rich_jacko (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rich_jacko) wrote2015-03-17 07:53 pm
rich_jacko) wrote2015-03-17 07:53 pm
Tromsø - Part 4
Saturday 7th March:
With the holiday drawing to a close, Saturday was a "wrap-up" day in which we did most of the remaining things we wanted to do in Tromsø. To start, we visited the little glass blowing workshop, where I just managed to resist buying anything. I think I was the only one who did.
I had insisted that one thing we had to do while in Norway was build a snowman, and name him Olaf ;o) Fortunately the others were up for this too. We picked a spot on the open stretch of hill near the library. The library itself is rather a cool building so on the way I popped in briefly to have a look around. It was full of wire animal sculptures hanging from the ceilings.
Here's our snowman. The snow was a bit too crumbly to build with, so he's quite a simple little fellow, bless him. We found him a beer can and decided that he ought to be called "Mack" in honour of the brewery rather than "Olaf". We'd also eaten the last of the carrots the night before, so he had to have a different nose which meant he didn't look particularly like an Olaf. We were pleased with him.
Catching up on the culture Clare experienced the day before while we were boozing, we headed over to the Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum (Northern Norway Art Museum) next. The map claimed an exhibition of traditional Norwegian costume was right next door to it, so we looked for that first. After walking all the way around the block, we entered what seemed to be a yarn shop (Sorry Kate/Krissy - we didn't buy any for you!). Aha, the exhibition was tucked away upstairs, past the roped off barrier. We were allowed up to take a look.
The Art Museum was rather more impressive. There was a huge variety of paintings and sculptures. I've only included photos of a few favourites here. There were a couple of paintings by Munch but I wasn't particularly keen on them. We all loved the tap elephants. :o)
Wait, was that last one a Sontaran head in the foyer?
Next on our list was the Domkirke. Its opening times were rather restrictive, but it was supposed to be open this afternoon. They had obviously decided to invoke the "opening times may vary from advertised" clause on the sign outside, because it wasn't.
We all had different things we wanted to do with the afternoon, so we split up and went our separate ways. Feeling cheated out of one cathedral, I decided to pay an early visit to the other one and headed across the bridge to the Arctic Cathedral. A third of the way across the bridge, the wind and rain really picked up and I started to regret this course of action. The sun came out as I reached the other side and there was a brief rainbow.
The Arctic Cathedral isn't particularly big, but it is a great bit of architecture. It resembles an ice cave and has a huge stained glass window at one end and the organ soaring over the other, apparently meant to resemble a ship. It's a light, peaceful space with some local artwork on display.
The sun was definitely shining as I left and headed back into town.
As I got back, I popped into the Perspektivet gallery, which is a free entry photography exhibition. The guest display downstairs was mainly of island life and funeral customs. Upstairs the exhibition was more varied.
We'd booked a table for seven (meeting back up with Hilary and John) at the Arctandria restaurant that evening, recommended in the guide book as having some of the best food in town. This was our big eating out treat for the week, coming to around 600 NOK (roughly £55) a head for the three courses plus wine. It was very nice indeed. I shared a cod tongue with Clare (cue innuendos) for starters, then had grilled stockfish (with the ever-present bacon) for mains and a "bearberry" (actually blackberry) dessert. I drew the line at ordering whale, but Neil gave it a go. Apparently it tastes a bit like liver.
We had been made steadily aware over the course of the week that there was an ongoing pilot strike at Norwegian Air, due to a dispute over company restructure. That evening the inevitable struck - confirmation that our flight back on Monday had been cancelled. We weren't unduly concerned. With no one able to fly in, we wouldn't be left without accommodation, we knew our insurance would pick up the tab, and if the worst came to the worst, oh no, we'd have to spend more time in Norway!
We'd need to spend some time making alternative arrangements, but that was a job for tomorrow. For tonight, we had a midnight concert to go to at the Arctic Cathedral. And before that, it was important that we drank rum cocktails and I introduced tyhe game of Fluxx to those who hadn't played it before. Very important, you understand.
