Tromso, An Unexpected City

June 25, 2013 (posted Aug 5)

Tromso, Norway at 69 degrees north latitude is almost two hundred miles into the Arctic Circle.  One would expect continuous ice and snow but that is not the case.  Because of the beneficial effect on climate afforded by the Gulf Stream, Tromso has relatively warm winters (averaging around 27 degrees F) and summers (averaging 59 degrees F). There is a lot of snow in the winter and spectacular northern light displays but the harbor doesn't freeze. Summers are cool but temperate climate crops grow well during the short but always light growing season.  Tromso is a university town boasting the world's most northern university.  In spite of reading all these facts before our arrival, I was still surprised to see a thriving, livable city.

The Silver Cloud docked at around 8 am, several miles north of the city center.  Michael and I were on the first shuttle bus to the downtown area.  We checked out the visitor's center, staffed by a young man from New Zealand no less, and walked to the local library hoping to find free Internet access.  The library is a modern architectural gem with a number of computers for public use and supposedly free Internet for people with their own devices. The problem was that all the printed directions were in Norwegian and thus incomprehensible.  Not wanting to disturb the busy library attendants, we left and continued our exploration of Tromso.  We walked across a bridge connecting Tromso city with the mainland, stopping for a look at a church billed as the Arctic Cathedral.  The church is a white modern structure with Chagall-like stained glass.  The design is meant to invoke the magnificence of the snow-capped peaks of the surrounding mountains.  We thought it a nice church but nothing special beyond its location in the north of Norway.  The sight was somewhat spoiled by construction equipment and barricades in front of the entrance.

Michael and I declined to pay admission to see the interior.  We continued up the hill (lower slopes of a mountain) to the Fjellheissen cable car and rode up to the top of 1386 foot Storsteinen (Big Rock) for fantastic views of the city.  We were far enough north in Norway that 1300 feet above sea level the land was already tundra with patches of unmelted snow.  We would have taken a hike on one of the trails at the top except for the rain that started to fall.  On the way back down, Michael asked the cable car operator if there were often thunderstorms on the mountain.  Soon after the attendant said that it was extremely rare, we saw lightning and heard the boom of thunder.  Leaving the mountain top was the right decision. The cable car descended through rain at the top into clear weather at the base.  We had time to walk briskly most of the way back to the shuttle bus stop before it started raining in earnest. Rain continued for the rest of the afternoon.

The bus back to Silver Cloud took a route through a tunnel that ran under the hillside for several miles.  The tunnel has traffic circles every so often allowing access to different areas of the city.  I imagine that using the tunnel saves a lot of snow plowing during the winter.  It is a massive construction, further proof that Norway has become a wealthy country investing in infrastructure everywhere.

Michael and I ventured out in the rain later that afternoon to visit the Silver Explorer, SilverSea's small exploration ship.  The Silver Explorer spends most of the short arctic summer voyaging between Tromso and the Svalbard Islands north of northern Norway.  Passengers view polar bears and other arctic wildlife taking several daily trips in rubber Zodiacs.  

The Silver Explorer docked at Tromso the afternoon Silver Cloud was in the same port and her crew offered tours to interested Silver Cloud passengers and crew.  Most of us went. Michael and I had taken our first cruise together in 2009 on the Silver Explorer, then named the Prince Albert II.  We cruised from the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal to the west coast of Central America while the ship was repositioning from the arctic to the Antarctic.  We both enjoyed seeing this little ship again.

Tromso is a small city, surprisingly walkable when it is not raining.  It has shopping and restaurants as well as cultural activities. The university students lend an air of youthful energy.  We were there during the time of the midnight sun.  There was no nighttime, only periods of rain or sun.