Today we went to visit an Amethyst Mine (the last one in Europe apparently) and we were taken there on a sleigh on the back of a snowmobile. We had to get kitted up again in helmets and were then put into the back of the sleigh - it was a lovely journey up to the mine - which is on top of a mountain - and the higher we got the snowier it got!
 |
| Looking very attractive in our balaclavas and helmets |
 |
| Our sleigh to the Mine |
 |
| The landscape on our way up to the mine |
As we were high up on a mountain, the views from the mine were amazing.
 |
| Views from the top of the mountain |
The snow was just starting to fall so they took us in to a small hut to give us a hot drink and to tell us about the mine and then it was our turn to do a spot of mining! We were taken in to the mine, given a hammer and off we went - we were told that if we found anything that you could hold in your fist (or smaller) you could keep, otherwise you would have to pay for it (even though you had done all the hard work!). It was fun for a while but, as my hard work wasn't baring much, I did get a little bored towards the end and it made me realise that I am not cut out to be a miner (too dirty and too much like hard work!).
 |
| Peter hunting for amethysts |
 |
| Success (sort of!) |
 |
| All our hard work for this! Peter found the larger amethyst, and I found the white quartz and tiny amethyst. |
When we came out of the mine there was a snow blizzard and it felt very Christmassy - I thought Father Christmas was going to pop up at any moment! The short video below shows you part of our descent back from the Mine - the creaking you can hear is not my bones but the sleigh (and for some reason it is showing the video sidewards!!)
This evening we went snowshoeing again - this time in the dark! We had to wear head lamps so we could see where we were going - they gave us some tips on how to photograph the northern lights which will be good if we see them again! Apparently last night there was a fantastic display at 1am but we were tucked up in bed by then.
No comments:
Post a Comment