Today, we seem to have mostly checked out bars in Tromsø and sampled the local beers! We awoke to more rain and the forecast was for it to continue on and off all day. I have to admit, I am getting fed up of it!
We decided to take the bus into town rather than walk. The bus used the tunnel under the fjord to reach the island where Tromsø city centre is, because the bridge is closed to traffic for construction work. Tromsø is the largest city in the polar region of Scandinavia, but it seemed fairly compact.
When we arrived we saw the same huge German cruise ship that we had seen near Nordkapp, and there were lots of people wandering around who were obviously from the ship. We began by exploring Skansen, a historic site where there are ramparts, an old fort that later became a customs house, several other preserved wooden buildings, and a park with various items of historical interest, such as cannons.
After that we strolled along the harbour side until we reached the troll museum. It was a bit of fun, as well as interesting, learning about the various Norwegian legends and folk stories associated with trolls.
From there we went to the Tromsø Cathedral which, I was surprised to see, is made of wood. I wasn’t expecting to see a pretty yellow cathedral in a city.
Next, we went along the main street to the Olhallen beer hall which is part of Mack’s brewery, the most northerly brewery in the world. We had a few beers and enjoyed the atmosphere. It was busy with people from the cruise ship sampling the local brew. Afterwards, John treated himself to a beer glass and T shirt in the brewery shop.
It was still raining and, as we didn’t fancy going in any more museums, we went to another bar, Blårock Cafe, for some lunch and more beer. It was a great bar, with rock posters everywhere and good music playing, but rather quiet on a Saturday afternoon.
As if we hadn’t drunk enough, John then persuaded me to visit another bar that he’d read about, Hufen Brygge bar. It was very quirky but completely empty apart from us! Obviously Saturday afternoon is not a busy time for Norwegian pubs.
By now it was about 4 o’clock and we decided to walk back to the campsite. We retraced our steps along the harbour front, now very much quieter, to the bridge over the fjord. We saw the huge German cruise liner leaving as we walked up the bridge. It was really cold on top with the wind blowing, but at least the rain had stopped.
At the other end of the bridge, we visited the Arctic Cathedral. It’s simple but striking design is inspired by local landscapes… an iceberg, Sami tent or boathouse. Inside there’s a beautiful glass mosaic depicting God’s light shining down. We sat and listened for a while to singers and an orchestra rehearsing for a concert this evening.
From there it was only another quarter of an hour’s walk back to Molly. We’re now rehydrating with tea and making plans for the next few days. Tomorrow, we move on to a little island called Sommarøy. I really hope we get some sunshine!
Ramblings 
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