Tromso

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The trip to Tromso from Edinburgh was easy enough as travelling goes. I had a connecting flight at Oslo, which must be the world's first airport to look like it is made almost entirely out of wood. Very slick nevertheless.

Also very expensive. With an hour and a half between flights I grabbed a beer and a small pizza at the gate. Came to a grand total of £13. That was topped later in the day, but more on that below.

About 30 minutes from Tromso I started looking outside for something resembling the northern lights. The lights in the cabin didn't help, but when I shielded my eyes against the window to block out all of the light I saw an amazing stream of shimmering green lights going the whole way across the sky. It was only about 5 minutes before we started to descend and the view was blocked by cloud, but it was incredible to see the light shifting and changing for a few minutes. If the weather continues like it is at the moment then that might be the only view I get of them...

When I arrived in Tromso airport it was as cold and as dark as I'd expected it to be. The snow was pelting down from a very dark sky, although I suppose most places are dark at 7pm in the winter. As soon as I got outside of the airport I was hit by the cold. One of those colds that was dry and pleasant enough if you were wrapped up properly, which I wasn't just yet, so I was cold.

I am now inside the Arctic Circle and as far as I am aware, am the first McAvinchey to do so. Clearly I am right up there with Fiennes, Amundsen, and Palin.

Tromso itself is a fairly compact city, which is a good thing when it is this cold and snowy. The street behind my hotel, Storgata, had a few places to eat or drink last night, but I stumbled across a decent looking pizzeria and dived in. I waited that long to be served that I was thinking of leaving to go across the street for a dinner of ice cream instead, but I eventually did get served. I wish I hadn't - 1 medium pizza, 2 beers (1 of them a half pint), grand total of £30 if you don't mind. Insanity in my book, so these norwegians must have to work about 20 hours a day to afford to live. However that can't be the case as I am in a pub at 11am and it is full of men of working age... Maybe they get paid to drink. Or maybe they are all like me and are tourists who are going to spend the next 2 hours drinking until the start of the tour of the next door brewery (the worlds most northerly, as is the case with many things in Tromso, which is also home to the worlds most northerly Burger King, where, after last night's feeding extraveganza, I shall be dining tonight).

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Photos

Arctic Cathedral in Tromso
Across to Tromsdalen in the afternoon