One More Day in Tromsø

We are still docked in Tromsø until 9:30pm when we will depart for Bodø. Thomas and I have a Panoramic Tour of Tromsø today at noon, so the morning is at our leisure. We ended up going to breakfast at around 8:30am and then returning to the room to get things ready for our excursion. I did get to edit some photos and do a little blogging before we had to go to the Star Theater at 11:45am to meet our group for the tour.

At noon we boarded a bus and we drove to the university. The University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway (Norwegian: Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet) is the world's northernmost university. Located in the city of Tromsø, Norway, it was established in 1968, and opened in 1972. It is one of eight universities in Norway. Here we went to the planetarium to see a 30 minute film about the northern lights. It was so interesting and was helpful in understanding what we have seen on this trip. After the film we took a bus tour of Tromsø and our tour guide gave us some history and facts about the area. The tour lasted about two hours and then we headed back to the ship.

Once back at the ship we decided to take a walk around the town. So we headed out and visited some of the shops and stopped and had coffee. We enjoyed just wandering around and taking in the sites of the arctic town. We spent about two hours in town before heading back to the ship.

Back on board we relaxed for a while and then joined our friends Michael and Marina for dinner in the World Café. We had a pleasant meal and nice conversation. It was a good visit and relaxing. After dinner we returned to our room. I decided to use the tub in our room and soak in a hot bath. I watched TV for about 30 minutes while soaking. Once out of the tub I hopped in bed and did some editing of photos. But it wasn't long before my eyes started closing and I decided to get some sleep.

*** At around 5:00pm the Captain made an announcement over the ship's intercom system - he even broke into the stateroom speakers. He told us there was bad weather and rough seas around Bodø and that he made the decision not to dock in Bodø tomorrow. It is just too dangerous to try and dock in the town. So, now we have two full days of cruising the Norwegian Sea as we head down to Stavanger.

 

A Very Busy Day in Tromsø

 Today is going to be a busy day in Tromsø. We have two excursions scheduled. One is this morning and last six and a half hours and the other is this evening and is five hours. We were up at 6:30am and we showered and dressed, packed our day packs and then went down for some breakfast and coffee. Then we returned to our room and made sure we had everything we needed for our day out. Then at 8:45am we headed to the Star Theater and met our group for our excursion.

Our first excursion of the day was Lifestyle of the Sami. We were driving about an hour or so out of Tromsø to a Sami camp for a reindeer sleigh ride, a visit with the Sami and some lunch. We left the ship and drove for about 30 minutes and our tour guide gave us a nice history of the area and we got to see some of Tromsø. We stopped a couple of places so we could take some pictures. One of those places was a beautiful little village nestled along a incredible scenic fjord. After our stop at the fjord we headed to the Sami camp.

Once at the camp we were given the opportunity to change into a snow suit to stay warm during our sleigh ride. But to be honest it really wasn't that cold and it was beautiful. The sun was out, the snow was glistening and the temperatures were about freezing. It was perfect. We met three men and they gave us a brief talk about safety around the reindeer and the we headed to the sleighs. They had the reindeer hooked up to the sleighs and they had four sleighs hooked together. There were three groups like this. Each group got one of the Sami men and they led the reindeer and our group on a sleigh ride around the area. The views were spectacular and it was just magical. The ride last about 30 minutes and then we returned to the camp. We got some chances to take some pictures, see some Sami crafts and then we went into a lavvu for some coffee, cake and a talk. We learned more about the Sami people and their history as well as their more modern way of life. It was interesting and the men we had talking with us were so welcoming and gracious.

After our visit with the men we then went to a cafeteria where they had made some traditional Norwegian stew for our lunch. We had the stew and some flatbread for lunch and it was all delicious. Once we were done with lunch we had some time to visit with the husky sled dogs. They were so fun and full of energy. Around 2:30pm it was time to board the bus and head back to the ship. The drive from the camp took us about 50 minutes. This excursion has been my favorite so far. I loved learning about the Sami and I loved the reindeer.

Back on the ship we got cleaned up and got our things ready for our excursion this evening and then we went down to dinner. We ate in the World Café and had a nice meal. When we were done eating we returned to our room and got some warm clothes on and gathered our jackets and backpacks and headed down to the Star Theater at 7:15pm. Our excursion left at 7:30pm to drive outside of Tromsø to find a dark area to view the northern lights. The excursion we were on was Chasing the Northern Lights and we ended going to two different areas. It all turned out to be a bust. There was a lot of cloud cover and we didn't see anything. Finally, we boarded the bus and headed back to the ship. The Pool Grill was open so we could get something to eat before heading off to bed. We had some fried chicken and potatoes.

Back in the room I felt like I needed a shower after being around the reindeer and huskies and being on the go all day. So after a quick shower it was straight to bed. Luckily, our excursion tomorrow isn't until around noon. So we can sleep in.