The Greatest Light Show on Earth

---

You're in luck...two times over.
 
You still have a couple of months to see the greatest light show on Earth...the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis. And this winter is considered by astronomers to be one of the best in recent memory for seeing them.
 
This year's strong solar activity promises increased opportunities for viewing the surreal show produced by the Aurora Borealis. A Norwegian company called Hurtigruten can take you there...and take you there in style. Hurtigruten's small cruise-ships have been exploring the world's most remote bays, harbors, and time-forgotten villages for 120 years. And they'll be running trips in Norway to the Northern Lights well into March.
 
The Aurora Borealis takes place every winter, and is best viewed in the polar regions, which have the clearest nights, unpolluted by man-made lights. The sky overhead turns into a psychedelic kaleidoscope of brilliant colors - many of which you've never seen before. And, for a brief moment in your life, you'll feel a sense of awe so overwhelming, a one-ness with nature so intense, that you may never feel it again.
 
Imagine a hundred different shades of greens, reds, blues, purples, and golds lighting up the sky and the snow-covered coast of the Arctic.
 
As your ship crosses into the Arctic Circle, you'll find yourself spending a lot of time on deck, "hunting the Lights." You'll have the opportunity to listen to experts on what to look for, and how best to see it, as well as on the native Sami (Lapland) peoples and natural wonders of the Norwegian Arctic. You'll dine on seafood that was in the water an hour ago. You'll learn how to make knots and hitches. And you'll get to meet the Sami, as well.
 
Hurtigruten has a fleet of 13 ships, each of which carries anywhere from 100 to 646 guests; these smaller vessels allow access to harbors and inlets inaccessible to large cruise ships. And they enable the company to offer some great excursions, among them the opportunity to go dog-sledding; overnight stays at the Kirkenes Snow Hotel (and you should take the phrase "Snow Hotel" literally, by the way; it's the experience of a lifetime!); seeing the Northern Lights by snowmobile; meals with wonderful local specialties; and folk presentations on the history and cultures of Norway.
 
The "Norwegian Coastal Voyage" itinerary starts from the UNESCO-listed harbor city of Bergen, sitting amidst the fjords on the western coast. The northernmost stop is Kirkenes, high above the Arctic Circle. In between, you'll visit an interesting selection of ports, from quaint villages that time forgot to vibrant cities with great museums and restaurants.
 
You'll stop at places such as the Art Nouveau town of Alesund, considered one of the most beautiful in Europe. Molde, with its magnificent view of the Romsdal Alps. The colorful (and, according to legend, troll-inhabited) streets of Trondheim, Norway's first capital. Trendy Tromsø, with funky boutiques and shops. The picturesque Lofoten Islands. The small fishing villages of Kjøllefjord and Berlevåg. And Hammerfest, which has the distinction of being the northernmost town on Earth.
 
You'll sail into the massive fjords, each one more breathtaking than the last, massifs of deep-green forests and icy waterfalls sloping down steeply into an ice-blue Arctic sea. The fjords are where all the colorful legends of Norway and its people seem to come to life. At these moments, you won't want to leave the railing of your ship.
 
And when night comes and the Northern Lights come out, you'll again be standing at that railing...watching the greatest light show on Earth.