Tromsø

Of all the places I was looking forward to visiting in Norway, Tromsø (pronounced Tromsa) was at the top of the list. I have wanted to come here for as long as I can remember, and I wanted to come in the winter.

Here’s a few facts about Tromsø: it is over 200 miles above the Arctic circle and has a population of nearly 100,000. Because of its latitude, Tromsø experiences the midnight sun in the summer and polar nights in the winter. It is the third largest city above the arctic circle in the world, and is a very popular place to observe the northern lights. The city proper is actually on the Tromsøya island, but the municipality encompasses large surrounding areas.

Tromsøya is quite hilly and so some roads used to get around town are actually underground. In fact, we drove through a tunnel and ended up on two roundabouts! It’s like a maze down there and typical of the Norwegian propensity for boring through rock. I think perhaps only the Swiss have them beat in this regard.

Needless to say, on departure day when Steven and I left Alta and headed to Tromsø, I was very excited! On this travel day we would board the first of many ferries that are part of the Norwegian highway system. The road just literally ends at the ferry terminal, we get in line, board the ferry, then drive off once we have crossed whichever fjord needs crossing and then continue on the highway. Before we know it, we’re at another terminal and ready to do it all over again. It’s fun, but it does add time to the trip. In most cases the ferry schedules are fairly well synched so that when we get off one and drive to the next, we are not waiting for long. On this trip to Tromsø, we took two ferries.

They have this thing down to a fine science in Norway. Payment is a breeze. We have an “AutoPass” card and are registered, so they simply take a photo of our license plate and the cost is deducted from our account. We get an email receipt each time. It’s so efficient! Also, AutoPass users get 50% off on the cost of the ferry, so, win-win!
They pack ‘em in like sardines but it all runs smoothly.
Bijou did not experience sea sickness during the many crossings.
Spectacular views from the ferry.

We had decided we wanted to stay in Tromsø for four days, so we splashed out on the full service campground. It was pretty expensive at around $50 per night, but hey ho. It was in a perfect location for us to ride our bikes across the bridge into Tromsø and around the island. And, we had fabulous sunny weather for our stay, so we really got lucky. There is a cable car that goes up 1,380 feet above sea level and we were planning to take it up to see the midnight sun. Unfortunately, even though the sun was shining, the top of the mountain where the cable car is was completely covered in fog, so we didn’t bother going.

More scenes from our hard life. This time at the Tromsø campground. Having a very French lunch with a glass of vino 🙂
Having fun on our bike ride in Tromsø.
Linda took this beautiful shot of the midnight sun. I think it was about 11pm and we were out trying to get some aerial shots with Buzzy our drone but unfortunately the fog put a stop to that.

On our first trip into Tromsø we passed by the Arctic Cathedral, or more formally, the Tromsdalen Church. It is stunning. Built of concrete and metal, it looms large across the city and can be seen from just about every vantage point. When we arrived to visit the sun was just peeking through the glass and it made for a beautiful effect.

Back and front of the Arctic Cathedral. You can see how the sun can make it’s way through the various architectural slats throughout the day.

Tromsø is actually quite compact and it was easy to visit most of the highlights on our bike tour. Here’s a few of our favorite photos from around the city:

The growing season is short but there were tons of beautiful flowers all over town. This little park is in front of a church, near the main shopping area. All the shops, cafes and restaurants were packed, mostly outside because it was such a gorgeous day.
Here we are in Tromsø but you can see the Arctic Cathedral across the fjord.
Norway is famous for its wooden houses, and the most popular colors are red, gold and blue, with a few whites and other odd colors thrown in for good measure.
You never have to go far to find a troll in Norway, especially in a tourist town.
Lots of artwork around town, I particularly liked this little dachshund.
In addition to the wooden buildings Tromsø has lots of modern architecture. The top two photos are the Tromsø Library, and the bottom is a museum. Very nice.
In addition to the Arctic Cathedral there are two other churches in town, both build with wood.
I was going to try and figure out what this building was, but I didn’t. Sorry. Probably the town hall or something like that. It’s the statue that grabs the attention though. So awkward.
Backlit Tromsø. Such a pretty city!

I was struck by how much Tromsø reminded me of a mini-Seattle. The bridge leading into the town, the water and the mountains, all of it brought back memories of some of the things I love most about Seattle. Even though I enjoyed my summer stay in Tromsø, I’m leaving it on my winter bucket list. There is just something that appeals to me about the snow and cold, and the darkness. When I lived in Anchorage back in the early 80s, I used to love to sit by the fire snuggled in my cozy jammies with a lovely beverage and watch as the snow fell in chunks into the little river outside the condo where I lived. I was into Hygge long before it was cool, I just didn’t know the name for it. Steven is not quite as enamored with the idea of a long, cold and dark winter, but he’s game for a few weeks and that works for me. Sometime in our future we plan to take the plunge into the darkest of winter vacations. We don’t know where yet, but Tromsø is on the list.

And finally, another portrait drawing from Steven. This time from one of the greats: Ray Charles. If you would like to keep up with Steven’s artwork, you can follow his Visual Art page on Facebook here.


NEXT UP: Norway’s famous islands!


