Friday, 1/18 -- Tromso, the end of the Tirpitz

We docked at Tromso around 1P, and promptly set off for Sommaroy Island.  This is a popular summer destination, but it offers winter charm as well.  We learned a variety of things about the town and the area on the way over ... such as, the difference between a "sound" and a "fjord."  Both words have been adopted into English; a sound is open at both ends (and therefore is all salt water).  A fjord, in contrast, is closed at one end (which usually is fed by a river flowing into it from the nearby mountains).  Therefore the water varies from salt at the sea end, to brackish, to fresh at the closed end.  Just what salmon need!

Tromso itself is also a fairly new-construction city; it's the largest city north of the Arctic Circle (did I mention that we'd crossed that line?).  There's a major university here, focused on aquaculture and research on astronomical phenomena (such as the elusive Northern Lights), as well as more liberal-arts majors.  Most of the early wooden houses were razed for fire control, and replaced with safer structures.  The German retreat toward the end of WWII also resulted in great damage.  The city was the capital of Free Norway during that war.

Norway itself has some 240,000 islands, and the length of the coastline is only exceeded by Canada's.  (We pondered this at some points in our various tours ... we feel like we covered a decent percentage of it!)  Tromso built a large tunnel to ease traffic woes; it has several branches, and the first roundabout in a tunnel in Europe.  Apparently engineers show up from time to time to look at this curiosity, only to be told there are no pedestrian facilities.  Sorry!

As we were well out in the countryside, we enjoyed picturesque views of evergreens perfectly frosted with snow on every branch.  This was a result of the big storm that made our first couple of days so ... interesting.  Winds of 25 meters-per-second were registered here -- over 50 MPH.

We heard a number of intriguing Norse tales: 
>Lights stay on over ski paths both for safety and to keep the trolls up in the mountains where they belong (this way they won't snatch the children). 
>Homes keep lights in their windows to guide storm-tossed sailors to land (maybe not the exact destination desired, but land nonetheless). 
>As cold air settles in, the salt water gets heavier and sinks ... the fresh water on top freezes and makes for good ice fishing (be sure to cut a hole big enough to accommodate the fish you catch!). 
>Linie Aquavit is known as a fine Norwegian aquavit aged in a fabulous and unusual manner; Linie is taken in sherry casks for a four month quest, sailing to Australia and back again.  The length of time and the changes in temperature make a fine spirit.
>The sun sinks below the horizon November 21 and returns (briefly at first) January 21, when the first rays hit the front steps of the local church (these days, the rays don't make it there as a result of new construction).
>The sun's departure and arrival are both marked with filled doughnuts, but the farewell doughnuts are thickly frosted with chocolate (because everything's better with chocolate).
>A long tunnel built to minimize trucking accidents (taking the short route from one side of the island to the other involved going over the mountains, and worn tires/brake failures were common) ALSO promptly became popular with bicyclists ... so there's a warning system to alert drivers entering the tunnel if a bicyclist is (SOMEWHERE) in the tunnel ahead.

So back to the Tirpitz.  The sister ship to the better-known Bismarck had been hiding in a fjord further north.  Loyal partisans helped Allied bombers find the ship and it was badly damaged.  It limped down to a waterway here, where it capsized with great loss of life.  It was a sad event despite wartime necessity, remembered to this day.  Many items are now displayed in a local museum, but the huge craft was purchased and sold for scrap to make steel used in rebuilding post-war continental Europe.

Well, PHEW!  after all that and a stroll around the small downtown, waffles served by the local hotel were gratefully eaten.  Served with sour cream & jam, and the Norwegian "brown cheese" (which is quite sweet), they were a lovely restorative. 

Not having had QUITE enough to do, we attended a concert at the Arctic Cathedral, a stunning modern structure across the water from our ship.  A trio of a soprano singer, a tenor saxophone player, and an organist/pianist provided a magical performance for us.

Interior of cathedral

view of cathedral (left) from ship

Back to the boat, which remains here overnight.