Thursday 26 October

We’ve turned around and are now heading back south. Tromso is known as the Arctic Capital. A city of 80,000 people, it embraces a mild climate due to the Gulf Stream. I suspect the Tromso-ites are pleased that the wall was not completed or it might have kept the stream out. A mild climate means that it doesn’t snow heavily, but the pavements throughout the city are heated. It’s drizzling today so we don our Vera hats before venturing out.

We resist the temptation

And head instead to the Polar Aquarium

Where we see a lump fish and an angler fish

and heaps of jelly fish

So as not to get hooked, we then visit the Arctic Cathedral

It faces south and there was so much sunlight coming in that the parishioners (Lutheran in the country, the odd catholic – if you’ll pardon the expression) had to wear sunglasses. This troubled the minister as he was not sure if his flock was asleep or awake. So the strained glass window was commissioned and installed some years later. They have to stay awake now. The Cathedral welcomes all kinds

We then drive up Storsteinen Mountain where we board a cable car to the very top and get a sea eagles view of Tromso

Clearly the authorities had heard I was coming

So Cherrie ventured off on her own

Back on board, we ask ourselves why Tromso is known as the Paris of the North. A quick search tells me that travellers in the 19th century were blown away by the city’s women, fashion, food and culture and so dubbed it. Perhaps we were on the wrong bank.