January 31, 2023
128th Entry, Brienzwiler
Franziska and I planned a week away in Lapland (Jokkmokk) at the end of January, I was sick and weak. Nonetheless, we started our trip toward Stockholm and continued toward Lulea and Jokkmokk at the Arctic Circle. Together with a group of people, we wanted to marvel at the Northern Lights and let nature and the natural spirit work their magic in us; immersing ourselves into the cold, dark silence of the far north.
As soon as we arrived, I holed up in our hotel room and surrendered to the flu. I hardly had the strength for anything. On the third night, when I could barely sleep, I looked up at the night sky from my hotel bed. It was around 2:15 in the morning. It suddenly started to glow greenish and neon-like in the sky. The Northern Lights were there! I woke Franziska up. She was quickly wide awake and hurriedly dressed warmly to go outside. I did the same and dragged myself to the frozen snow-covered lake behind the hotel in minus 25º Celsius temperature! And then, somewhat tentatively, they began to glow. They appeared as if from another world, only to disappear into nothingness again. We enjoyed the play of light in the night sky. Just the two of us, totally alone, here in the middle of the night on a snow-covered lake near the Arctic Circle.
We are back home now, but I am still not completely healthy. I work a little in the studio in preparation for the upcoming exhibition next weekend in Cham.