About Tromso

I can't believe we were only in Norway for 4 days- it seemed like a very long time. I for one am glad to be home for at least one reason- we had to pack light due to luggage restrictions and I am so glad to have clean clothes on after wearing the same clothes for 4 days!

For Michiganders Tromso is a very comfortable place- it is very strikingly like Michigan in the winter, except Tromso is surrounded by beautiful mountains. :) The city has the feel of an old West gold rush town- most of the buildings are made from wood, and shingled in a way that is SO reminiscent of the wild west. It has a young feel, partly because in the past 30 years many people have been moving into Tromso. Some for the adventure of dog sledding and living above the Arctic Circle, but many because Norway moved the Polar Research Center from Oslo (the capital of Norway) to Tromso. Tromso University is apparently quite famous in Norway, and is a bit like UM in that it attracts top people who are very educated and cultured. There are so many concerts and loads of cultural events going on in Tromso. But it doesn't strike you as a snooty place. If anything a bit granola because of the people who have moved there who enjoy outdoor sports and living a sort of one with nature lifestyle. It isn't very surprising when you go to Tromso though- it is just the type of place to foster a spirit of adventure.

Downtown Tromso

Norwegian Kroner, 10Kroner is about 1 pound, or $1.50.

Many famous explorers came from Tromso. Think back to all those things you studied about the Northwest Passage, Polar Expeditions, the North Pole, and you have a big piece of Tromso's history right there. Most polar expeditions came from Tromso, and they went up to Svalbard to launch themselves into the Arctic Desert on their search for the north pole. The many museums in Tromso reflect this explorer history and the Polar Museum is amazing in that it has lots of the original artifacts which these famous men used on their expeditions.

An ice cutter on it's way out to sea

I learned at one of the museums that Tromso is so comparatively warm because the area is warmed by the same gulf stream which warms the UK. Tromso is definitely warmer than Michigan even in their winter. But there is a biting Arctic wind, which we often experience in Michigan as well, although the wind is stronger being at it's source. We came prepared for the cold, but frequently found ourselves (especially G) to be a bit too warm. Better too warm than too cold in my opinion. :) There was no snow in Tromso, although they're expecting snow soon. I'd have loved to try dog sledding and sleighs and snowshoeing and all that, but we'll have to save that for another trip. You might be interested to know that almost all Norwegians speak English! Norwegian is a Germanic language, similar to English and German, so we have a lot of common words.

Ships in Tromso Harbor

The mountains around Tromso are stunningly beautiful- remote, desolate, and wild, with only a very small village of 3 or 4 houses occasionally, and lovely remote farms alone on stretches of road in the fjords. The water is clear as crystal, and you can see starfish, jellyfish, and all sorts of things living in it that you'd never expect. It's also quite salty and therefore more dense up there, so it takes longer to freeze. I love wild, remote places- I always seek them out wherever we go, and since G and I are both into adventure we usually find them. :) If I enjoyed walking more we would take some serious hikes up the mountains, but truth be told I'm more interested in photographing than walking, which slows G down considerably and quite rightly is annoying to the people I'm supposed to be walking with. :) We've hiked up a few smaller mountains, less than 3000 feet anyway, which I enjoyed. But I digress.

My favorite part of our trip was renting a car to drive around near Tromso, amongst the mountains and fjords that were within an hour's drive. We went out when it was dark, and although we didn't see the aurora we were blessed with a bright moon and loads of opportunities for night photography along the deserted road that wound although the mountains. It was simply incredible.

A deserted stretch of road heading out to a teeny seaside village.

A farm on a quiet inlet of one of the fjords.

I learned something interesting about Norway from the museums we visited- hunting and trapping have formed so much a part of the history of Norway, in addition to North Pole expeditions, that their museum which is dedicated to those things is quite telling. They are quite up front about how trappers bludgeoned baby seals to death, trapped foxes and other animals in the cruelest ways, and all for their fur. They sometimes ate the meat, but they were trapping for fur, which I have always thought is just wicked. But interestingly you can buy seal fur products right in the museums! There is no way the UK or the US would allow a person to bring a seal, walrus, or whale product back into their countries, but in Norway they are commonly sold. I'm happy to say that the demand for seal products has plummeted, and there are very few people still hunting seals at all. Given their reduced numbers, I think that's a good thing. I've spared you the most gory of the photos- ones of polar bears being butchered, and seals, and animals caught in viciously inhumane traps. Suffice it to say that I'm for humane treatment and killing of animals where their death is necessary for food only- not for sport, or fashion.

An arctic circle trapper's lodge

Fancy a dead arctic fox anyone? :P

We really enjoyed Norway, the little corner of it that we were able to see anyway, and I'd love to go back during a different season to enjoy the true winter or the beautiful Arctic summer.