Tromsø day 1: Getting to Norway and our first sighting of the Aurora Borealis

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Getting to Norway and our first sighting of the Aurora Borealis



One problem with charging for luggage on flights is that you try and wear as much as possible so you can minimise or eliminate the number of bags you have to pay for. If you're going somewhere cold this results in almost passing out as you swelter neath hot clothing in hot airports.



I have snow boots on, thermal trousers and a thermal fleece. I think I've sweated off a few pounds already but sadly this feels like it's landed in my boots and I may end up with trenchfoot by the end of the day. Worth it to save £40 for an extra bag though!



We are currently delayed at Oslo airport but only by 25 minutes (so far.....) which is pretty good for us! The flight here was fine but then we weren't on Qatar airways so chances are it would be. Not much leg room but it was only 1 1/2 hours from Manchester.



Our next flight is up to Tromsø, our destination for the weekend. Having seen the prices of food and drink here we may have lost a few more pounds in weight by the time we get home. I knew it would be expensive and yes I know it's airport prices but OMG!!!!! £14 for a small bowl of salad!! Good job we brought some sweets with us and each trip we've booked includes food.



This trip is our third attempt to at least catch a glimpse of those damned elusive northern lights. We missed them by an hour in Iceland two years ago and by a few days in Finland last year. So when we had a speaker last night at our camera club who showed us an amazing picture of the aurora borealis that he'd taken on his first night looking for them.....well, he won't be invited back!



There are two parts to where we are at Oslo airport and you coudn't get through to the second part until your luggage had been identified. You wait for your name to come up on the screen then scan your boarding pass to get through an electronic gate. A picture of your luggage appears on screen, you verify it's yours then you can proceed. Qatar airways take note again....



On the next flight I had a complimentary cup of coffee. This made me happy.



We landed in Tromsø about 30 minutes later than scheduled but that's still about a day better than Qatar manage. We were soon outside and queuing for a taxi and they came thick and fast so we were soon on our way. £20 to go not very far but hey, better than walking!



I'd booked an airbnb place where the main picture had a photo of a cat. Being a good husband, that was the place for us and luckily where we are staying is pretty stunning. Egil met us and then his wife Monica soon joined us. As we'd been delayed he'd made up some food for us and we are in a super self-contained apartment with our own kitchen and TWO coffee machines WITH coffee. From our window we can see out over the lake and we're pretty happy. Claire hasn't seen Wenger yet though.....yes , the cat is named after Arsene Wenger....



After being made very welcome we chilled out and had a nice relaxing evening watching TV.



And if you believe that you'll believe that Donald Trump is sane!



We unpacked and were soon heading out into the night armed with cameras, tripods and fruity Mentos. There's plenty of snow and ice of course but most pavements are gritted and not too slippy, plus we were lent some grips that actually fit my boots.



We headed towards town. We are pretty much in the suburbs and it's about a 20 minute walk into the centre through an industrial part of town. Tromso is on an island and there's a massive foot and road bridge across to the mainland where an attractive cathedral sits. We made it nearly half way across but time was against us as we needed to do some shopping before the shop shut at 11.



There weren't a lot of people walking around but we did find out why later. I noticed in one house that they had a lampshade the size of Leicester and this was replicated in another house so obviously the reason people aren't out walking is that they can't get past the gigantic lampshades to even get anywhere!



The shop we headed for is a Eurospar and I was very excited about going into the biggest Spar I've ever been in....yeah sad I know....



I was having my picture taken in front of said enormous Spar when Claire noticed some green bits in the sky....could it be, gulp, those damned elusive Northern Lights....YES!! It wasn't much but by god we're counting it!!



The prices in the Eurospar were frightening. At least double what we pay back home. We bought a few basics as there's no way we can afford a meal out here.



So we go back to the room and guess what's up in the sky again, yep those pesky Northern Lights. This time they were stronger and more vibrant and we stood just outside our door taking pictures of them. After three years of searching for them we had finally done it! And what did Claire say? Yep you guessed it 'they just don't stop do they?'.



They faded considerably though so we went back inside and started writing our blogs. I'm not convinced I'm going to finish as it's been a long day and I'm getting pretty tired and mixing my tenses. Then, just after midnight there's a knock at the door. Those darned lights are out again and Monica is letting us know.



So back out we go and yes it's getting pretty nippy now especially as we haven't had time to layer up properly. Another fantastic display though and even if my photos are rubbish....I've seen the northern lights!!! As they faded again I gave up trying to finish my blog to get some sleep as a busy day lay ahead.

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