…

Previous Post
Next Post

28 Comments

  2. joyce e densmore-thomas

    I just googled Tromso (sorry for English keyboard spelling). It looks lovely in the winter. We spend time in Montana in winter because as I say…I love to “visit” winter. Love following your travels. Living vicariously for now!

    1. 2chouters

      Yeah, very pretty in the winter, right? I think I’d love it there for a little while. Way back in 2002, Steven and I spent Christmas in Juneau, Alaska. I said we have to be the only fools who vacation in Alaska in the winter, but we really loved it and enjoyed the first white Christmas in Juneau in seven years! It was magical!

    1. 2chouters

      LOL, I get it. When I lived in Alaska, in the winter I drove to work in the dark and drove home in the dark. If it wasn’t for a sliver of a window in my office and the weekend, I would have gone months without seeing daylight! I kind of loved it, but now I am not sure I could take it for a really long time. About a month would work for me. 🙂 Hope things are moving along on the house and that all is well!

        1. 2chouters

          Yep, been there, done that. Five level house, six bed, six bath. Took two years and I thought we’d never finish. Totally worth it in the end. I hope we get to visit and see your new home!

  6. Vernon Hauser

    What a beautiful city and your photos where wonderful . What do all the people do for a living that far north ? That approach on that bridge in the winter time might be a hand full . Oh by the way ” five levels ,six bedroom & six baths ” . You sure you weren’t
    building a hotel ? Stay safe the virus has taken off again over here big time . Vern

    1. 2chouters

      Well, Tromso is a university town, plus there is always fishing along the coast. Honestly, I’m not sure what folks do, but there are a lot of BMWs and Tesla cars in town. Seriously, we’ve seen more Teslas here than anywhere else! So, yeah, you know we refer to our Seattle home as the “BAH”, right? That stands for Big Ass House. 🙂 We had to get rid of it and hit the road because it took us a week to clean it, then we just had to start all over again! 🙂 Good to hear from you, Vern!

  7. Ingrid

    There’s an Irish guy who has a campsite in Finland, lots of snow in winter, on a lake with cabins. He does winter rental for a few weeks around Christmas. Might be another option if your that far north. Actually mark and i was saying that we’d love to do a winter trip up that way but use trains instead of the van

  8. Laurie

    50% off for using the AutoPass?? Either the ferry fares must be pretty low, or you saved enough for a night at the campground!

    All that beauty, water, and FRESH AIR! I want, I want!

    1. 2chouters

      Yeah, that Autopass is a pretty good deal! And we get 10-20% off road tolls, which are really expensive here in Norway. Although, the tolls go away once the road/tunnel/bridge/whatever is paid off. That’s a good deal! We are indeed enjoying lots of clean, fresh air. And some rain. And cool temps. Just perfect. Maybe you should plan to come visit next summer. 🙂

  9. Liz

    I hope you went to a midnight concert at the Artic Cathedral. Varying performers but we saw a terrific male vocal quartet. So beautiful at night. For your winter, I again recommend the Hurtigruten. Spectacular northern lights.
    Thanks for sharing your Norwegian adventure. Hope you can get onto the fjords. Also the Flam railway is incredible. So, so much to experience in Norway. Just very costly.

    1. 2chouters

      We sure tried to go to the midnight concert, sadly they were all cancelled due to Covid. I’m sure it was amazing. I have to agree with you that Norway is very costly. 🙂

  11. Laurel

    Your photo from the ferry looks so much like the San Juan Islands! Even though we’ve spent hours traveling on ferries, I never tire of the journey. Tromsø is beautiful…but in the winter? Brrrrrr. I’ll look forward to your photos someday, LOL.

    1. 2chouters

      Gosh, I remember the first time we rolled onto a ferry in Scoopy! It was the one from Whidbey Island to Anacortes. I was so scared, but it turned out to be a breeze. We sat right up front and had a full view, like Scoopy was a boat. I sure miss the PNW, don’t you? I get your reasons for leaving, and we are grappling with the same thoughts. It sure makes me sad, though.

  12. Jodee Gravel

    With the tunnels (wow!) and the ferries you get lots of traveling options in Norway. That midnight sun pic really is stunning Linda – very magical. Love the little doxy but can’t help but wonder if people trip over him. I’d love to do some winter magic travels but have no desire to drive the rig in snow so perhaps a vacation rental is in our future! It really is a beautiful little city, so glad you got to finally see it.

    1. 2chouters

      The only time we drove in a snow storm in Scoopy was from El Paso to Las Cruces. The next day we carried on to Tucson and there were big rigs (trucks, not RVs) in the ditch. It was dark when we got to Tucson, but we were sure happy to be there. I have ZERO desire to drive a rig through snow ever again! So yeah, an Airbnb sounds good, right. 🙂

  13. JANE L SOUZA

    I LOVE traveling the world with you two! You have shown me places I was not aware of. Like Tromso for instance. I know you know how fortunate you are. Thank you for sharing your “fortune” with us!
    Safe travels Linda and Steven! Looking forward to the next story.

    1. 2chouters

      Jane, thank you so much for your kind words. It makes us happy to know that our travels are showing folks places they might not otherwise visit. Perhaps we can inspire a few to travel to some of our favorite places. 🙂

Comments are closed.