A crowd forms, those in the centre bathing in sunlight, for the official opening of giant sun mirrors in the town of Rjukan, Norway, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013.
“Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces,” as the Beatles song goes.
Typically blanketed in shadow for half the year, the town of Rjukan in Norway was exposed to winter sunlight Wednesday for the first time thanks to three industrial-grade mirrors placed atop an overlooking, sun-drenched hill.
“This feels warm. When there is no time to get to the top of the mountains on weekdays, it will be lovely to come out for an hour and feel this warmth on my face,” Karin Roe, from the local tourist office, told the Associated Press.
Cheering residents gathered in the local square under the sunlight, drinking cocktails and donning sunglasses in the 45-degree weather.
A local artist helped raise the funds to install the $850,000 computer-controlled mirrors, drawing inspiration from the early 20th century industrialist who built the town for workers at his nearby hydroelectric plant and who conceived of adding mirrors to add sunlight.
[AP]