Around Tromsø

Saturday, July 2

After a good night’s rest, we were up at 7:00a. Not that it wasn’t daylight through the night, but the first thing I noticed was that it was very light and bright outside even with the curtains drawn. It didn’t take me long to realize it was because the sun had broken through the cloud cover and was shining bright, bright, bright. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long. By the time we had a simple breakfast and left the apartment, not only had the sun gone back into hiding, but it was raining lightly as well.

eggerøre; ristet brød, jordbærsyltetøy, & ost; and tomater … yummm.
(scrambled eggs; toast, strawberry jam, and cheese; and tomatoes)

Instead of the partly sunny day that was forecasted, we ended up with mostly cloudy, with a short, 15-minute window when the sun showed itself mid-morning. I really think the partly sunny portion of the day happened overnight! Throughout the day, the temp ranged between 50-52F (10-11C). We were quite comfortable with light layers — until the wind came up. Not to worry; we were prepared with extra layers in our backpacks.

I’m going to break today’s post into a couple of segments; this one will be an overview of the entire day with a focus on the market square. And I’ll mention a bit about the town that is hosting us as well.

Tromsø, 186 miles (~300 km) north of the Arctic Circle, is located near the very top of the Norwegian coast (map in the previous post). Most of the city, including the city center where we spent our time, is on the island of Tromsøya, which is connected to the mainland by a bridge and a tunnel. The city is often referred to as the “Paris of the North.” Not sure I agree with that designation, but then, our time in Tromsø was limited and we did not experience all that the city has to offer. There’s much more about Tromsø on the web for those interested. You can start here.

That polar bear seems mighty interested in the Tromsø Domkirke (Cathedral);
I wonder if he’s planning on joining the congregation for services!

So, our first day in Tromsø started out with a bit of a rain delay, which we waited out in the mall. Oy! Oy! Oy! The prices of goods are something else here! (Gas, we calculated, is around $12 per gallon. Nope; won’t be complaining about the per gallon prices in the US anymore.)

When the rain let up a bit, we headed to the Tromsø Information Center where we picked up a map to guide us around town and devised a sightseeing itinerary. Whatever plan we made, however, went out the window when we detoured onto Havnegata to check out the torget (market square).

(As a point of reference, gata or gate is street in Norwegian.)

The one camera icon in the lower left is where we will be going tomorrow before we board the ship; everything else, we did today.

Though the torget was small, we enjoyed mingling with the vendors and citizenry. Not all of the stalls were yet set up, but there was plenty of local color for us to see — woolen goods, lutefisk and torfisk (dried fish), pots of flowers to add cheer to one’s garden, and a flea market towards the back of the square. Interestingly, most of the vendors we spoke with were foreign nationals — from Morocco, France, and Thailand, to name a few. They all said that it was their search for better opportunities that brought them from their countries to the far north. Mui negotiated with the Moroccan sweater lady for a good price for typical Norwegian knits, but even the small-sized cardigans turned out to be too big across the shoulders and chest, so no sale.

Left: Approaching the torget with the harbor in the background.
right: Fangstmonument (Arctic Hunter monument) by Sivert Donali.

Though we didn't buy any woolen goods ...

... we did lighten Mui's wallet with a chicken-kabob purchased for 35 NOK ($6.50).

Flowers already blooming …

… and plants to take home to create a blooming garden.

The Old Town Hall (1892), Music Pavilion (1894), and statue of King Haakon VII (1905-1957) are just up the hill from the torget.

Before I move on, a bit more about the statue in the market square, which depicts a whaler battling rough seas while trying to spear one of the great mammals of the ocean. The monument was erected in memory of the whalers and fishermen who lost their lives in the Arctic Ocean. The Tromsø torget, located near the docks, was where local seamen gathered before setting out on their hazardous journeys, sometimes never to return. Unveiled in 1984, the idea for the monument was conceived in 1952, when, over the course of that one winter, more than 100 men perished at sea. Of them, 80 were whalers.

The statue is made of bronze.
(B&W with selective color)

Detail from the pedestal of the monument.

While Mui continued to browse the stalls and chat with the vendors — by now you all know he’s the people-person and shopper in our family — I stepped into the Katolik Kirke (Catholic Church) overlooking the square. Admittedly, I’m not someone that you’d call religious, and I don’t belong to a particular belief system. I believe in a being that is greater than all, but that’s about it. Regardless, I enjoy the peaceful solitude offered by churches and mosques (and probably synagogues, though I’ve not visited one yet). The awe-inspiring cathedrals and mosques are great for photo ops, but the simpler the place of worship, the better I like it — and this church was no exception. I was especially charmed by the paintings of the Stations of the Cross (I believe that's the correct term) decorating the walls.

Built in 1861, the Katolik Kirke lays claim to being
“the world’s northernmost bishopric” of its sect.

Simple grace.

Three of the paintings of the Stations of the Cross.

After this detour, we tried to get back on track. But then the sun broke through the clouds briefly and we couldn’t stop ourselves from walking back down to the harbor for a glimpse of the scenery in a different light.

The harbor scene is even more delightful with the sun shining bright.

The triangular building across the harbor is commonly referred to as the
Arctic Cathedral; we're heading there next.

The next two stops on our itinerary — the Arctic Cathedral and the Polar Museum — will be topics for separate blog posts. So, I’m going to skip to the latter part of our day.

By 4:30p, our batteries were starting to run a bit low. Slowly, we strolled back to the apartment, arriving just in time to watch Prince Albert of Monaco wed his sweetheart, Charlene Wittstock (one-time Olympic swimmer from South Africa). Sipping on hot tea and snacking on an oven-toasted bread and cheese melt, we enjoyed the ceremony at the Monaco Cathedral while we rested our weary feet. I have to say, I really liked the design of her wedding gown. And that wink Albert gave his bride when they were exchanging their vows — priceless.

By the way, had Silver Expeditions not decided to rename the ship Silver Explorer (as part of their branding effort), we'd be sailing off to the Arctic tomorrow on the Prince Albert II. How's that for a coincidence!

Then, refreshed again, we went out for another walk around town. I tried on a few more sweaters in a few more stores. The problem was the same; too big across the shoulders and upper chest. And when the fit was right, the 1600 to 2000 NOK ($300-370) price tag put the kibosh on the purchase. I’ve been known to splurge on some expensive pieces of clothing, but the item has to really call my name; so far nothing has.

Finally, around 8:00p, we called it a day and returned to the apartment. Another frozen pasta entrée from a bag satisfied the grumblings being issued by our tummies. Booking a place at City Living so we can self-cater has absolutely turned out to be the right decision for us.

It’s just after 10:30p. We’ve had a very satisfactory day of exploring Tromsø. My body is still being tricked into thinking its daytime. I think I’ll do the same thing I do to my computer when it misbehaves (which isn’t very often) — I’m going to “force quit.” Got to get my 40 winks for a new day … a new adventure.