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They say that at 70 degrees North latitude, Tromsø is the farthest north city of any significant population size in the world. And they call it "the Paris of the North". Although Tromsø probably isn't even a hundredth the size of Paris, both of these epithets are believable. There is an urbanity, a gaiety, a vivacious street life in Tromsø that does remind the visitor (well, this visitor anyway) of Paris. And the youthful presence of a university with its concommitant bookstores and culture added to Tromsø's charm. It was cold and sometimes rainy--but we were glad to be here. |
The drive from Alta to Tromsø, which we expected to be a chore, turned out to be as spectacularly beautiful as any we undertook in Norway. At one point, we left the main highway to take a "short cut". This alternate route cut perhaps a hundred kilometers off our drive but necessitated taking not one but two ferries, both incorporated into the highway system, constantly shuffling vehicles across wide fjords on either side of a rugged island. Here's what the route looked like. Yes, those really are glaciers.
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Tromsø itself, framed by mountains, has a busy harbor, an active market square, and a pedestrian street that is lively during the day and not entirely deserted even late in the evening.
The next two pictures show Tromso's main pedestrian street, the first in the afternoon and the second late in the evening, one looking up the street and the other looking down.
The endless daylight was exacting its toll again. We got a late start looking for a restaurant, walking all up and down the town, but all the recommended places were either terribly expensive or completely full. Or both. At last--it must have been at least 10pm or even later--we found a table by a window in a charming little bistro that seemed more of a student haunt than a restaurant (though the food turned out to be quite good). And, best of all, we found a wine that seemed the perfect accompaniment to a meal that lasted almost till midnight, with the daylight streaming in the windows:
We were sorry to leave Tromsø but eager to fly on to Oslo. This stunning view of the city was a good fare well.
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