A Morning in Tromsø

The hotel where I was staying is called the Smarthotel and one thing that's smart about it is it provides a constant supply of free tea and coffee 24/7. That's why I knew I'd get that coffee when I got back so after the warm drink and a bit of a chill out it was time for bed. Ok, I know, coffee's not for bedtime but hey, the hotel wasn't quite smart enough to include hot chocolate in the deal and I was happy, so there you go.

After an excellent night's sleep, despite that coffee of course, I woke to find it snowing. I had a four hour drive to get to get to Senja and the weather forecast was for snow, so I wasn't pleased to wake to white flakes gently falling past my window. Oh dear!

The breakfast buffet was excellent and I was joined at the table by a Swiss couple who were in Norway for photography but for a couple of weeks, and had seen the Northern Lights for the first time the previous night, when I got snowed upon. They were trying their luck about 45 minutes drive away and had (sort of) clear skies. We compared our Aurora photos (I had a couple on my phone from Iceland) then went our separate ways. It all made breakfast really enjoyable and was a great start to the day.

I decided to spend a little time in the city before I began my journey because while we ate our breakfast and chatted the snow had stopped, the clouds parted and it had become a lovely day. Having packed-up and checked-out I decided to take a stroll in the sunshine, pick up a few supplies and only then retrieve my trusty steed from the underground nuclear bunker .... err, I mean car park, of course. I must say though, it did look as though it might double-up for use in times of Armageddon.

The panorama in this footprint was taken before I had a coffee (yes, more of the stuff) and if you zoom in near the other end of the bridge you can see the triangular church which Tromsø is known for. Soon I'd be driving across that bridge on my way to Senja but at the back of my mind I wondered if the weather would actually be okay and if I really should have left sooner, because snow was forecast after all. Too late to worry about that now!Read more