Tromsø is a cathedral town and Norway’s largest port north of the Arctic Circle. It has a beautiful downtown, which becomes a bustling shopping scene during the long Arctic nights. It served as the supply base station for most of the Norwegian Arctic explorations during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.

The evening crowd, centered on the main shopping street, Storgata, was lively and colorful, and shops were indeed Norway-expensive. A troll caught my eye and caused me to think of my older brother who lived his whole life frightened of the troll living under the bridge in the book, The Three Billy Goats Gruff. This one appears not so frightening and my brother was not there to tell me otherwise!

A beautiful sight, set back on its own plaza in the center of town, is the Tromsø Domkirke or Cathedral, which bills itself as the world’s northernmost Lutheran Cathedral. It is beautiful inside and out and is the headquarters of a lively chamber music scene. While out on our late afternoon walks, we were able to duck into the Cathedral to attend two chamber music concerts and were enchanted by the music presented in both. I talked to a couple of the audience members as we left and was told the lively music and theatre scene helped them lighten the long winter night.  One of these concerts served in place of the free bus tour of Narvik operated by Viking, which, unfortunately, was disappointing.

Tromsø was the town where four of us, on an evening sidetrip inland, had our first magical experience with the Northern Lights. We boarded a bus and drove approximately 20 km east of Tromso, far enough away that the lights from the city made only a low glow on the SW horizon. The guide had our driver pull off the road and check for Northern Lights activity. We had a beautiful view of a mountain range in the foreground, night skiers were seen on the slopes, and a great opening for the Lights was available if they decided to appear … so we waited!  After a half hour of walking around to keep warm in the chilly night air, a low glow, then sheets and curtains, and a wide display of the Lights in two directions filled the dark sky. It required a camera with a good sensor and tripod setup to get the best view, but this night was one of the highlights of the trip for the four of us who were there.

We spent at least an hour with views of increasing, and then decreasing, intensity of the Lights. It was an unforgettable introduction to the phenomenon on this trip,

Later that same night, as we headed back to the ship, our guide told us the story of the wonderful Norwegian tradition of leaving a candle burning in each window at home to assure the passing fishermen looking back at their houses that all was well on the home front.  This tradition is widely carried on by modern Arctic Norwegian households, and they claim its use helps ward off Seasonal Affective Disorder. Who knows?  But most houses around Tromso still appeared to respect the tradition and it created a very reassuring presence for us.