An Auspicious Start
There was an alarm in the terminal so we had to go outside and wait for about half an hour on the tarmac.
Oslo
I’m pretty sure this much snow on the ground would bring LGA or JFK to a standstill.
Kroken
We stayed in a place just outside of Tromsø. Public transportation is excellent in Norway, so it was no problem getting in to town on a whim.
The Arctic Cathedral
Our first proper touristy stop.
The back looks like a mid century modern university library.
The Tromsø Cathedral
This is the actual cathedral in town and the seat of the church for the area.
Kittens
Our host had kittens. Only one was brave enough to interact with us all that much.
Aurora Hunting
I guess we had pretty good luck because we got to see the northern lights after only about fifteen minutes into our aurora tour.
More Good Luck
Our tour guide’s uncle caught a few cod the day before, so they invited us to their house to eat it, along with rogn, cod liver, potatoes, and onions. And they even cracked open a new bottle of aquavit for us! While we were waiting for the food to be ready, in between visits to the little fire hut, the aurora was popping all around.
Later that evening we went to the top of a mountain where we managed to get the best views.
In real life, you usually don’t see as much color with the naked eye. However, you can see more texture and, of course, movement.
The movement really is the best part. So I’m not sure if I will spend as much time taking pictures next time. Instead I think I will just watch.
Details
Just an interesting view I caught out of the corner of my eye.
Tromsø Kunstforening
There were some interesting exhibits at the Tromsø Contemporary Art Museum, but I think my favorite part was the building itself.
I also like the theme. Though I was not traveling alone, my pictures tend to have that look.
Graffiti
There wasn’t all that much graffiti in Tromsø, though I did find these stickers.
Jet Lag
Between jet lag and the cold, we spent a bit more time at home that we might have liked.
Fjord Tour
We did get our act together for a tour around some of the fjords in the area.
The Norwegian Sea
The sun had only risen above the mountains for the first time this year a few days earlier.
Lunch on Tour
Our tour guide made lunch in a bag. It was surprisingly good, actually. We continued on a little further and then headed home, sleeping off jet lag and midnight aurora hunts much of the way.
Headed Home
Back at the Oslo airport, ready to get on the plane and get home.