We left in good time to get to the concert before the expected 11pm rush when the tourist boat was due in. We needn't have worried as it wasn't busy. The cathedral had an entirely different atmosphere by night, appearing to glow inside and out. The concert was a series of traditional Norwegian folk music, played by a pianist, a saxophonist and a singer. The music lasted about 45 minutes and was a unique experience in amazing surroundings. We felt we'd properly "done" some local culture.
Sunday 8th March:
Sunday morning dawned and it was time to sort out our flights. Well, actually, those with phones did most of the sorting while I tidied the kitchen and said "Yes, fine," a few times. Luckily we managed to get booked quite quickly onto a Monday flight with the humourously-named SAS airlines. This meant we'd be flying back the same day as originally planned, but with a leisurely start rather than having to get up at 4:30am. Score! Good as this was, Nigel decided he wanted more, and took advantage of the plane situation to arrange another couple of days in Tromsø and a cross-country skiing trip.
Flights sorted, Nigel and I seized our last opportunity to see inside the Domkirke, as it was opening for the Sunday morning service. We weren't the only tourists nipping in for a sneaky peek so we didn't feel too guilty about leaving again before the service began. It was good to see the Sami and Norwegian flags both flying outside.
...and that was it. Flights sorted and all tourism objectives ticked off the list. We had a lazy Sunday to enjoy without any pressures. There was a light snow falling which made the town feel properly Arctic while still being nice to walk around in. The others went in the Perspektivet gallery, which I'd done the day before, so I decided to explore what was up the hill out the other side of town - mostly colourful buildings as it turns out.
We met back up for beer and lunch in the Verdensteatret Kino, a beautiful 100-year-old cinema next to the Perspektivet. The bar area, like the brewery, was stacked full of vinyl records. They served the nicest Mack beer we'd had yet - a dark, rich Christmas ale. Sadly the auditorium itself was locked up so we couldn't see inside.
Seeing as how we were no longer having to get up in the middle of the night to head for the airport, we gained an unexpected evening. We first tried to book on a Northern Lights coach chase (One last attempt to see them again!), but while the forecast was for 30% clear skies, the roads were treacherous so they'd cancelled the trip. Ah well, never mind.
When in Norway, do as the Norwegians do, so we went out for pizza for dinner. (No, seriously, they love their pizza more than your average Brit loves curry.) The place we found was the most steampunk restaurant ever, with mechanical menagerie drawings framed on the walls, pipes and dials everywhere, and a metal zeppelin over the bar.
After that, we went back to the apartment for more Fluxx and cocktails. After all, there was Clare's nearly-birthday to celebrate, and we couldn't take the leftover spirits home with us. I commented to Hilary that the G & Ts tasted a bit strong, whereupon she informed me that we'd run out of "T" half an hour earlier...
Remembering the forecast for 30% clear skies, I popped outside a few times to do a bit of skywatching and let the others know if I saw anything. The forecase was wrong. An impressive full-on blizzard was settling in and even the alcohol jacket wasn't keeping me warm. I did get a good photo of Polaria by night though, looking even more like a collapsed stack of dominoes than it does during the day:
Monday 9th March:
Monday morning. We ate up the leftovers for breakfast (cheese and reindeer salami on toast), packed and tidied, then had a last mooch into town to say goodbye.
Hilary and John would be flying back to London that evening, and Nigel would be staying another two days, so we said our goodbyes to them as well and the remaining four of us caught our taxi to the airport. Tromsø airport really is tiny and, with the ongoing strike, it was pretty empty. We had a brief moment of excitement/terror as we realised that our plane was a little 80-seater twin-prop. This was a good flight actually. Because we were flying via Bergen rather than Oslo as originally planned, we were flying directly down Slartibartfast's award-winning coastline all the way. We got some good views out of the windows whenever the clouds cleared.
From Bergen we caught a strangely empty flight back to Manchester. Then it was the long delay through border control and the long, slow train back to Sheffield, where we eventually arrived around 10:30pm. Tuesday was a day to unpack and settle back in, and then on Wednesday it was back to work again.
