Tromsø, Norway-Trip Report November 2017

After the super convenient Flybussen dropped me off outside, I made my way in to the Scandic Ishavhotel a bit earlier than check-in time. Luckily, my room was ready so I took the elevator up to the 5th floor and found the accommodation designed for a solo traveler.

I was pretty impressed with the large bay-window and view of the harbour.

Everything in the hotel comes from wind generated and hydro electric sources to be more green. There is a poster in my room saying "Is it windy and rainy? GOOD! Now you have lights and heat."

The garbage pail is divided into three sections for paper, organic and other materials. A kettle and tea fixings are provided along with free WiFi and a television which I never even touched.

The bathroom flooring has heated tiles which radiate to warm the whole area. I didn't take a picture because there are a bazillion mirrors in there reflecting my unkempt flesh as well as a prominent toilet. Ain't nobody need to see that!

I freshened up, had a little tea while enjoying the view until the hulking form of the red Hurtigruten ferry could be seen approaching the quay. I decided to go check it out.

Arctic, schmarctic. The temperature in Tromsø was quite mild and very similar to my home in Montreal  the day before. It was around 3 degrees Celsius. There was a bit of wind and some leftover snow patches from a recent dump but all in all, nothing special so I just wore my famous red scarf and put a down vest over my sweater.

On a recent broadcast of a French television show about touring this region of Norway, I learned that if you show ID, you can board the Hurtigruten boats to see the facilities while docked. This fleet is a hybrid cruise-ship/ferry boat serving both local commuters and tourists. There are at least two ferries per day and probably more during certain seasons. They go up and down the Norwegian coast transporting goods and passengers but they also have naturalists on board to explain the geological, astronomical and animal life that can be seen.

The ship was beautifully appointed. I peeked into some cabins from the the promenade deck and they were as nice as any stateroom.

The bar and restaurant looked inviting, there were lots of outdoor seating areas and a hot tub. They also organize land-tours at each stop for things like visiting a reindeer farm or dog-sledding. If I ever get back to Norway...and I really hope to, I'd love to take a Hurtigruten cruise!

From the bow and stern of the ship, I got to take some substandard photographs of the area around my hotel. I say that as a reminder that I SUCK HARDCORE at taking pictures! You will see the comparison between the blurry snaps above and the lovely images shared with me by people with talent. A caveat: if the picture is nice, I didn't take it. Please send all compliments to the person tagged in the credit!

See? This one was taken by Tony G. from Australia, a guy with talent, personality and kindness!

Thank you, Tony for this picture of the Hurtigruten ship

I returned back to my room to nap and enjoy the sunset at three in the afternoon. I forced myself out of bed at around 8 pm to see about getting some supper but got distracted by the faintly visible aurora in the sky. I found a bench and settled to take in the glittery city lights, the gently bobbing boats in the harbour and feel the chilly air redden my cheeks.

Instead of having dinner in a proper restaurant, I opted to grab a sandwich and holed back up in my room until morning. Of course, I dreamt of stars and mountains and great whales.