Tromso

We arrived in Tromso at 2:30 pm. This was a 4-hour stop. Excursions available for this stop were a bus tour for NOK580 and a kayak trip for NOK1290. We chose to walk around on our own.

Tromso is the capital of arctic Norway and is known as the "Paris of the North." It has a population of 69,000.

Tromso's most famous site is the Arctic Cathedral. It was a 25-minute walk from where we docked. You have to cross the Tromso bridge to reach the cathedral.

The cathedral is actually a parish church built in 1965. Entry to the church costs NOK40. Was it worth $5? Probably not, but you have to go inside just to say you've been there.

The eastern wall behind the altar is decorated with one of the largest glass mosaics in Europe. It depicts the second coming of Christ.

Inside the church, you'll find lunch boxes filled with diversions for young parishioners.

Tromso church in town. This is the largest wooden church in Norway.

In town, the Perspektivet Museum displays photos of Tromso's past and present.

Whaler Statue in the center of town. Look at the beautiful snow-clad mountains in the background.

Reindeer. I thought reindeers were brown.

Public library. There was free wi-fi so we caught up on our e-mail.

Statue of Roald Amundsen. Amundsen left Tromso in 1928 to rescue his Italian colleague Nobile. Nobile returned but Amundsen did not.

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