Excuse me while I kiss the sky...

Moi!

There are a few, only a few, moments in life when you feel like someone up there has been listening to you. I experienced one of those moments on Saturday. 19th January, 2013, an otherwise insignificant date, gave me one of the best moments of my life. I am one of the few lucky people on the world who experienced Aurora Borealis- the northern lights on a trip to Lapland, Finland. 

I came all the way to Finland, for an exchange program, hoping I would see the northern lights. Damn, I even bought a new camera that could capture the lights. However, the forecasts said the probability of Aurora sightings seemed dim for the weekend. The weather was cloudy when we reached Lapland.; and everything made me think that all this effort, all that hope was worth nothing. Luckily, I was wrong. God, or at least the weather, gave me a peak at this beautiful phenomenon. 

It truly was one of the most amazing things I have seen, ever. I saw it for about fifteen to twenty minutes, after which they went a little too dim to be captured by the camera. The northern lights, were always in motion. At one minute they were in one part of the sky, and then somewhere else in the other. I don't really know how else to describe the feeling to you, except maybe saying it was 'beautiful' a million times or so. Words really seem futile for it. 

So here are the pictures I managed to capture. I'm so glad I bought this camera (Olympus SZ-14: It's really cool!) and it managed to capture the northern lights, as many other cameras that people around me were using couldn't. Therefore, a special thank you and a big hug to my daddy dearest who let me buy another camera! (I left mine in India. *hides face*)

Presenting Aurora Borealis: the northern lights! 

Sighted: 19th/20th January, 2013 

Timing: Around midnight 

Location: Lapland, Finland 

Note: None of the pictures are Photoshop-ed at all, apart from being stamped with the credit. You may use the pictures to post it elsewhere, with the blogger's permission, or if you provide sufficient credit. Thank you. 

"Excuse me while I kiss the sky..." 

-Jimi Hendrix 

I hope, someday, y'all get a chance to see the lights as well. :) Going to post more about Lapland soon!

Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

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Here's a beautiful video that will show you more about the northern lights (posted by VisitFinland).

The sun, the moon, and everything in between...

Moi!

The weather here, in Vaasa, Finland, is so weird. It's the coldest it has been since I've been here. It was -19 degrees Celsius this morning and I can see the sun today after maybe five or six days! *phew* I can't even begin to express how good it feels to see the sun. The afternoons here seem like Mumbai's evenings and the rest of the time feels like night. It's funny how the weather is so gloomy and dark, and the snow is, of course, white. Such a contrasting, pretty sight.
Even the Finns say that it's the darkest time of the year. I sure as hell believed them.... until right now.

It's -18 degrees Celsius, the sun is shining brightly, AND I can see the moon in the sky. It's beautiful! Also, thanks to daddy dearest, I bought a new camera. So, I've tried to take my first panorama shot, ever! I'd like to believe it's not so bad. These were all taken today. Enjoy the pictures!

The sun rising... my first ray of happiness today. :D 

Wish I could frame this scene up... So serene. 

  

And here comes the moon, at around 13:45...

My first panorama shot! Tried to get the moon and the sun in the same frame. Of course you can't see the sun because it's shining so brightly right now! Let's hope, I get better at this. 

Hopefully, I'll have pictures of the Aurora Borealis to share with you soon enough! (*IF* I get to see them) Heading to Santa Claus' Village this weekend! Ta-daaa!

Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

I tweet on:  https://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj
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The Finnish line...

Hei!

Happy new year! 2013 has been a 'new' year indeed. How? Well, for starters here I am writing a blog post, after God knows how long, in a temperature of 8 degrees Celsius below zero. Finally, finally, finally I'm here in Vaasa, Finland for an exchange program for a couple of months. Well, I've been here 10 days now and I'm both, glad and not so glad to be here.

In 10 days alone, I've experienced so much; a culture so different; a city so...white, thanks to all the snow as you will see; the weather so cold. It's been overwhelming. I've not only learnt news things in a new place, but I've learnt so much about myself. The further away I am out of my beautiful(referring to Mumbai), comfort zone, I'm finding bits and pieces of who I really am... or at least what I want to be like.

That's a lot of philosophy in one post, ain't it? Since it's my first post this year, I'd like to share a couple pictures of Vaasa for those of who, like me, had no idea a city called so existed. So here goes!

The view from my bedroom

First attempt at making rice. Doesn't look so good, does it? I blame it on the lighting. :P 

The portion in the picture is that of a frozen sea! And Finnish people actually find spots in it to go fishing! 

The university in Vaasa where I'm studying  

The university in Vaasa where I'm studying  

That's pretty much it for now. Shall write soon with more things to share about my experience here and about Finland. Lots of love to Mumbai, and everything/everyone in it! I really miss the warmth, the food, the sun, the people, the sound and even the traffic!


Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

I tweet on:  https://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj
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