Tromsø

The plane landed in Tromsø pretty much on time, perhaps even a few minutes early. As the plane descended through the clouds the surrounding air was full of snow rushing by and my first thought was the weather down there must be horrible. The pilot announced the landing could be bumpy due to strong winds then the plane descended to its destination. On final approach there was a good deal of buffeting, then the wheels touched the ground and all that was now needed was to stop. But each time the brakes were applied you could sense the wheels were skidding along due to the runway being covered with snow and ice. Engine breaking did the trick however and soon I was picking up the keys to the car - a Skoda similar to the one hired in December but the next model up: four wheel drive automatic with winter/studded tyres and heated everything. Just the ticket, so eight minutes later I was parking the car in the underground car park beneath the city and five minutes after that I was checking in to the hotel.

Dinner was at a very nice pizzeria 50m from the hotel and afterwards I took a stroll through the streets to take in the air which was .... cold! Was that a hint of the Aurora just then? Indeed it was, but only the merest trace through a gap in the clouds and only for a moment or two. Soon it was snowing quite hard and the wind bitingly cold which meant it was time for a coffee back at the hotel to warm up.Read more