Tromso & Oslo, Norway & Reykjavik & southern Iceland - 9/3 - 24/3 2016

Planned to journal down the trip but didn't have the time. I think we got only 4-6 hours of sleep each day during the trip, with the occasional sleep-in. 

I'd wanted to plan for a longer time in Tromso before researching for the trip but after researching on Iceland, I got more interested in Iceland than Tromso. But it was only in Tromso that we saw the northern lights; it would have been really beautiful to see the lights in Iceland in Jokulsarlon area but we had to drive back to Vik for the night. A real pity as the forecast for the lights was strong during the first 2 nights we were in Vik. I guess this calls for a return trip to Iceland.

Tromso has its merits as it is very tourist-centric with restaurants, bars, activities, a good information center, etc. the town is compact and within a day, you can explore almost the entire "city centre". Bus fares were crazy expensive, with a boarding fee of sgd 8 regardless of the no of stops you took. We took a boat ride out to see the aurora and it was there that we saw very strong lights. It's true when they say that the lights seem to dance. It streaks across the skies and explodes like fireworks. We also took a bus ride out to a lavvo (Sami's tent) to wait for the lights. That was a failure as we didn't see it and there weren't many stars as well to justify a worthwhile trip. However, on the ride back to the hotel, we had 5 minutes of aurora but it wasn't as beautiful as it was a relatively "still" aurora. We did the quintessential tourist thing of reindeer riding which also turned out to be our lunch. The fjords were beautiful and so was the harbour. We went to a pipe organ, flute, and soprano midnight concert in the Arctic cathedral, which was quite nice but horribly cold as it was raining like crazy. But still, I'm glad we went.

Iceland is magnificent because it offers a constant feast for the eyes. Every corner you turn you see beautiful landscapes and the landscapes just keep changing. You have mountains, rivers, oceans, lava fields, barren fields, waterfalls, glaciers, lagoons, etc. it's just amazing. I really liked the glacier lagoon and where the icebergs flowed out to the sea, and the moss-covered lava fields. The earth felt like cushion on these fields, it's like walking on clouds. During the time we visit, we didn't get to see many animals such as puffins or whales & I believe it will be a completely different feeling to visit Iceland again in summer. 

On the whole, I like Iceland more and although both places are crazy expensive , you can probably get by with a lot less in Iceland since most of the attractions are free. 

On reading

http://blog.theliteracysite.com/fiction-readers/?utm_source=kc&utm_medium=paid-affiliate&utm_content=_RhLbsC&utm_campaign=science-says-about-fiction

"Through their research, they found that readers of literary fiction receive more of the empathetic benefits of reading than those who read pop-fiction or non-fiction. The term “literary fiction” seems arbitrary, but Kidd and Castano explain that literary fiction merely denotes the level of complexity in stories and their characters (at least, that’s what it means in the context of their study).

In 50 Shades Of Grey, for example, the characters are laid out. They react to each other and to their environment. By no means are these characters simple or easy, but they do not evoke the same complicated and uncanny feelings that one experiences with Nick Carraway as he narrates The Great Gatsby."

That's the wonderful thing about reading; you get transported to a world much different than your own. You live the lives of the protagonist. In a truly well-developed character, we find bits of ourselves in him/her. there are fundamental similarities between human beings no matter who we are. 

Head in the clouds

One of those arghhh moments when dealing with recklessness and an overdose of "positivity". I do think if there are simple things you could prepare in advance to minimize possible risks, why wouldn't you want to do it? Is it an admirable quality to throw caution to the wind and bury one's head in the ground, pretending that nothing bad will ever happen in the world? I really don't think so. If you want to liken yourself to having an adventurous spirit, by all means, climb the highest mountains, and I would give my fullest salute and admiration to you. But if by being adventurous, you mean not bothering about road conditions, routes, weather, then I think it's just plain naivety and recklessness. It's like wanting to climb Everest without bothering with a plan.