Day Five ~ Harstad to Tromso

 November 9, 2022

As our ship left from one of its brief stops, I made my way out to the deck to find a brilliant, crisp morning.  Again the moon hung low in the bluest of skies.  Snowy peaks came into view.  So far on this trip we'd seen little of the expected wintery weather. 

The sun glowed lemony behind darkened peaks.  Day was getting a late start at around 8:30, but it was promising beautiful clear skies for the day ahead.

On the other side, a pink blush draped gently over the snowy mountains, and the moon still hung there, a small yellow disk.  

Nearing the town of Finnsnes, we passed under the Gisund Bridge, that connects the island of Senja to the mainland.  All along the coast there are many such bridges.  One tour guide told us (not sure if it's true or not) that Norway is so rich, they put in bridges even if only a few people need one.  

Though not a small town, we would only stop in Finnsnes for a half hour.  

The sun just popped over the mountain as we stopped at the small arrival port in Finnsnes.

This picture was taken at 11:52 am, so it's obvious they have pretty short days in the winter.

We arrived in the city of Tromso shortly after 2:00 pm.  A university city, Tromso is the largest in northern Norway.  It's known for the striking-looking Arctic Cathedral that can be seen in the pictures below.  We would be docked here for four hours, but as I had no excursions booked, I would just wander around a bit.  

Tromso has a large arrival hall with a fair amount of up and down escalators to get out to the street.  I had asked at an information booth for a map and suggestions of where to go, thinking to possibly walk across the big bridge to the Arctic Cathedral, but I found this beautiful church instead.  Painted a soft gold color, it seemed to glow from within where it sat in a little park in the middle of town.  Built in 1861, right as the American Civil War was beginning, it is thought to be the northernmost Protestant church. It has the distinction of being the only wooden cathedral in Norway.  Not the only wooden church, but a cathedral, as belonging to a diocese. 

Situated right in the middle of the city, it is said that there has been a church on this site since the twelfth century.  Though the church currently holds 600, the pastor that I chatted with briefly said that only 70-100 attend there on a Sunday morning.  He said that most people still want to have their funeral there though, whether they attended during their life or not.

The interior wasn't without embellishment, but understated compared to many ornate stone churches and cathedrals.  Most of it was softly painted wood with fancy cutout designs.

The altar had an amazing painting of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, showing him bursting forth from the grave, and the soldiers falling away in terror.

There was this moderate size organ up front.  Note the ladder leaning against it, where a repair man had climbed up and was inside working on it.

In the choir loft there was this massive organ.  Regrettably I know nothing whatsoever about organs beyond their appearance.

By the time I came out of the church it was about 3:30, and already dark.

Leaving the church I just wandered through the streets, making sure not to get lost.  It was dark enough that it seemed like stores should be closing, but it was only afternoon so everything was open.

Trolls seem to be everywhere in Norway.  Some are cute and silly, others a bit creepy.  I know that most of them come from tales of Norwegian folklore.  Besides the little ones for sale in gift shops, there are larger ones on display.  Here's one out on the sidewalk that was almost as tall as me.

This display was in the middle of a sporting goods store.  The goat was a real stuffed goat.

There were lots of other stuffed animals throughout the store.

One of the shops I went to was a woolen shop.  I bought a nice had and neck warmer, but spent some time looking at all the lovely yarn.  

Keeping an eye out for icy patches, I walked down to the harbor and out onto a floating dock. The city bustled around me, but it was so quiet and peaceful out there as all the boats were at rest.

Below is a beautiful vintage boat.  I know less about boats than I do about organs, but I know it was made out of lots of well-loved and cared for wood.  I love its reflection in the black pool.

Here's the bridge I was going to cross over.  I'm guessing it would have been terribly cold and windy, but probably an amazing view.

Though I still had a couple of hours before we had to leave, I headed back to the ship.  The moon rivaled the city lights on this beautiful clear night.