigruten’s guaran-
tee to U.S. travelers. You’ll have to book
a 12-day roundtrip cruise between Jan-
uary and March 2017. If the lights don’t
show, you’ll get a free 6- or 7-day voyage
(in an inside cabin) departing between
October 2017 and March 2018.
Fares on the classic 7-day Bergen/
Kirkenes cruise I sailed aboard the Fin-
nmarken start at $1,136 per person,
based on double occupancy. Trips can
be customized to enjoy longer stays in
various ports. Learn more at www.hurti-
gruten.com/us/.
For more info on travel to Norway, go to
www.visitnorway.com/us/.

Left: Norwegians are masters at making fish
soup. A bowl like this is an everyday treat
at the Atlanterhavsparken Aquarium near
Alesund. Right: Michael Decker cooked the
crustaceans on a propane burner outside his
log cabin in a snowy forest near the Russian
border.

36 Wine Dine & Travel 2016