Day 10 - Baltic Jewels and the Midnight Sun: Tromsø, Norway

 Tromsø, Norway – Monday, July 4

Tromsø is located in northern Norway on the island of Tromsøya.  Its latitude of just below 70°N renders annual midnight sun and polar night depending on the season.  We, of course, are visiting during the midnight sun. 

A view of Tromsø as we entered the harbor and head for the dock.

Breakfast in the World Cafe

And then we were off on our included tour with Irene, another Italian-born guide traveling the world.  She currently lives and works in Finland, but has a job that she can do remotely, so she has relocated to Tromsø for the season and does guide-work on the side.

Jeff with Irene - Guide for Group 6

The city center contains the largest number of old wooden houses in the region, with the oldest dating back to 1789.  Our charming guide, Irene, told us that there are two types of siding used in the area - the traditional horizontal, clapboard type of siding, and then the vertical type that we often see at home on barns.

The two different styles of siding - side by side.  Vertical siding in the green building on the left, and horizontal siding on the grey building to the right.

Our first stop was the Northern Lights Planetarium, run by the University of Tromsø where we were treated to an amazing planetarium program based on two years worth of photographs by Ole C Salomonsen which were subsequently assembled into a cohesive narrative of the northern lights of Norway.  

I wasn't sure what to expect, but what we got was a gorgeous cacophony of images of those elusive northern lights.  I remember a year back in the early 80s when I found a house in the Adirondacks of New York state that we rented with the Heidorns, and we woke all of the kids up because we spotted the northern lights.  It was a night I have never forgotten (even though I can't remember a single other thing about that trip).  Anyway, I found Salomonsen's website where you can purchase some of his images.  Below are photos similar to those we saw in the planetarium show.

The photo on the left shows the bridge and the Arctic Church (see more about the Arctic Church below), while the photo on the right shows the Aurora behind a pair of birch trees, that I found particularly and profoundly beautiful when I saw it in the planetarium show.

This shot almost mirrors the shot of the borealis by Salomonsen above.

Both of the photos above were taken from our veranda and show the beauty of this parish church.  On our panoramic tour, we stopped at a vantage point to take a photo of the "Arctic Cathedral."  This parish church, once known as Tromsdalen Kirke is commonly nicknamed the Ishavskatedralen, which literally means "The Cathedral of the Arctic Sea.  But it is not a cathedral at all. 

It was interesting to me that when we stopped for a photo opportunity, I saw a gentleman in a distinctive hat kneeling in a patch of what looked like Queen Anne's Lace with a camera aimed at the church.  We walked over to him, and I asked, "Are you Brian?"  He was indeed Brian Anderson, a fellow traveller on the Mars, whose photographs I have "borrowed" for this blog (with credit given, of course).  He and his wife are Australian and are enjoying a two month sojourn in Europe.

A photo of Viking Mars from the field of Queen Anne's Lace

As we returned to the ship through town, we passed a number of sites of interest - to me at least.

Mack's brewpub Ølhallen opened in 1928 and is the oldest pub in Tromsø.  Referred to simply as "The Hall" in its younger years, it was known as a place of sanctuary and at the time was teeming with fishermen, farmers, and townspeople.  Today Ølhallen is one of the most iconic places in Tromsø with one of the largest tap selections in Europe serving Norwegian beer.  It is considered the northernmost brewery in the world.

A garden in Tromsø

I loved this building, but for the life of me I could not find out what it is!

Photo Credit:  Brian Anderson

The church in the background is Tromsø Cathedral or domkirke.  This cathedral is notable since it is the only Norwegian cathedral made of wood.  It was built in a long church format and in the Gothic Revival  style in 1861 by the architect Christian Heinrich Grosch. The church tower and main entrance are on the west front. It is probably the northernmost Protestant cathedral in the world. With over 600 seats, it is one of Norway's biggest wooden churches. 

Photo Credit:  Brian Anderson

The pipe organ in the Tromsø domkirke

Photo Credit:  Brian Anderson

I just loved Brian's photo of four blacklegged kittywakes nesting above a window in downtown Tromsø!

A city park

The Tromsø library - it used to be a movie theater!

The Fjellheisen Tramway

Fjellheisen is an aerial tramway we could see from our veranda.  The lower station is located near sea-level in Tromsdalen, a suburb on the mainland. The upper station is located at Storsteinen (English: The big rock), a mountain ledge about 1,378 feet above sea-level. The four-minute trip to the upper station is a popular destination in itself, offering visitors a commanding view of the city and the surrounding islands and fjords from an outdoor viewing deck.  Although we did not take the tramway, it was an interesting site to see from our room

A harbor view next to our ship

No sunset pictures, but a parting shot to say good night from Tromsø, Norway!