Norway (Day 10, Part 2)

June 27

Tromso

When last we left you, we had just finished our tour of the Polar Museum and had exited again to the great outdoors.  We pick it up again from there . . . 

[Peering off the pier . . . ]

[This has all the appearances of a harbor . . . ]

[We restrained ourselves . . . ]

[And back with the Running Women . . . ]

[Looking across the harbor at the Arctic Cathedral and a substantial background . . . ]

[And with the bridge included . . . ]

[The Fangstmonument (Arctic Hunter) – a whaler in a boat . . . ]

[Walking through the town square and open air market . . . ]

[Outside the Amalie Hotel . . . ]

[Roald Amundsen . . . ]

[Our boat behind the tourist shop – I believe we went back for lunch . . . ]

[Back out again, Prostneset port terminal is finished and put into operation.  More than a million people will use the terminal as their hub to depart from or to Tromsø. The terminal is also built for the future, with its 12,000 sqm.  It provides us with a terminal with proper facilities for the city and passenger numbers to grow together.  ~  Jarle Heitmann, Chairman of the Board of Tromsø Harbor KF]

[Uknown, so I’ll just dub him “Orange Man” . . . ]

[Almost “Alexandria”?]

[No, not something naughty. A popular pub game in Denmark, ‘Klask’ is like a fast-paced table-top version of Air Hockey, only it uses multiple magnets and a small round ball. Players must use the magnetic handles under the board to control their playing pieces on top of the board (https://www.amazon.com/Buffalo-Games-182-Klask-Magnetic/dp/B01I21KF8K).]

[Helmer Julius Hanssen (24 September 1870 – 2 August 1956) was a Norwegian sailor, pilot and polar explorer.  He participated in three of the polar expeditions led by Roald Amundsen and was one of the first five explorers to reach the South Pole (Wikipedia).]

[A baleen whale (not anatomically correct) . . . ]

[Bill and Anne (both anatomically correct) outside Polaria.  As I recall, we didn’t have enough time to tour . . . ]

[Polaria is the world’s most northerly aquarium.  Rather than a mainly scientific aquarium such as the one in Bergen in the Norwegian midlands, Polaria, which opened in May 1998, is designed to be an educational experience, with particular emphasis on displays for children.  Most of the displays focus on the northerly islands of Svalbard.  Its centerpiece is an open pool containing a group of bearded seals, Erignathus barbatus.  The building itself is also worthy of note.  Its striking design represents ice floes that have been pressed up on land by the rough seas of the Arctic.  This attractive piece of modern architecture echoes the Arctic Cathedral.  One of Norway’s most famous and successful seal hunting ships, the Polstjerna (T-80-T) has been preserved in a separate mueum building less than a hundred metres away from Polaria (Wikipedia).]

[On the way back for our bus tour, the Super with “Orange Man” . . . ]

[And now the bus ride . . . ]

[First to the Arctic Cathedral, in the rain . . . ]

[Then to the Northern Light Planetarium, the largest in Norway . . . ]

[Our tour of the university was marred by the downpour . . . ]

[Back in town center . . . ]

[Statue at the public library . . . ]

[Take a guess?]

[Back on our own, Bill scoped this out as a must visit . . . ]

[Mack’s brewpub Ølhallen is the oldest pub in Tromsø.  “The Hall”, as it was called in its younger years was a place of sanctuary.  At that time it was teeming with fishermen, farmers and townspeople.  Today Ølhallen is one of the most iconic places in Tromsø and is serving Norwegian quality beer from 72 differant taps.  It’s a place where townspeople of all ages meet and taste the best beers brewed by Mack – The world’s most northern brewery (https://www.mack.no/en/olhallen).]

[Let’s drop in for a tour . . . ]

[Bring me something wet . . . ]

[A flight’s aways good . . . ]

[A guided tour . . . of the ladies room?]

[Back aboard ship and off to the next destination . . . ]

[The ship’s officers . . . ]

[Chamber music on the atrium . . . ]

[An Asian panorama meal in the Chef’s Table . . . ]

[Wow!  This is special!]

[All courses, except Peking duck, were new to me – but very good!]

[So what’s not to like?]

[On the sea to our northern most destination . . . ]

Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.  ~  Jack Kerouac

Up Next:  More stuff . . .