Looking back, it was a terrific week. I'd been to another new country, in the Arctic Circle no less. I'd enjoyed the sights, sounds and tastes of a great little city. I'd seen the Northern Lights and been out sledding with husky dogs. I'd had a great time with friends old and new. It had been one of the best holidays ever. :o)
With the holiday drawing to a close, Saturday was a "wrap-up" day in which we did most of the remaining things we wanted to do in Tromsø. To start, we visited the little glass blowing workshop, where I just managed to resist buying anything. I think I was the only one who did.
I had insisted that one thing we had to do while in Norway was build a snowman, and name him Olaf ;o) Fortunately the others were up for this too. We picked a spot on the open stretch of hill near the library. The library itself is rather a cool building so on the way I popped in briefly to have a look around. It was full of wire animal sculptures hanging from the ceilings.
 |
 |
 |
Here's our snowman. The snow was a bit too crumbly to build with, so he's quite a simple little fellow, bless him. We found him a beer can and decided that he ought to be called "Mack" in honour of the brewery rather than "Olaf". We'd also eaten the last of the carrots the night before, so he had to have a different nose which meant he didn't look particularly like an Olaf. We were pleased with him.
 |
 |
Catching up on the culture Clare experienced the day before while we were boozing, we headed over to the Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum (Northern Norway Art Museum) next. The map claimed an exhibition of traditional Norwegian costume was right next door to it, so we looked for that first. After walking all the way around the block, we entered what seemed to be a yarn shop (Sorry Kate/Krissy - we didn't buy any for you!). Aha, the exhibition was tucked away upstairs, past the roped off barrier. We were allowed up to take a look.
The Art Museum was rather more impressive. There was a huge variety of paintings and sculptures. I've only included photos of a few favourites here. There were a couple of paintings by Munch but I wasn't particularly keen on them. We all loved the tap elephants. :o)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Wait, was that last one a Sontaran head in the foyer?
Next on our list was the Domkirke. Its opening times were rather restrictive, but it was supposed to be open this afternoon. They had obviously decided to invoke the "opening times may vary from advertised" clause on the sign outside, because it wasn't.
We all had different things we wanted to do with the afternoon, so we split up and went our separate ways. Feeling cheated out of one cathedral, I decided to pay an early visit to the other one and headed across the bridge to the Arctic Cathedral. A third of the way across the bridge, the wind and rain really picked up and I started to regret this course of action. The sun came out as I reached the other side and there was a brief rainbow.
The Arctic Cathedral isn't particularly big, but it is a great bit of architecture. It resembles an ice cave and has a huge stained glass window at one end and the organ soaring over the other, apparently meant to resemble a ship. It's a light, peaceful space with some local artwork on display.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The sun was definitely shining as I left and headed back into town.
 |
 |
As I got back, I popped into the Perspektivet gallery, which is a free entry photography exhibition. The guest display downstairs was mainly of island life and funeral customs. Upstairs the exhibition was more varied.
 |
 |
 |
We'd booked a table for seven (meeting back up with Hilary and John) at the Arctandria restaurant that evening, recommended in the guide book as having some of the best food in town. This was our big eating out treat for the week, coming to around 600 NOK (roughly £55) a head for the three courses plus wine. It was very nice indeed. I shared a cod tongue with Clare (cue innuendos) for starters, then had grilled stockfish (with the ever-present bacon) for mains and a "bearberry" (actually blackberry) dessert. I drew the line at ordering whale, but Neil gave it a go. Apparently it tastes a bit like liver.
 |
 |
We had been made steadily aware over the course of the week that there was an ongoing pilot strike at Norwegian Air, due to a dispute over company restructure. That evening the inevitable struck - confirmation that our flight back on Monday had been cancelled. We weren't unduly concerned. With no one able to fly in, we wouldn't be left without accommodation, we knew our insurance would pick up the tab, and if the worst came to the worst, oh no, we'd have to spend more time in Norway!
We'd need to spend some time making alternative arrangements, but that was a job for tomorrow. For tonight, we had a midnight concert to go to at the Arctic Cathedral. And before that, it was important that we drank rum cocktails and I introduced tyhe game of Fluxx to those who hadn't played it before. Very important, you understand.
