Wandering around in Tromsø – a Walk and some Thoughts…

written on the 10th December 2007

To wake up only 4 hrs later, in a hurry to get downstairs and have breakfast before it ends at 11am, just to find out that on Mondays breakfast ends at 10am… Isn’t the best way to start the journey!!! Anyway, we went out, the three of us, with the intention of visiting the Arctic Cathedral (common name as it is a parish church and not, strictly speaking, a cathedral). A modern church, built with a nice, simple yet symbolic Architecture, representing both traditional and natural elements…

Well we went out together, but after a short while - a few minutes at the local tourist office and a small walk near the harbor - one of the mattes got to sleepy to go forward and the other one is getting a “little” tired (which doesn’t surprise me after all at 75 you should get tired in such conditions and in the third day ;-)

So, they got back to the hotel for some more hours of sleep, while I go on my “lonely” walk through frozen sidewalks crossing the big bridge, over the sea, to the mainland - the European continent.

Also this took some time as the bridge is over 1.000 meters long and the middle its nearly some 30 meters higher than the banks on each side… on a roughly calculation this is a 4 km walk (2 in each direction from the city center to the cathedral). As a urban track it is not as simple as I might thought… first difficulty: I went through streets near the sea with no traffic… meaning frozen streets and sidewalks, very hard to walk on - there I was… slipping and sliding ;-)

Second difficulty: after a hard walk I was glad to find the bridge’s entrance, without a map, but, as soon I start the “climbing” of the first half, I fond out that, after 2 days without a proper meal, my coffee and biscuits breakfast wasn’t enough, so I had a little dizziness, to remind me that I had to eat something more (on the next time I get the chance :-) I guess this meant that I also had to take a few more hours of sleep, but this would have to wait another day… after I end up my arctic days ;-)

For the next difficulty, I got the wind as a companion for that walk over the bridge, which lowers a bit that “nice and warm” arctic temperature!!! Again nothing that could spoil a great walk on the arctic :-D and that’s how I felt just great, appreciating my time alone on a bridge over the sea!!!

Finally, I arrive at the other part of the city, called Tromsdalen, where the Arctic Cathedral was built… from information’s at the tourist office, I already knew that the church only opens from 4 to 6pm, so I wouldn’t wait to get inside, also, another main feature there is the glasswork on the rear of the church, but, because it is to dark outside, that glasswork can only be seen when the lights inside are on… and they weren’t!!! guessed they would be at the same time the church is open, so just took a good look on the outside to its architecture… too many slipping and one almost-fall, come on, over there it’s not even easy to just go around the church :-D next time another kind of boots, that’s for sure!!!

I return to Tromsø, on the other sidewalk of the bridge (facing north) and already without any daylight!!! Among the many people that I cross with, at the bridge, I notice the typical Norwegian mom pushing her baby stroller, with a firm wide step, passing by at great speed… while I stop (for a best record on my camcorder ;-) and think… man! I’m really slow :-D

On my way back to the hotel I went through one of the largest commercial streets, where one can see people selling the ordinary stuff like t-shirts (tourist ones, but also heavy metal icons or Che Guevara’s), also Andes music and a band playing… I could even spot a beggar, something I thought would never see in Norway, specially this part of Norway!!!

Back to the hotel I started putting into action what had decided while watching the sights over the bridge, meaning: that I would go, alone, on a cross-country ski activity!!! It should get me to the hotel in time to leave at 6pm on tour with KS, in case he manages to get the second car along with his friend… No luck! At the hotel then phone to book, but they say there isn’t such an activity for this day… probably no one else had booked!!! So, just had some tea and… off to bed… I also needed that and if we had to rent another car, I had to be fit… to be the driver ;-)