Welcome to the Mancuso Family Website!
The Land of the Midnight Sun
Did you know the polar bear is only found in Arctic Norway? If the sun never goes down, does that mean there is no nighttime? If a polar bear craps in the tundra... oh forget that.
The weather has been brutal, in fact I had to give up on Svalsbard, a big hit but got to see plenty...though a digital point and shoot does fare well in the Northland, in fact nothing but Polar bear, moss, and the toughest people around.
There is a phenomenon called "Fata Morgana", or Arctic mirage. Caused in part by the Arctic air being so clear it makes depth perception impossible and results in a two dimensional world, it makes reality...well... surreal. In combination with a total lack of light regulated physiology from there being no darkness, it can make even the southern polar areas a bit more interesting even in your hotel room. :-) I'm in an iron mining town in the middle of nowhere in Lapland and I'm not sure how I got here. It seemed like the right stop at the time... talk about a modern day Hazelton. There is a festival coming tomorrow and the whole town looks like they just came out of cryogenic suspended animation...well actually that wouldnt be far from the truth...
The journey began essentially in Copehagen (after the escape from Frankfurt ) and quickly moved to Oslo From there, I boarder an coastal steamer bound for the Arctic Ocean . We passed the Arctic Circle on the 3rd day (My birthday) and partied the midsummer night festival of the midnight sun all night. Well, all day. Well, I dont know anymore... :-)
Yeah there is actually reindeer here being herded by Sami (Lapp) people, Santa's house, Ice Hotels and bars, lots of islands with population 5 or less (some have 1!)... Who could belive this many people live in areas this cold? The Northernmost point in Europe is here (Nordcapp) and is a sheer cliff looking into nothing...
On to Stockholm and Helsinki ...catch you later dudes.
Joe
|
