Northern Lights at Vik beach and Haukland beach

One of our last stops on the Lofoten was Vik beach and Haukland beach (they are right next to each other). Supposed to be one of Lofoten's most beautiful beaches it doesn't disappoint. Beautiful white sand in a bay surrounded by mountains and perfectly oriented to allow for wonderful sunsets.

We were lucky with the weather and bathed the sun in on a long walk along the coastline. Finding a spot to sleep proved a challenge as many spots were already taken. We were able to get the last available spot and proceeded to enjoy the evening. After a while we noticed that groups of photographers started setting up on the beach: a sure sign for something must be about to happen.
So, we checked the apps for aurora borealis predictions and saw that there was a decent chance.

Not much later the first rays of green started to appear on the clear night sky and it was time to grab the photography gear and join all the others on the beach.

Having seen northern lights already with many colors we figured we knew what we were in for. We could not have been more wrong. This night we experienced what we can only describe as an explosion of light. For about 15 seconds the sky was brighter than daylight, the green danced hectically and very fast and the "oooooohhhhh"s and "wooooooow"s on the beach underlined: this was special.
Of course my camera was dialed in for too long an exposure and thus most photos of this moment turned out to be just white. Well, some things are only meant to be remembered.

...this evening will surely stay in our memories for a very long time.