Tromso Tales

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Sometimes Barry and I plan our trips months in advance, other times it is a matter of weeks. In this case, it was just 4 weeks beforehand when Barry read an article in Wanderlust magazine saying that this is a good time of year to head to Tromso. Roll on 12 February and we found ourselves on a flight heading from London Gatwick (latitude 51 degrees) to Tromso in Norway (latitude 70 degrees north – some 300km inside the Arctic circle, and a mere 2,000km from the North Pole).

We spent 4 days enjoying the sights and adventures on offer in Tromso. During our time we experienced downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, hiking in the snow and searching for the Northern Lights. As the pictures show, we were pretty successful at all of these! We really enjoyed the downhill skiing at Kroken, a few kilometres from Tromso, even getting down a red run at one point.

The cross-country skiing was fantastic fun too. We had a 2 hour lesson. It was tough work, but great fun and the guide was very patient! I had a fantastic crash, landing on my nose, but otherwise found it to be quite a natural feeling once we got moving. The scenery was stunning and I would love to try it again, maybe taking a picnic and a thermos next time!

Our search for the Northern Lights proved to be pretty successful too. We set out one evening as part of a group on the "Northern Lights Bus" which heads up into the mountains and finds a spot without much urban light and waits for the show to begin. The lights were stunning and the completely clear sky meant we had a great view. However, the clear sky also meant that it was unbelievably cold. The thermometer suggested we were well below minus 20 celsius and it certainly felt like it. My fingers nearly froze off when I had to take my gloves off for photos!

After only a few days in Tromso it was time to head home and in some ways I was happy to be getting back to the relative warmth of London. But, I was definitely going to miss the stunning views and clear Norwegian air of Tromso. Maybe we will just have to go back next year.

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Comments

[Dawn Smallwood]

Love the photo!
Love to see the Northern Lights someday.