On A Grand Tour

Of the amazing trips we have been lucky enough to take over the years, Norway in winter may tie for the top spot of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. This is evidenced by the 3,000 pictures I have spent the past few weeks parsing through. Not only is it a spectacular destination in its own right, but it also felt extra special to visit the country that I owe significant portions of my heritage to. Kurt even commented, as he stared at all of the tall blondes in the airport in Norway, that we were definitely returning to the land of my people. Every day of our trip was jam-packed with so many unique experiences that there is no way they’ll all fit into one blog; instead, I will split our trip up into a couple of posts based on our location. So, without further ado, I give you our first destination: Tromso!

Tromso is located in northern Norway, 217 miles north of the Arctic Circle. As such, it experiences polar night in winter, when no part of the sun rises above the horizon, and the midnight sun in summer, when no part of the sun drops below the horizon. Luckily for us, we arrived somewhere in the middle of the two extremes—it was still quite wintry, but the days were stretching in length and the evenings had that magical long blue polar twilight.

One of the many wonders drawing people to this region is the chance to see the Aurora Borealis. We tried to keep our expectations in check, considering Aurora sightings to be a bonus to an already amazing trip, as so many people take northern trips just to leave disappointed when the northern lights don’t perform on cue. This didn’t stop us, however, from staying up all night upon arriving in Tromso, glued to our hotel room’s window watching the sky over the fjord and mountains with bated breath. Miss Aurora played hard-to-get, though, and required a little more legwork before rewarding us with her magic show.

Day 1 in Tromso was for unscheduled exploring. We wandered the waterfront and enjoyed the views over the water, visited the famous Arctic Cathedral, hiked out of town for more gorgeous views and a sudden snowfall, and explored the historic wooden buildings of downtown Tromso—some of the only historic structures left in northern Norway as the town was not burned down as most others were when the Nazis retreated from Norway at the end of World War II. We had our first of what would become many dinners based around reindeer meat and spent another night watching for signs of the northern lights.

Day 2 dawned sparkling and bright with a fresh layer of snow, and we decided it was time to get some altitude. We hopped on a cable car leading up to the mountain ledge of Storsteinen for incredible views of the city, surrounding islands, and distant mountains. The abundance of snow, sun, and views was dazzling, though looming ominous weather was soon apparent in the distance. As the snowstorm reached us, we decided it was time for a nice warm break in the café.

By the time we had thawed out over another reindeer dinner and our favorite beverage discovery of the trip, hot chocolate and Minttu (a Finnish minty liqueur), the snow had subsided enough to venture out for more adventures. We set our sights on a nearby summit and started making our way up … way up. Which, given the fresh powder and recent minty cocktails, made the steep ascent slow going. We were rewarded at the top, though, with an entire icy world in the blue twilight all to ourselves.

By the time we made it back down, it was time for another hot-chocolate-and-Minttu thaw session as the last light of the day faded. Bracing ourselves for the dropping temperatures, we ventured back out one more time and stopped in our tracks as the first green of the northern lights stretched out in the sky above us. Magic light twisted and snaked above us in a slow, gorgeous dance. We gazed and gazed and gazed until we could no longer feel our noses and toes.

On Day 3, another sparkling and white morning, we took a trip up the coast to visit a winter camp of the Sami people, the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia and Russia, and visit with their adorable charges, a whole herd of reindeer! The Sami people who herd reindeer are nomadic, traveling into the mountains with their herds in the summer and hanging out at lower elevations in the winter. We had the best time feeding the reindeer their breakfast, taking a reindeer-drawn sleigh trip, eating a traditional Sami meal (Can you guess the base? Yep, reindeer!), and sipping hot chocolate in a lavvu shelter while chatting with and hearing stories from our Sami hosts.

After taking a nice break to warm up (this became a pattern in our days: freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw), we set out on our next adventure. While we were so excited to have seen the northern lights the previous night, we were hungry for more, and the intermittent weather with many periods of snow made us want to place ourselves in the hands of professionals. We joined a northern lights chase, which turned out to be the right decision, as we were soon headed to the only place within a two-hour radius with a clear evening forecast. Two hours north on the banks of Dafjord, we bundled into thermal suits and eagerly waited for the long twilight to wane. Subzero windchill + no shelter + no movement = the coldest we have ever been. Ever. Which soon became so worth it as the first shades of green lit up the night sky. And then became brighter. And then turned shades of pink, purple, and blue. And then began to dance. Unlike the slowly undulating lights of the night before, tonight the sky positively sparkled and then exploded in dancing colors. Soon, our guide was yelling “I love you!” to the sky (that’s when you know it’s a good night!) and there was no point in trying to capture the magic on camera. There was simply nothing left to do but dance along with the sky.

Because sleep is often our last priority while traveling, we jumped up the following morning (I don’t think we had even thawed enough to feel our lips and ears yet) to head to the Lyngen Alps, located a couple of islands away. A bus and ferry ride later, we got dressed in more thermal suits and hopped on a new mode of transportation to enjoy the scenery: snowmobiles. It was an incredible way to breathe the fresh air, try a new activity (Kurt may have felt at home on a snowmobile with his background in driving every kind of off-road vehicle, but this was definitely outside of my comfort zone!), and explore the stunning scenery.

What makes day trips out of Tromso even better is that just getting from one place to another is its own gorgeous sightseeing adventure–the bus and ferry trips required to get to and from the Lyngen Alps were full of snow-covered mountains and frozen-over fjords. Despite the frigid temperatures on the ferry (see: us looking like we may be getting ready to rob a bank), gazing across the sparkling water and watching dolphins glide across the fjord was worth freezing for. At this point, our skin was permanently pink and I’m not sure if the feeling ever returned to our noses, but we were having the time of our lives.

Stay tuned next time as we journey further afield into the interior of northern Norway for our next arctic adventures!