Late Nights and Early Mornings

Monday 8 July 2013

Winter on the 59 degree North latitude was long, dark and some might argue, downright depressing. At it's lowest, we were privy to a measly 6 hours and 11 minutes of daylight.  It was pretty common for Joe to go days without seeing the light of day, leaving for work hours before the sun rose and coming home hours after it set.  It can be difficult but in the summer, we're rewarded.

On the eve of Summer Solstice, those in Stavanger were gifted 18 hours and 30 minutes of daylight with twilight on either side.  There are nights where it never feels 'dark' and the mornings beckon us early.  Locals will draw their blackout shades to aid in slumber but the difference is palpable.  The long days bring a new energy to the city and it's residents.

Currently, the sun is rising at 4:36 and setting at 10:47 and it doesn't bother me in the slightest.  Late night walks and early morning coffee are the norm in our household and with my recent return from Canada and a disturbed sleeping schedule, I've witnessed the sunrise on a couple of occasions.  While normally I'd be annoyed at my body's insistence to rise at an ungodly hour, I'm instead choosing to soak it up.  After all, the opposite is only just around the corner.

Evening Strolls {10:00}

An early morning {4:45 am}

21 comments:

  1. The constant sunlight took some getting used to for us. But I really enjoyed it because the dark winters are such a bear...

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  2. wow! i can't imagine it being light (or dark for that matter) for that long! it would totally throw me fora loop trying to sleep! thank god for black out shades!

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  3. Those long, dark winters are definitely not something I look forward, too! :) But I'm sure you're having an amazing summer right now! :) It's really the best to keep a positive attitude about both the summer and the winter and to enjoy living in such an interesting location - you're clearly doing it right.

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  4. beautifull sunrise!!!

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  5. incredible! when I was blown away by all the sunlight we got pass 9:30. I can't imagine it staying so light past 10!

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  6. so beautiful!

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  7. So beautiful. I would love that much sunlight during the day! Fortunately, here in Texas during the summer, the sun doesn't go down all the way until almost 9pm and rises at 6:30am, so that's pretty good. :)

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  8. I am loving all the extra light right now! I crave sunlight. Makes me feel so much better in general!

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    1. Me too, Oneika! I have so much more energy and just feel happier in general!

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  9. Oh wow the photos are just amazing! I was in Iceland once and I literally didn't sleep the entire week. I just couldn't get over the no darkness.

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  10. Enjoy the endless days as long as you have them!! I was always fascinated with the midnight sun and I would sure love evening strolls in the twilight!!

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  11. aw, that makes me miss saskatchewan. light till 11pm in the summer...ahhh.. so nice! here on roatan the latest it's ever been light is like 7pm. kinda a bummer in a place where it's not safe to go out at night :(

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  12. I love the aura of these photos, so serene.

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  13. i love how late the sun stays up here! even way down here is spain its not setting till 9;30 which is seriousl so cool!

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  14. Oh my...your early morning shot of the water is just stunning! I would certainly rise early to see that at least once!

    The amount of daylight we get in London right now is so bizarre to me! I can totally relate to what you mean about it never getting fully dark. It's so hard to get my daughter to go to sleep at 9:30 when it's still light outside!

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  15. Love this, and your images! I mis the loooong days, but I have to say the short days are on my very small list of "cons" from living so far North. I didn't have any mood disorder from the short days, but I did get frustrated trying to cram work + walking my dogs + running any errands into the limited daylight, since shops often closed earlier in the winter as well. Paul often was the same as Joe, not seeing daylight for days at a time.
    But the long days... I remember we'd take the dogs out for a walk at 10PM and it'd be so beautiful! And the way the light changed throughout the day was its own show, really. The few times I caught summer sunrises (usually from being up that late, not getting up that early!) I was just transfixed.
    Keep sharing pictures! I love them!

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  16. i love that you're choosing to embrace the strange times you are awake instead of fighting them. in my youth i always felt like there were certain times in the morning it was almost sinful to be awake during, but after 3 years working early mornings (5:30am start every day) i have started to finally embrace it. i love that about summer, the day has started and is there to enjoy. glad to hear you are enjoying it! i love the photos.

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    1. Thank you Cynthia! I find myself a happier person when I look on the positive side of things I can't change!

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  17. oh, breathtaking! I had a hard enough time at 51.1°N and I don't know if I could handle the darkness of your winter, but all that light - it would make it worth it, wouldn't it? You sort of understand how they came up with the ancient gods given all that darkness and then the light.

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  18. We're moving to Latvia next year and I am so excited to experience this phenomenon!

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