We left in good time to get to the concert before the expected 11pm rush when the tourist boat was due in. We needn't have worried as it wasn't busy. The cathedral had an entirely different atmosphere by night, appearing to glow inside and out. The concert was a series of traditional Norwegian folk music, played by a pianist, a saxophonist and a singer. The music lasted about 45 minutes and was a unique experience in amazing surroundings. We felt we'd properly "done" some local culture.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Sunday 8th March:
Sunday morning dawned and it was time to sort out our flights. Well, actually, those with phones did most of the sorting while I tidied the kitchen and said "Yes, fine," a few times. Luckily we managed to get booked quite quickly onto a Monday flight with the humourously-named SAS airlines. This meant we'd be flying back the same day as originally planned, but with a leisurely start rather than having to get up at 4:30am. Score! Good as this was, Nigel decided he wanted more, and took advantage of the plane situation to arrange another couple of days in Tromsø and a cross-country skiing trip.
Flights sorted, Nigel and I seized our last opportunity to see inside the Domkirke, as it was opening for the Sunday morning service. We weren't the only tourists nipping in for a sneaky peek so we didn't feel too guilty about leaving again before the service began. It was good to see the Sami and Norwegian flags both flying outside.
 |
 |
...and that was it. Flights sorted and all tourism objectives ticked off the list. We had a lazy Sunday to enjoy without any pressures. There was a light snow falling which made the town feel properly Arctic while still being nice to walk around in. The others went in the Perspektivet gallery, which I'd done the day before, so I decided to explore what was up the hill out the other side of town - mostly colourful buildings as it turns out.
We met back up for beer and lunch in the Verdensteatret Kino, a beautiful 100-year-old cinema next to the Perspektivet. The bar area, like the brewery, was stacked full of vinyl records. They served the nicest Mack beer we'd had yet - a dark, rich Christmas ale. Sadly the auditorium itself was locked up so we couldn't see inside.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Seeing as how we were no longer having to get up in the middle of the night to head for the airport, we gained an unexpected evening. We first tried to book on a Northern Lights coach chase (One last attempt to see them again!), but while the forecast was for 30% clear skies, the roads were treacherous so they'd cancelled the trip. Ah well, never mind.
When in Norway, do as the Norwegians do, so we went out for pizza for dinner. (No, seriously, they love their pizza more than your average Brit loves curry.) The place we found was the most steampunk restaurant ever, with mechanical menagerie drawings framed on the walls, pipes and dials everywhere, and a metal zeppelin over the bar.
After that, we went back to the apartment for more Fluxx and cocktails. After all, there was Clare's nearly-birthday to celebrate, and we couldn't take the leftover spirits home with us. I commented to Hilary that the G & Ts tasted a bit strong, whereupon she informed me that we'd run out of "T" half an hour earlier...
Remembering the forecast for 30% clear skies, I popped outside a few times to do a bit of skywatching and let the others know if I saw anything. The forecase was wrong. An impressive full-on blizzard was settling in and even the alcohol jacket wasn't keeping me warm. I did get a good photo of Polaria by night though, looking even more like a collapsed stack of dominoes than it does during the day:
Monday 9th March:
Monday morning. We ate up the leftovers for breakfast (cheese and reindeer salami on toast), packed and tidied, then had a last mooch into town to say goodbye.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Hilary and John would be flying back to London that evening, and Nigel would be staying another two days, so we said our goodbyes to them as well and the remaining four of us caught our taxi to the airport. Tromsø airport really is tiny and, with the ongoing strike, it was pretty empty. We had a brief moment of excitement/terror as we realised that our plane was a little 80-seater twin-prop. This was a good flight actually. Because we were flying via Bergen rather than Oslo as originally planned, we were flying directly down Slartibartfast's award-winning coastline all the way. We got some good views out of the windows whenever the clouds cleared.
 |
 |
 |
From Bergen we caught a strangely empty flight back to Manchester. Then it was the long delay through border control and the long, slow train back to Sheffield, where we eventually arrived around 10:30pm. Tuesday was a day to unpack and settle back in, and then on Wednesday it was back to work again.
Looking back, it was a terrific week. I'd been to another new country, in the Arctic Circle no less. I'd enjoyed the sights, sounds and tastes of a great little city. I'd seen the Northern Lights and been out sledding with husky dogs. I'd had a great time with friends old and new. It had been one of the best holidays ever. :o)