We made it to Tromsø, and we are so glad we came early. We arrived early in the evening on Thursday 8 June. Our hotel is right at the harbor, so, of course, we went for a walk and found food. The next morning I got up early for coffee and a sketch.
This is a working port, with lots of fishing boats. In the distance there are magnificent mountains that remind me of Alaska.
Here is a sketch of our hotel from across the harbor.
Tromsø is on an island, on the mainland is the Arctic Cathedral. We visited it today. It is one of the largest glass mosaics in Norway, designed by Victor Sparre. It is titled, “The Return of Christ.” In it three rays of light emanate from God’s hand: one through Jesus, one through man, and one through woman. It is quite an impressive place.
On Saturday we took the Fjellheisen, a mountain cable car, up to Storsteinen mountain. Tricia will be blogging in the next week or so with some amazing photos of the view; I did a sketch to capture the moment.
In the afternoon we sat near a park at a cafe that had quite a French feel about it, perfect for people watching. According to the locals, it has been a rainy summer, up until Friday. We have had warm, sunny days our whole time here up until just a few hours ago when the rain returned. With the warm weather people were out enjoying the sun, which is appreciated in a place that has nine or ten months of snow every year.
This morning I got coffee at the 7-11 – they are all over the world. Then I sat by the harbor to sketch fishing boats.
We started the day by visiting the Arctic Botanical Gardens, part of the university. The plants were certainly different than what we see in the more temperate part of the world that we live in.
It has been a good weekend, but we are ready for the cruise. Someone asked us today if we would return to Tromsø. We would love to but doubt we will since we have so many other places we want to see. One caution: if you visit; it is expensive here. A two-mile taxi can cost 2200NOK, which is about 20€. That aside, we are so glad we got to spend the extra time, we will have lots of great memories, and Tricia probably can’t count how many photos she took. I can’t wait to see them in one of her blogs.
theTravelsketcher 
Tromsø is a lovely and inviting place; lively too when the sun is shining! I’m glad you’ve had lots of sketching time that has resulted in some nice ones!
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It made for a fun weekend.
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Great sketches Terry. Loved them. Especially those of the harbor. And your one comment was exactly as I was thinking, it reminds me a lot of Alaska. BUT, with the added advantage of being a different culture to enjoy the scenery with.
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And it is cleaner and more sophisticated than Alaska. Alaska still has a lot of the old gold rush, rough and tumble. That is not at all what it is like here.
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RE: “That is not at all what it is like here.” That was sort of what I was referring to by a different culture. I know, without a doubt, I would enjoy the atmosphere of Norway more than Alaska. That is not a slam on Alaska but rather a compliment to Norway.
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It’s such a beautiful area. I hope your trip is off to a good start. Looking forward to the photos. Cheers.
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Especially loved the one of you holding up your sketch in front of the fishing boats you’d just captured on paper. Really lovely –and seems to perfectly capture that place. Between the two of you there will be many, many captured memories both sketched and photographed. The adventures continue
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Yes they do. Moving to France was the right thing. We do miss friends and family but it makes traveling so much easier, and we are thus getting to do so much.
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I was just reading Sarah’s blog (Travel with me) earlier today where she also visited Tromsø recently – it seems to be a popular place. I like your sketch of the fishing boats. Enjoy your cruise!
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Thank you so much, they are fun do draw
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Your sketches are wonderful, Terry. Boats — like bicycles — are so photogenic! (Sketch-o-genic. HA!) Love your treatment of the flowers in the botanical garden, and the composition. Lovely. Thank you for sharing these.
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Lots to sketch, thanks.
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