We arrived into Tromsø just after lunch in brilliant light
and blue skies. The sun never gets really high in the sky in the Arctic, even
in mid-summer, but now the sun stays relatively low and makes for wonderful
images. There is also a warmth to the light, belying the temperatures, which
were around 5°C. Tromsø has many old buildings, unlike Finnmarken to the north and east- the most northerly part of Norway- which lost many buildings at the end of WWII.
Old warehouses stand at the old shoreline, all with their characteristic little winch houses at the top front.
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| The first residence in Tromsø to have electricity |
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| One of the modern buildings in Tromsø- The Polaria- Polar Aquarium |
Tromsø is a fine place, sophisticated and bustling, but
always with the reminder of where you are provided by the surrounding
mountains, this day covered in a light dusting of snow that had fallen the
previous evening. We had about 6 hours to enjoy the place, which people did by
visiting the city of over 70,000 people, taking a guided walk around the city, or climbing the mountain over on
the mainland and coming down by cable car. There is so much to see and do in
Tromsø that you really need a week to sample the restaurants and coffee shops,
visit the museum, aquarium and many historical points of interest. One thing is
clear, Roald Amundsen figures prominently in this city!
It is the sort of place that beckons you back, as evidenced
by the many people on-board the Fram for whom this is not the first trip, nor
will it be their last.
