Inside, the small airport is warm and we're met by our friendly transfer driver - wearing only a light jacket and no gloves despite being in and out of the cold. We're whisked into the van before we can feel any effects of the harsh temperature. We head north-west towards Abisko, our base for the next three nights, and one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights.
Our drive takes us through a surreal winter wonderland. Trees are small and devoid of foliage, their skeletal branches laden instead with snow - a mix of classic Christmas tree-shaped pines and leafless silver birch.
As we pass Kiruna our driver explains that the town is the site of a large iron ore mine. They've been mining up to a kilometre below the city and are now in the process of moving the town four kilometers to the east to protect its safety and allow mining to continue.
It's 2.30pm and the sun is setting, light fading slowly from the sky. The white of the snow means that the light lingers longer. Soon we are driving beside lake Torneträsk, completely frozen over for the winter.
We arrive at Abisko and our accommodation. It's simple but warm and with lovely staff. We get kitted out in our arctic gear - hat, mittens, boots and overalls. It's explained to us that air is our friend and we need to trap as much as possible to stay warm, so the shoes and overalls especially should be bigger than our normal clothes sizes. We look fairly comical standing inside fully kitted out, but know we will be warm later. Our excitement builds for the night's activity, an Aurora photography course. The forecast is looking good, with strong activity predicted and a clear sky.
First we have dinner: it's a small town so the only choice is the restaurant onsite which offers a set menu with three courses. The room is lit by candles casting a warm glow, and the views from the windows are out to the snowy peaks around the village. The food is superb, modern fine dining incorporating local elements - the first night we have char, a local fish, with a swedish caramelised apple dessert; the next night there is shrimp soup, roast lamb, and churros for dessert.
We dress in our full arctic gear ready for our night's adventure - layers of thermals and merino with our arctic suits over the top. We're equipped with DSLRs and tripods and have a short walk with our group down to a forest-bordered field with views to the north away from the lights of the town. The aurora is already out! Initially it's a faint glow hanging in the sky. As our eyes adjust we see subtle movements. Photographing the lights is basically shooting in the dark. You orient the camera on the tripod toward the lights, push the button and stand back without bumping the camera. The camera picks up the green glow much more strongly than the naked eye. After an hour of some activity things quieten down. It's one of the coldest nights of the winter so far; the temperature drops close to -30. Jane takes refuge in the lavvu, where a fire is blazing and there is hot lingonberry juice to warm her from the inside; Ed stays outside to continue shooting.
Suddenly there is a call that the lights are strengthening. Those in the lavuu rush outside and are rewarded with rippling curtains of light swirling and dancing. Then the intensity increases and we see even more spectacular colours - red and purple on the underside of the curtains of light, the movement intensifies further and the sky is lit up! The display lasts more than 30 minutes. It's impossible to capture what is happening in photos - each time an area you've been watching starts to fade you turn around and realise there is something else happening behind, or above. Even our guide is enthralled and takes out his own camera for some photos. We're late finishing and heading back as everyone is so absorbed. It doesn't matter anyway - our transfer driver has been out watching the lights himself. We're so lucky that we've ended up here on one of the best nights of the year.
The next morning at breakfast everyone is buzzing about the previous night's show! As we eat breakfast the sky slowly lightens and we see the colours of the sunrise.
There's no actual sun, however; the mountains to the south of Abisko, which make it such a great spot to watch the northern lights as they block the weather, also mean that it will be another two weeks before direct sunlight hits the town through a spectacular gap between two mountains.
After a good breakfast we once again put on our many layers of clothing and head out for a walk through the town and down to the lake. It's very peaceful and quiet, the only sound the crunching of the snow under our boots. We admire the mountains, the snowy trees and the lake which is completely covered in ice - we can see some people ice fishing in the distance.
We also make a stop at the only shop - a small supermarket. Abisko is a town with only 120 permanent inhabitants. More than half the store is dedicated to sweets and sugary drinks. Norway, a short drive away, has a high sugar tax so Norwegians drive across the border to stock up on these, as well as fuel and meat which are all more economically priced in Sweden.
In the afternoon we have dog sledding. We arrive at the kennels as the sleds are starting to be set up, dogs harnessed and attached to the three sleds. They're all very friendly and excited to interact with us. We're given warm cloaks to wear over our arctic gear.
The excitement of the dogs builds and they're barking excitedly wanting to be underway. Our friendly guide gives us some quick tips, explaining how he'll call out for which way to lean to keep the sled on course. Our team of 11 dogs hasn't had a run today so we're told that they'll be fast and we're likely to be sliding around initially.
And then we're off - the dogs pull us forward with eminent power and their barking is immediately silenced as they focus on the task at hand. We're quickly out into the wilderness of the Abisko national park. The scenery is breathtaking, and the thrill of riding in the sled is exhilarating. It's a great moment to be alive!
We spot moose and reindeer in the distance. The light fades slowly during our trip - we stop for the dogs to rest and to admire the view. After gulping snow and sitting for a short while, the dogs are always enthusiastic to get underway again.
Our next stop is further west, along the road and out onto the frozen lake. The Aurora is still lighting up the sky but has dissipated so that the glow surrounds us rather than having any distinct patterns. We walk out onto the frozen lake which at times makes disconcerting noises. Our guide jokes that it is the lake monster. It's actually the ice moving. We are reassured that we're perfectly safe - with 25 to 30 cm of ice, even with cracks, the surface will hold.
The next day we leave for our Sami reindeer experience. Before we're 10 minutes into the hour long drive, our driver points out a pair of reindeer grazing on the side of the road; a few minutes later we see more.
At our destination, around a dozen reindeer wait in an enclosure and we finally have a chance to see them up close. We're given handfuls of lichen, reindeers' favourite food, to feed them and they enthusiastically eat from our hands.
Later, in the lavvu, we sit around the central fire and eat Sami food of reindeer meat cooked with vegetables, in folded flatbread parcels similar to soft tacos but larger. Our host tells us about Sami history and their way of life, and serves us Sami coffee in beautiful carved wooden cups.
Later we're outside again with our eyes fixed to the sky. There are clouds tonight and there is much less aurora activity. The red glow on the horizon captured only on the camera is present and there is a short display of the rippling curtains of green. At midnight we abandon our watch - we ride the chairlift down the mountain, the lights of the town growing closer as we descend. The warmth of the station at the bottom of the mountain is welcomed gladly. We defrost for the last time. We've thoroughly enjoyed our time in the north of Sweden!
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