Arctic Circle Merch

The Artic Circle // Ice Queen original artwork - 1950s pin up woman as the icy queen of the Arctic ocean over a coordinates old map - Beautiful snowy beach and mountains lanscape Antartica like - Surreal nostalgic vintage collage by MsGonzalez

Wow. What else can I say to describe what it was like to be in Reine on this winter morning? After a few mornings of cloud, it finally cleared and we were treated to two continuous hours of sunset, with beautiful oranges and yellows to the south and pinks to the north. Just stunning. Location: Reine, Lofoten Islands, Norway Camera: Nikon Df with 16-35mm f/4 lens

We got very excited on the last night of our recent trip to Lofoten because it looked like everything was coming together. The sky was clear, the northern horizon was starting to glow green...and then this happened. Luckily we got a few beams before the clouds completely covered them up again!

Olstind Mountain aglow in the pink of a January sunrise in the Arctic. The sun hardly got over the horizon, but for the two hours that it sat there, it turned everything an otherworldly pink colour. It really was a sight to see.

Morning in Nusfjord -- the lapping of the waves against the rocks, the cawing of seagulls, the absence of vehicles and busloads of visitors. It's a wonderful place to wake up and start the day. Location: Nusfjord, Lofoten Islands, Norway Camera: Nikon D750 w/ 24-70mm f/2.8 lens and Lee Big Stopper filter

The sea crashes onto the rocks of the island of Hamnøya in the village of Reine. This was sunrise on my second-to-last morning in the islands, and it was by far the most memorable day of our trip. For two hours, the sun sat just above the horizon to the south and lit up the entire fjord in pink.

Do you or someone you know love arctic animals? This Arctic Animal Conservation - Save The Arctic Circle design is for you. Threatened polar animals surrounding a circular graphic and message makes a great gift for wildlife lovers, conservationists and environmentalists alike. This design has distressed effects for a vintage look.

I couldn't believe how many gorgeous sunsets I saw in Lapland. The sun seemed to be in golden hour for most of the day and became even more striking around sunset. What a great way to start an evening of northern lights watching! This shot was taken just outside the glass igloo village at Santa's Resort, Kakslauttanen.

arctic animals

Just a cool map design presented to you by the artists at Arctic Fitness

Join those who find uncomfortable thrilling, the Arctic Circle Running Club

A tantalising hint of the aurora behind the clouds on Flakstadøya in the Lofoten Islands. Unfortunately these clouds were an ever-present part of our trip there so this was just about the closest we got to seeing the aurora. That said, there's no way we could complain, because Lofoten in January is one of the most stunning places in the world.

arctic atomic ship

Reflections of the outskirts of the town of Svolvær. Taken on a late winter afternoon under the threat of a winter storm.

One of many forest-lined roads that snake through Finnish Lapland -- this one just north of the Arctic Circle outside Kemijärvi. Unlike many sections of road in the area, this one was not covered in reindeer seeking shelter from the ever-present mosquitos!

A circle design with a photo of the National Park.

Arctic Monkeys quote

Auroras seen at the Fort Yukon Long Range Radar Site in Fort Yukon, Alaska above the Arctic Circle in Alaska. Lovely colors and to the eye, they were extremely bright and vivid.

Arctic Char

One of the many icebergs seen on an inflatable "Zodiac" cruise around Burgerbukta, in the Arctic Circle, Spitsbegan, Svalbard.

The aurora borealis seen above a remote Air Force facility in Alaska, above the Arctic Circle. A very vivid green northern lights is seen encircling the bright orb of the moon.

Flowers and greenery: two things you don't see in Reine in winter! This visit was a very different one to my previous two, and it was interesting to see the area in such a different light! This image and many more will be featured in my upcoming "Guide to Lapland and Northern Norway in Summer." If you'd like to learn more, head over to http://www.lapland.travel.

I'm sure that jetty is used by laughing children diving into the water in summer. On this day in early March, it was eerily quiet.

Later in the day, these clouds would be my bane as they sunk down and obscured the mountains completely. However, as I packed up to leave Å, the town at the end of the Lofoten Islands, they made for a beautiful sight.

Olstind Mountain stands high above the town of Reine in the Lofoten Islands of Northern Norway. From any angle, it is impressive, but in the RIB boat where I had a perfect view of the reflection on the calm waters, it was absolutely stunning.

What a morning this was. I arrived in Reine late at night and awoke to see the fjord stretched out in front of me and Olstind Mountain towering above it all. Gorgeous.

Is this a fjord or a glacier lake? It could easily be mistaken for the crystal clear waters of a glacier-fed lake like Lake Pukaki in New Zealand, but it's actually Lyngenfjord in Northern Norway. The incredible blue colour comes from the outflow from Strupen Glacier into the bay behind.

The giant globe statue that stands at North Cape (Nordkapp), the northernmost point in mainland Europe (we'll just ignore the fact that it's on an island). It was a stormy day -- not unusual for the area in the winter -- which made for some very interesting skies.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of the rivers in Lapland were frozen so thickly by March that you could walk across them with no worries at all. The River Juutua in Inari was not one of those rivers, given it had raging rapids fighting the freezing cold (and I mean freezing, since it was -33ºC the night before I took this). Those rapids eventually lost the battle slightly further downriver.

Sunlight and Icicles

The midnight sun shining over Lyngenfjord around 1am. It slowly worked its way behind the mountains, lighting up the clouds above them, until it finally peeked out and continued tracing its never-ending circles around the sky. Having gone for a long hike during the day, I was tempted to go to bed, but I am so glad I stayed up to see this...especially since I could see this from the living room of my rented house! Location: Lyngenfjord, Norway Camera: Nikon D750 w/ 24-70mm f/2.8 lens and Lee Big Stopper filter

A beautiful romantic sunrise at the arctic circle

The sun sets on a gorgeous winter's day in Jukkasjärvi as people go for evening strolls across the frozen Torne River, the source of all the ice for the world-famous Icehotel.

We got so lucky with the light on our second morning in Reine. Not only did we get 2 hours of continuous sunrise/sunset, but we got it in one of the most stunning places in the world. I considered it especially lucky that I was wandering around only to be assaulted by the smell of drying fish. And why's that lucky? Well, fishing and drying stockfish is one of the main lifebloods of the Lofoten Islands, but I didn't think we'd actually see any evidence of it on this trip as it was too early in the year. Apparently, this fisherman started his season early! I know this rack looks empty, but if you squint to the left you'll see the hanging fish on the next rack over.

From the RIB boat that was taking me out for a winter snorkeling trip, I could see perfect reflections of the rorbuer that I called my home for two nights. I love how their red stands out against the natural blues and whites of the fjord.

Our first morning in the Lofoten Islands also coincided with the first morning they had seen the sun peek over the horizon since the early days of December. With colours like this in the sky, we couldn't help but to pull over on our drive out of Henningsvær and capture the scene. If you want to read more about what it was like to drive in Norway in winter, check out my recent blog post at http://www.bootsandabackpack.com/best-ways-drive-norwegian-fjord/ .