Wednesday 12th January - On the Hurtigruten, MS Nordlys I spent the morning doing some souvenier shopping in central Tromsø and had a lovely chat with my mum before I headed out. During the afternoon I went back to the restaurant where I'd had lunch with Hilde and had their very sweet, very delicious chocolate and merangue cake with the most delightful raspberry coulis. Just before 4pm I collected my bags and checked out of the Radisson Blu Hotel (I'd organise...

Evening of the 11th January Hilde picked me up from her apartment just after 4pm. I gave her a thank you gift, a little plant in a lovely silver pot, for her hospitality and generosity. I am truly grateful. Hilde drove me into the city and dropped me at the Radisson Blu Hotel where I checked in and headed up to my room for the night - room 808. I had another corner room that looked out over the north of Tromsø and across to the main land. At 6pm I was downsta...

Beginning of the week Monday 10th January As the sun began to brighten the sky I rose from my slumber ... I basically had a quiet morning, doing washing, writing postcards, catching up on emails, blogs, and copying photos onto my USB. It was lovely to just potter, although I was conscious that I should enjoy the light while it was around. I walked into the city centre and meandered down the main street of Tromsø, going into a few shops here and there. I went ...

A Day in Tromsø - Sunday 9th Jan After a good sleep in, I rolled out of bed at 9am showered, dressed and ate breakfast. It was only just beginning to get light outside and I had a day planned with Hilde to take in some of Tromsø's best sights. We ventured off to Storsteinen Fjellheis, a cable car that takes you to the top of Mt Storsteinen. As we began the steep climb Tromsø opened up in front of my eyes. The island is surrounded by craigy snow capped mount...

Beautiful, Amazing Tromsø and the Aurora Borealis Saturday 8th January, 2011 A very early rise commenced my day of amazing adventures. First was a tram ride to Oslo Central Station, followed by a trip on the FlyToget to the airport and an 8am flight away from the sun and into the polar nights of Tromsø. On arrival, Hilde met me at the baggage claim with a big smile and a hug. Once my pack was out, we left the building into the -6 degree snowy weather. Hilde ...