January 10th 2017
Today was a great day. We started the day at 5:30 bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to head off to Alta, Norway. After the short, turbulence filled, one hour, connecting flight from Bergen to Oslo we hustled to get onto our flight to head to Alta. The smooth two hour flight seemed to fly by, and ended with an incredible view of the mountains and lake, along with a slippery and bumpy landing. At the baggage claim our group applauded as Cam reached for his suitcase off carousel for the first time on this trip. Once the celebration concluded and all thirty-nine of us had our bags for the first time, we were ready to get on the bus and on our way. As we walked outside, at 11:30 am the Alta sun was beginning to set. On the way to the Igloo Hotel the group made a pit stop at the Alta mall for a bite to eat. Students enjoyed foods including pizza, sandwiches and a buffet with a little bit of everything. After eating the students were able to browse the mall as they pleased. Some went shopping, while others just explored. One group of students purchased some ice cream and while they were at their table, an employee of the café approached them and gave them an entire tub of ice cream for free. We then all boarded the bus and departed for Sorrisniva, the ice hotel. Upon arrival, after the quick and beautiful thirty minute drive to the hotel, I think it’s safe to say we as a group were pleasantly surprised. At this point it was 2:00 in the afternoon and within thirty minutes, it was completely dark. We quickly stored our luggage in the hotels heated lodge and hustled out the back door to see the what this ice hotel was all about. When we walked inside we were all in awe. It was all literally only made of ice. Completed with an ice chandelier upon entering, multiple ice sculptures, ice columns, an ice bar with shot glasses… also made of ice, an ice chapel and thirty-three rooms including four suites. Each bed is made up of a large block of snow with thin mattresses and reindeer pelts on top. The hotel staff provides two sleeping bags per person and recommends us to wear multiple socks, long underwear, hat, mittens and anything else we think we may need to keep warm. The rooms, on average, range from 17 to 23 degrees Fahrenheit and only have a curtain for a door. Once we finished exploring the hotel, we went out to explore and do activities such as sledding and snowshoeing. Before class for the evening, an employee from the hotel had a presentation ready and shared with us some of these fun facts: the ice hotel is 2,500 meters, for all 18 years of the hotels existence there has been a new theme and this years is The Ice Age, and it is made of 250 tons of ice and 7,000 cubic meters of snow. We also learned that hotel is known for more than just its ice structure, Sorrisniva also provides a “snowmobile safari” with 45 snowmobiles, snow shoes, sleds and kick sleds; and in the summer they provide boat tours along Alta river which is known for its fly fishing. The Northern Lights are also very visible in this region during both seasons. Tonight we combined two class sessions, starting with Franny and Mallory’s presentation on the Cultural Awakening of the Lapland of Norway. During their presentation they discussed how the Lapland covers the very northern parts of Europe. They also talked about the regions daylight duration, the summer months are referred to as the midnight sun because sun doesn’t set for six months, and the winter months are called the polar night because the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon for the other six months. Next Lukas and Isaiah presented on the Sami population, the indigenous people of Northern Europe. There is a total of about 100,000 people in this group, and about half reside in Norway. This group of people are the only group who can legally heard reindeer in Northern Europe. The Sami people have a tradition called the reindeer races, that we (attempted to) recreate for this presentations activity as wheelbarrow races. After class we regrouped in the hotel restaurant and were served a salmon and cod soup along with a traditional Sami stew made of reindeer meat, vegetables and broth. After dinner we were all able to split up an explore or play games in the lodge. Unfortunately the sky tonight is very cloudy and the Northern Lights will not be visible. Hopefully tomorrow we have clear skies to see this incredible view. Overall, today was an great day full of many new adventures only to leave us excited for what tomorrow has for us!
