We started off our day waking up in the ice hotel. There was a definite split in the group as to people who slept really well and those who did not. We had a big buffet style breakfast with a wide variety of things to eat and new foods to try, like brown cheese. The group then enjoyed a sauna and got ready to go back to civilization. Similar to Copenhagen, the roads are winding but far more narrow; with snow and ice on the ground it makes for a thrilling ride in a coach bus. Most of us were excited to see the mountains and scenery as we drove back into the town since we had arrived in Alta the night before when it was very dark. We were able to have about four hours of light today which was nice to take pictures. We made a stop at the Alta museum where we learned about the Sami culture and indigenous people of Norway. The group is pretty tired from traveling as was apparent with many people dosing off at the museum. From there we checked into our hotel and had a few hours of free time which many people used to take naps, although some went to explore the city. It's starting to feel more like home here with the temperatures being around 2 degrees. We met as a group later on and walked to the Northern Lights Cathedral, which was thankfully only across the hotel parking lot. A church volunteer explained facts about the church and how it came to be built a little less than a year ago, even though it was forty years in the making. It is quite modern and cost them an alarming 220 million krona, which is equivalent to nearly 40 million US dollars. This is a shocking price considering that most Norwegians do not attend church on a regular basis. We got to enjoy an American type of dinner at a local pizzeria where we ordered eighteen pizzas. Needless to say, we had plenty of leftovers at the hotel. After dinner, we were given free time for the rest of the night. Most of the group decided to explore the nightlife and met many interesting locals. Thankfully we get to sleep in tomorrow morning before journeying around more of Alta.
View from hotel window of the Northern Lights Cathedral:
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