VIP Arctic Tromsø

... We caught the bus to the middle of nowhere and hiked up the highest spot on the island, where we sat drinking tea listening to the local radio, hoping for the show. 2 hours later we gave up just as the rain began to start again and a mist engulfed the spot that we were standing on. So that was the end of that. We caught the bus back and gave up for that evening. <I think I should mention that The Lights mostly appear during 6pm - 2 am ...

Since Bodo,the coastal express has steamed north in search of the elusive North Cape. The sea is quite gentle which is contrary to everything that I have come to expect from sagas regarding the savage Arctic wind. But, if one reads accounts of the plight of the Allied convoys during WW II. this bit of the North Atlantic is no cup of tea. On this voyage, though,we are blessed.

The weather has varied but remains moderate. This assumes that one does not mind the odd bit of ...

Heräsin aamulla joskus kuuden aikaan lokkien kovaan metelöintiin, mikä hiljeni hetken kuluttua, mutta sitten alkoikin autometeli. Ei, tänne ei jäädä toiseksi yöksi...
Pakkauduimme autoon ja lähdimme kohti Tromssaa. Siellä kävimme ensin Jäämerenkatedraalissa, joka olikin aika erikoinen, hyvin pohjoismainen, kolmiomainen kirkko.
Ajoimme upean, pitkän sillan yli Tromssan keskustaan ja pienten sekoilujen jälkeen pääsimme sen läpi ja saavuimme Polariaan. Se on merinäyttely ...

... there wasn't any money exchange service at the airport, and money exchange service was only available at the banks in the city and some major hotels, and unfortunately, the banks are closed on Saturdays and Sundays, so the only solution was to use our credit card to withdraw money from the minibank automated teller machines (ATM) or to wait until Monday to exchange the money at the banks. What a bummer! We didn't even have 1 øre ...

... bus took about ten minutes over icy roads through streets filled with modern looking apartment buidings and expensive looking timber houses. When we arrived in town we walked up and down the frozen streets in awe of the spectacular scenery surrounding the place. Tromso is on an island in the middle of a fjord. There is a bridge on either side of the island which connects it to land. Surrounding the town are countless snowcovered mountains high rugged cliffs and craggy ...

Arrived in Tromso at about 1730 and went to the Radisson to ask about the airport bus, when the first one was and when the last one was. Last one was at 8pm and the girl said that the airport shuts at 1am. We decided to go for a wander and ask a second opinion. We found reasonably priced cabins for the night out at the campground and called the taxi to find out how much ...

... I had a rather good panini for 68 NOK. We met up with a couple more people and headed up to a lake above the city center. The plan was to hike around the lake and head north along some trails to the University of Tromso's Botanical Garden. It took about 15-20 minutes hiking uphill on the road to reach the trail head. We made our way along the lake and stopped a few times to take pictures. There was a little dock where we could see mallards ...

... peaks feeding into a beautiful expanse of water. Diana and I went to ride some horses and were suprised when we got to our destination to find something sized between a pony and a horse. These 'horses' are related to the 'native' horses of Norway (and Mongolia apparently) but they look like they've shrunk after being left out in the rain. Oh, something for my nephew Jacques!

... wait until our next flight and the airport was closing - we didn't know whether we'd be thrown out or allowed to stay. Luckily a security guard told us we could stay as long as we remained in some seats he pointed out which had "a toilet here and a security camera here". All the luxuries of home! The lights went out and everybody left and they must have turned the heating off too because it got cold. We zipped up into our coats and tried to sleep.

After crossing the Arctic Circle, we arrived at Tromsø. Tromsø is mostly on an island called Tromsøya. There is a bridge that crosses over to the part on the mainland called Tromsdalen. The weather was cold and rainy (as usual) but that did not dissuade us from walking around the town to see what it had to offer. The main street was qaint and typical of most of the Norwegian towns we saw. First ...