Finnsnes & Tromso Saturday 9 December 2017

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Saturday 9 December 2017



After a morning stop in Finnsnes, the ship continued to Tromso, the gateway to the Arctic, for a prolonged stay. At 2.15pm we docked and started our visit to Tromso. Before getting off the ship we saw the Arctic Cathedral across the water, over the bid long bridge, opposite the CBD. We were going to concentrate on the city centre.



First was the Christmas Markets in the city square but all the stalls were food based, offering sample of local food. Next was the Polar Museum where we learned the history of seal hunting as well as the exploration of the North Pole. Very interesting. The display included preserved seals, life-size models of explorers and the equipment that was used.



We then walked into the main shopping area, briefly stopping inside the shopping centre. The weather was very mild with no wind or rain and about -2 degrees C Our clothes continued to protect us from the cold so we were all very toasty.



Walking past the Tromso Cathedral, Library, a quaint rotunda as well as all the shops with Christmas decorations in windows. We walked to the water’s edge to take more photos of the Arctic Cathedral and walked in snow up to our knees. We just laughed and laughed at how we were trudging through the fresh, deep snow. Beautiful!



Snow and ice was everywhere. We treaded carefully as some of the footpaths were slippery. Sheryl & Tom had bought crampons, but I was relying on my treads of my trekking boots.



We then walked to Mack’s Brewery where there were 40 or more boutique beers on tap and a lot more not on tap. After a couple of beers, we had to scurry back to the ship which was departing at 6.30pm. All was well but I did slip over a couple of times!!!!



After an exhilarating day in Tromso, we continue our northbound journey. The ship was now sailing into the area along the coast where we will have the best chance of seeing the Northern Lights.

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