Tromsø
The trip this time to Norway took us a while to plan. The trip was in March 2017 and preluding our trip for pre-wedding photoshoot in Europe. Thus, we tried to make the trip as comfy as possible with the 4 big luggages that we brought.
Norway has given a very good impression to us ever since my husband went there for his conference trip in 2014 and took many great pictures along the way. As huge as it is, to decide which places to go to in Norway was a difficult decision to make. At the beginning, we planned to go to Tromso, Lofoten Islands, Bergun, Oslo, Alesund, and also the Norway in the Nutshell itinerary. However, we only had 5 days spared for Norway. Thus, we decided to pick the two places that we thought were the best of Norway. They are Tromso and Lofoten Islands. After the trip ended, these two places left a very deep impression to us and already put a spot for revisit in the near time.
Arriving..
Our flight landed at Leknes Airport late at night and it was snowing heavily when we reached! We have planned to take the airport Shuttle Bus to our hotel which is located in the city centre. However, the last airport Shuttle Bus had just left when we were still waiting for our luggage. We took the Taxi instead as it was the only transportation available. The queue was long and we thought it’s gonna be expensive knowing Norway’s standard of living. It was really fortunate for us as it turned out that the taxi ride costs equivalent to the total Shuttle Bus fare for the two of us. So, if we were to travel in a group of two to four next time, Taxi ride will be cheaper and more reasonable than Shuttle Bus.
We reached our hotel after about 15 minutes Taxi ride. The hotel we stayed in was Comfort Hotel Xpress Tromsø. It was really a well maintained hotel and nicely located in the middle of the town. The snow was still pouring heavily outside and the road was covered about 5-10cm deep. We were very tired after our 20 hours journey all the way from Jakarta. We managed to find enough energy to walk to a nearby restaurant to have dinner. It was a lovely local Norwegian restaurant chain, Egon. That was my husband’s second visit to the restaurant. It brought him good memories from 2014. We ordered Pizza and Burger.
The next day we have a packed itinerary to explore the city during the day and to hunt for aurora at night. The snow had stopped falling and we were blessed with pure, fresh snow that blanketed all over the town. The weather was fine and we couldn’t have been more excited to see the city view. After a heavy brunch at Bardus Bistro & Bar, we decided to walk along the Tromsøysundet strait, which has very pretty view of the island across. Just before the bridge, we decided to catch Bus 26 from City Sentrum towards Tromsdalen and cross the bridge for our first stop at the Arctic Cathedral. The cost of the bus ride was 28 NOK one way.
Tromso Bridge
This is the bridge that connects the mainland Tromsdalen on the mainland and the island Trømsoya. The Arctic Cathedral is located just after crossing this bridge, on the left. If you have time to spare, you can choose to walk across the bridge to the cathedral, it will only take 15 minutes of leisure walk to cross the bridge.
Arctic Cathedral
Just across the bridge, we can see the Arctic Cathedral perched strategically on the left and it was truly an architectural beauty. The design looks so simple and yet grand. We really visited the Cathedral at its optimal condition. With fresh snow and good light, the photos we took require no further editing! After spending sometime to walk around the cathedral, and enjoying the ambiance, we continued our journey by taking the same bus 26 to the base of the cable car ride.
Mount Trømsdalstinden
Just a little walk from the bus stop, we bought our ticket for the cable car ride up Mount Trømsdalstinden. The price of the cable car is 210 NOK for adults, 100 NOK for Children and 190 NOK for students.
Take the cable car ride from Fjellheisen Station up to Fjellstua Station. The ride will take only 4 minutes, but do look out the cable car as the view ascending and descending is very beautiful.
There is also the option of hiking up if you feel like flexing a little bit of your muscle and taking the cable car down, you can purchase the ticket at the upper station at 190 NOK for Adults and 90 NOK for children.
In my opinion, it is better to take the cable car ride both ways, and spend more time at the top. as the view is so nice, and the area is quite big to explore! I could easily spend the whole day just playing in the snow, and wandering around enjoying the view. Here are some of the snaps we took on top:
Spectacular panoramic city view of Tromsø and the virtually endless sight of islands, fjords, mountains and the open sea.
Aurora Hunting
The main itinerary of any Norwegian adventure is to see the Northern Light and we spend time to search for the best way to go Aurora hunting. When my then boyfriend now husband went to Norway the first time, he went with Arctic Explorers and he was lucky that he got Delphine Ruche as his guide. He was very enthusiastic and friendly.
The hunt starts at 8pm where we met at the Visitor Centre. One group consists of the driver, the guide and 8 to 10 of us. We fit inside a mini van and off we go. The fun part of this is that every night is different. Based on the guide’s experience and instinct, he will determine which direction and which place to go. There will be many stops and each stop will have a good spot to take picture. There will be a stop where they hand out warm drink and soup and we can enjoy the hot beverages while relaxing under the stars. It was indeed an experience to be remembered.
Tromso Town
What captivates Tromso is that the city is small yet vibrant. It has a very homely feel to it. The city is spread over 2 areas (mainland Tromsdalen and island of Tromsoya) which is linked by Tromso Bridge.
Just stroll around the city centre and everywhere is a photo spot! Due to the snow fall the night before, and the fact that the weather was sunny the next day, we got fresh snow that is so powdery white and clean. The next day as we were leaving, the snow has turned brown and some were melted and it wasn’t as pretty as this one!
At the left corner, we can spot the Arctic Cathedral and it’s the most outstanding landmark.
Polaria (The Polar Museum)
The world’s most northernly museum. Housed in a very distinctive building that represents ice floes that have been pressed up on land by the rough sea arctic, you will discover it instantly! At first I thought it’s a stack of books that’s been toppled down in a domino effect.
Food
- Egon Tromso
- Bardus Bistro & Bar
- Emma’s Drommekjokken
- Kaffebonna As
- Pastafabrikken
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