Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow
- Anita Desai

For us, this is especially true, when traveling to the beautiful Arctic. There, summer days are endless, but always cold. Trees will barely reach your ankle and towns of 300 inhabitants are big cities. If you are lucky, you may encounter wild polar bears, wolves, arctic foxes, moose, wolverines and snowy owls. And as soon as the days are getting shorter, there‘s even the chance to experience one of the most fascinating natural phenomenons: the magical aurora borealis, or northern lights.

Our first trip north of the Arctic Circle has been a cruise to Norway‘s North Cape. Well, technically we have been crossing the Arctic Circle before, on flights to the US and Canada. And we have always admired the raw beauty of the ice covered mountain ranges of Greenland, which were sometimes visible from above. We knew (or hoped), that someday, we would be traveling to this remote part of the world for more than just a few hours or days. Since then, we have been fortunate to have almost circumnavigated the Arctic and have spent almost a year in this region.

When traveling to the Arctic, one has to be aware, that these trips do come with certain risks: You might be experiencing bad weather with dense fog 24/7. You might not see any wildlife. The aurora borealis might be invisible due to a blizzard. You might get frost bite from touching your camera. You might fall in love with the region instantly and will want to return the minute you leave.

We can positively confirm, that the latter is a very realistic side effect of Arctic travels. From our first trip to the Arctic, it has truly become a part of us somehow…