Arriving in Tromsø

I had struggled to get to sleep, my head still too full of the scenery I’d been enjoying on deck. So unsurprisingly I slept in a little (for me), waking just before 7.30. I got ready quickly and went to breakfast where I took my time waking up properly over a couple of coffees and chatting with the other VTers.

After breakfast I went to another very interesting lecture about the Sami people, with a different speaker - less amusing than the guy we'd heard the previous days but so knowledgeable. She had spent several months during lockdown exploring the North of the country, visiting museums and talking with the Samis she met. She talked about their history, the ten distinct Sami languages, the persecution they'd suffered and recent attempts to make amends.

After that I checked out of my room (as we had to by 12.00) and put my luggage in the store, before spending time in the lounge enjoying the views and chatting a bit more!

I also spent a short time on deck. There was a short talk about a tidal current we were passing through. We were told there are sometimes whirlpools there. I didn’t see any, but the water was certainly forming interesting patterns.

Some of us stayed out for a while to watch our approach to Tromsø. I spotted a couple of sights I remembered from my winter visit with Chris ten years earlier when we’d been fortunate to see the Northern Lights. There would be no such sighting this time around, it was all about the Midnight Sun instead!

Soon though it was time to retrieve our luggage and to disembark. Our friend Christian had arrived yesterday from Germany and was kind enough to meet us – a lovely surprise. And as he had already started to understand the layout of the town he was able to help us find our hotels more easily.

I was in the Thon Polar as were Martin and Zohara. I had a comfortable room on the sixth floor with a huge photo of a polar bear poised menacingly above my pillows! I should add that I loved it!

I unpacked partly and took my camera for a walk around the immediate area. I also glanced in a couple of shops but didn’t buy anything – yet!

In the evening we went to meet up with our host Jon at a bar in a cinema, Verdensteatret. It looked a cool place but I was too busy chatting with friends to look around properly.

Outside Verdensteatret: Martin, Isa, Zohara, Teresa (and Jon inside)

I had one of the local Mack beers here, but they don’t serve food so after a while seven of us left, in search of dinner. We ended up at Kaia on the waterfront where the service was friendly, and informal. I had a delicious reindeer burger and good fries.

We then strolled back to the bar to say hello to some more friends who'd since arrived in town. But I decided not to stay as I was still tired from yesterday’s late night and poor sleep. So I walked back to the hotel with Isa who was staying in one just across from mine, and had a much needed early night.