Here Comes the Sun, I Say... It's Alright

The MS Vesterålen approaches the port of Tromsø in Norway on January 16, 2014. (Photo: ©Tom Yulsman) Pic of the Day Today, the Sun poked up above the horizon in the Arctic city of Tromsø, Norway for the first time since late November. From here on out the daytime will get longer and longer until the third week in May when the sun won't set at all for awhile. I should say for the record that if you check web sites that give you sunrise and sunset times for cities around the world, they'll tell you that the Sun returned to Tromsø last Thursday. That's not what the locals will tell you. And the likely explanation for the discrepancy is that the first sunrise comes earlier in the month the higher up you go on the low mountain that comprises most of the island on which Tromsø is built. In any case, I had hoped to photograph the Sun's return today and post it here as my Pic of the Day. But I got out of the Arctic Frontiers conference I've been covering a little too late. The Sun had already dipped below the horizon. So instead, I offer the photo above showing the MS Vesterålen of the Hurtigruten line approaching the dock in Tromsø a few days ago. On the right side of the photo you can see the glorious yellow glow from the sun just below the horizon and behind the mountains. http://youtu.be/CTnDttx8PPU?list=PLB253D4D853A01233 I'm sure for residents of Tromsø it sometimes does feel like a long, cold lonely winter, and it probably has felt like years since the sun has been here. But with the Sun's return, the smile's returning to the faces. As I'm writing this, I'm celebrating this day by listening to different versions of George Harrison's awesome song. The version above is by the incredible Nina Simone. I hope you enjoy it.