Tromsø
Time Is A Ship That Never Casts Anchor – Sami
Have you ever been somewhere that completely surprised you?
We’d never heard of Tromsø before. It’s the northernmost city in the world, ‘The Arctic Capital’. Tromsø just sounded like a good Womble name to me! When we researched a trip with Norway’s Hurtigruten, everyone we spoke with advised the same thing; “Finish your journey in Tromsø”. We were glad that we did.
After disembarking from the Trollfjord, we checked into our hotel, quickly unpacked and then wandered back to the port to wave the ship goodbye. We were glad to be ashore again.
Tromsø awaited us.
Tromsø is one of those small cities that you can instantly feel at home in. And it had everything. We enjoyed all the Arts and Culture on offer, after weeks of lockdown.
The contemporary photography museum, Perspektivet, was hosting a brilliant photography exhibition, Born Free, about young people in South Africa born free of the Apartheid regime and the prejudices that went with it. Along with the photographs, there was an engaging documentary, a hopeful account of how young South Africans see each other. It was particularly pertinent to see, around the time of the death of George Floyd and the protests that followed. I watched and hoped and thought once again, a better world is possible.
We got tickets to the opening of a film festival. The venue was the charming Verdensteatret (The Theatre of The world). Young filmmakers had collaborated around the world during lockdown, to produce a range of short films on various topics.
On the Friday night we feasted on fabulous food; spicy samosas, piquant paneer and tasty garlic naan. The Elefant is an inviting Indian restaurant, one of the most northern curry houses in the world.
It took us several days to explore this Arctic Circle town. We saw it in a different light, as there were so few tourists. Most of the shops selling troll and moose merchandise were closed, post COVID-19 lockdown.
Instead we got to talk to people. Tromsø residents seemed genuinely pleased to welcome back visitors and we had long chats with locals. In one shop it took us an hour to buy a T shirt, over a couple of complimentary coffees. We learned a little about Sami culture and listened to music recommended by a friend; Kari Rueslaaten and Mari Boine.
We walked for miles, taking time to traverse Tromsø. We sauntered over the Sandnessund bridge, (Sandnessundbrua) which crosses the Sandnessundet strait between the islands of Tromsøya and Kvaløya. We reached the Arctic Cathedral, Ishavskatedralen, with it’s impressive stained glass windows and stunning contemporary design.
We ambled on, to reach the Fjellheisen, cable car. It runs from Solliveien in Tromsdalen to the top of the mountain ledge, Storsteinen (421 m above sea level). The two gondolas are called Seal and Polar bear. Each one has a capacity of 28 passengers. We were three!
When we reached the top, we hiked on the mountain, taking in the spectacular panoramic views of Tromsø and the surrounding islands, mountains and fjords. We took careful strides in fresh snow. We found stacked stones, cairns left by other hikers and spotted reindeer nearby.
The walk back into Tromsø was long, but the best thing was having time to take in this unique town. It was great to be travelling again. Always.
On our last night we walked to the harbour to take one last look at the light of the midnight sun. We passed crowds, queueing to get in to night clubs. It was around 1 a.m and perfectly light. Surreal really.
Tromsø has a very particular energy due to the midnight sun (middnatsol) and in winter, its Northern lights. We enjoyed its quirkiness and wandered by myriad ‘koselig’ cafes, bars and shops. At times I felt like we’d been dropped into an episode of Northern Exposure, a 90s drama television series about the eccentric residents of a small town in Alaska. It’s a city that warrants at least a few days to be fully experienced.
Have you ever been to Tromsø?
Or have you ever been somewhere that completely surprised you?
© Maggie M/ Mother City Time