Mysterious blue light shines over Norway

by Katie Hammel on

On December 9th, residents of northern Norway were surprised to see a weird blue light shining above. According to reports, the beam of light seemed to point to the sky from behind a mountain. As the light began moving in circles, forming a spiral, a brighter beam came out of the center. The phenomenon lasted for about 12 minutes.

After the light disappeared, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute was inundated with calls from people asking about what they had seen. Almost as quickly, people began speculating about what the light could have been from. Air traffic controllers who saw the light said it lasted too long to be astronomical, and it is not believed to be connected to the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights.

Another conjecture was that the light came from Russian missile testing in the White Sea but the Russian Navy has denied any such testing. Experts say that if the missile exploded, the leaking jet fuel could create the odd pattern. Of course, there are some who have a few more far fetched ideas. Black hole, UFO, astronomical event or man-made light show – we many never know what really caused the odd light pattern.

Go Reindeer sledding in Russia this winter

by Katie Hammel on

Forget dog-sledding. For the ultimate winter endurance test, try reindeer sledding in Eastern Russia with Russia Discovery’s 9-night excursion into the “Pole of Cold” in Yakutia.

The tour is not for the faint of heart or those who want to be pampered. In fact, Urban Daddy calls it “the most physically demanding holiday celebration outside the Polar Bear Club”. Listed as a requirement for the tour is physical fitness and “physical and psychological resistance to the cold.” How cold? Pretty darn cold. The average temperature in January is -40C.

if you think you can brave the freezing temps, you’ll start your tour with a day in Yakutsk where you can visit the Institute of Permafrost before setting out on a 19 hour drive to Yuchugey, a settlement of reindeer herders. By day three, you’ll be practicing your hand at reindeer sledding; on day four you’ll spend 5-6 hours crossing the frozen terrain by sled and then sleeping outdoors in a 4X4 tent. Another day of sledding (in total, the sledding covers 35 miles over two days) is followed by a 20 hour drive back to Yakutsk. On day eight you can visit a husky farm and compare dog-sledding to reindeer sledding before returning to Moscow.

The tour isn’t cheap at €3560 per person, but included in the cost are all meals and accommodations, rental of all the furry outer wear required to keep you from dying of hypothermia, and the chance to feel like Santa as you glide over a snowy landscape pulled by a team of real live reindeer.

Photo of the Day (11.24.09)

by Stephen Greenwood on


Today’s photo of the day comes from San Francisco based photographer, kellinasf. I love this photo because it’s the conventional image of a beautiful landscape, and as one Flickr user comments, “looks like an image one would find in a children’s story”. The photo was taken on Kihzi Island in Russia; a 7km long and .5km wide island accessible by boat from the town of Petrozavodsk.

Kihzi Island is a UNESCO world heritage site, and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Russia, but has no lodging for overnight guests. The island features an ensemble of wooden churches, chapels and houses – including the 22-domed Transfiguration Church.

Do you think your travel photos have what it takes to become the Photo of the Day? It’s easy! Submit them to our Gadling Flickr Pool and we might just pick yours.

Photo of the Day (10.27.09)

by Stephen Greenwood on
Today’s Photo of the Day comes from longtime contributor Alpha Tango Bravo (aka Adam Baker). I consider great portrait photos to be ones that share the personality and character of the subject – even if they happen to be complete strangers in a foreign land.

Baker writes in the photo’s caption that he approached this woman, and asked to take her photo “as a souvenir” – to which she promptly replied “go to the souvenir stand.” before finally agreeing. Asking locals for permission to take their picture is no easy task, but one that is often well worth the risk…

The photo was captured in Suzdal, Russia – a town of under 12,000 people situated northeast of Moscow. The town is home to the Open Russian Festival of Animated Film every March.

Are you a Flickr user who’d like to share a travel related picture or two for our consideration? Submit it to Gadling’s Flickr group right now! We just might use it for our Photo of the Day!

Expecting snow in Moscow this winter? Not so fast.

by Grant Martin on

The Russians may be able to tell us that Dmitry Medvedev is in charge of the country and get away with it, but rigging the weather is just too much. Come on now. It’s obvious that you’re up to something.

This year, Moscow’s Mayor Yury Luzkhov is putting forth the proposition of seeding clouds to prevent large volumes of snow from falling on Russia’s glorious capital city. The project, which would cost $10M to fund, could save money by cutting back on the $16M snow removal process currently in place — not to mention the fact that the skies would be chipper and blue more often.

Perhaps the funniest part of whole exercise is that the process wouldn’t stop snow. It would relocate it, directly depositing the white stuff all over the neighboring regions. It’s as if Los Angeles saw a tsunami coming and said “Um, we have a parade this weekend. You take it, Las Vegas.”

So if you find yourself in Red Square this winter snapping beautiful photos of St. Peter’s against a perfect blue sky, don’t send your thanks to Mother Nature. Instead, thank Mayor Luzkhov — or more appropriately, the residents of Lyubertsy, Russia, who will be digging out from under twice as much snow this year.