Norway (Tromsø) - Dec 2019

1 fleece + 2 ultra light-downs + 1 shell, and here I go again! The final trip for 2019 was somehow an addition to my priority list but unexpectedly I have made it to Tromsø and delightfully checked-off 5 items from my bucket list!

Day 1 - 13.12.2019

This journey has been planned together with 3 mates (2 Singaporeans + another Malaysian residing in Finland). Though the transit has been a long 4 hours wait in Stockholm, however we enjoyed our typical asian breakfast (bak kua with bread) and some shopping at the airport. Arriving Tromsø at 2pm, we quickly discovered that Uber or Bolt are not available but there is a bus conveniently sending us to the city center with a reasonable price. After checking-in to the Scandic Hotel, we walk around the town looking for dinner. The day without sunlight confuses us with the time but created the best ambience for Christmas. We were excited to find a small Thai Store occupying a corner of the grocery shop, hence decided to have our first meal there and I managed to enjoy the Red Curry Duck with Rice.

Day 2 - 14.12.2019

Having booked a few tours for our trip, we started with the 5 hours Polar Fjord Cruise on the next morning. This trip was way above my expectations. The crews were fun and knowledgeable, and we met many interesting people internationally on board. Tromsø is surprisingly not as cold as I initially thought. Thanks to the warming effect of the gulf stream bringing some heat to the coast. Fishing is not often my recreational preference, however after that brisk grip on the fishing pole, looks like I am going to book myself some fishing trips back in Finland. The freshly caught fish was soon made into a delicious pot of soup which everyone enjoyed very much in the cold breeze.

After disembarking from the boat, we still have a few hours to stroll around town before the aurora hunting trip begins. Over the course of 6 hours, we have seen more than 30 shooting stars while waiting for the northern light. I could finally appreciate how romantic it could be to watch the meteor rain with the loved ones like many people have wished for. I have made just one single wish to the many shooting stars, wondering if my dream will eventually come true (fingers crossed!). As expected, we were starving after the tour when we return to the hotel at 1.30am. Thanks to the Singaporeans who carried 12 different flavoured cup noodles to spare us from hunger.

Day 3 - 15.12.2019

Ensuring some sufficient rests and after recovering from the late night trip, I am getting excited with the next tour in our agenda - the Husky Dog Sledding Self-Drive Adventure. Arriving at the farm, we were welcomed by the loud howling of the tail-wagging friends. Though the huskies doesn’t look exactly like what we often seen on the TV, however they were lovely and absolutely adorable. They are well-trained, obedient and love running in the snow. The sledding experience was so much easier than I originally thought. The guide has explained it so well that we were working as a team with the huskies therefore when going up the slope, we should help them by running and pushing the sled. While going around the wilderness, I noticed that the doggies keep turning back and looked at me as if they are telling me “hey human, move!”. I thought I have been overthinking and seeing illusions, but those huskies did actually turn over and stare at me whenever I try to slow them down while expressing their distress for not letting them to run as fast and as freely. This fact was eventually confirmed by the guide and looks like I am not the only one that has been stared at…lol. After the sledding experience, we get to enjoy a cup of hot beverage and the delicious cake. We were given the chance to hug and play with the huskies before heading back to the town.

Tasting the whale steak has been on my bucket list since 4 years ago when a friend of mine tasted it in Iceland and surprised me with the fact that whales can be eaten. And finally I have the chance to try it by myself. The texture is like any other red meat while having its unique flavor. Going along with a glass of  the Mack Artic beer makes this dinner close to perfect.

Day 4 - 16.12.2019

A visit to the cold and snowy country wasn’t considered complete without a visit to an icy site, and as a result the Ice Dome is where we plan to discover today. After a long 1.5 hours bus ride, we finally arrived at the Ice Dome. We get to admire many wonderful sculptures and having the chance to taste the juice or alcohol from the slippery and melting ice glasses. To me my favorite walrus sculpture is still the most adorable piece of art. 

Getting myself an Iphone 11pro intentionally for this trip ends up with both surprises and disappointments. The camera was beyond my expectation and it could even capture pictures of the sky filled with stars. However I did not get myself the perfect picture that I wanted while taking perfect pictures for my friends instead. This second aurora attempt wasn’t lucky though. Nothing has been sported due to the low cloud and snowy weather. Nonetheless we have had fun building our “tripod” and snowman while waiting for the sky to clear. Looks like I should make a visit to Rovaniemi and try my luck to see if I would have the chance to witness some stronger aurora.

Day 5 - 17.12.2019

We have spent the last day of our trip in town visiting some famous touristy places such as the Arctic Cathedral and Fjellheisen. We did not enter the cathedral nor took the cable car to the top of mountain Floya though.

Having the Norwegian Lutefisk as dinner ends the trip perfectly. The texture of the stockfish was great and definitely tasty to mix with the various side dishes.

Throughout the trip there were lame jokes, snow fights and funny picture sessions. Though the trip has cost me a fortune, but I was glad to be part of it. This is also my first time having 4 burgers from Burger King within a week! Guess I will be dodging away from the store at least for some time thereafter.