Nordic winter magic

Beyond the Arctic Circle

[Tripper: Paola]

IT

Tromsø is the seventh largest city in Norway by population and is the largest city in Northern Norway, more than seventeen hundred kilometers from the capital Oslo, beyond the Arctic Circle. What can push us towards the great North, in winter, when sunlight is seen for a few hours a day, snow covers everything and icicles hang dangerously from the roofs like stalactites?
There are countless reasons to appreciate a trip with these characteristics.

Tromso and the fjord

Sailboats in the snow

First of all the famous Northern lights, that polar aurora which is a bit of magic, a bit of science. When the gaze meets her, she is enchanted to the point of not being able to take her eyes off the sky. It's such a pervasive feeling that it hangs around you and triggers far-reaching thoughts.
Another good reason is the completely white landscape. Don't expect panoramas suffocated between very high peaks, rather imagine a soft landscape that undulates and occasionally pushes a little upwards. Consider that the mountain that overlooks Tromso is just over 1200 meters high. The immense white expanses lend themselves well to being traveled with sleds pulled by dogs. And this is another good reason to go up here. Try driving a sled. Even if it seems simple on the surface, you need a continuous action of your legs and an ever vigilant attention, but the fun is guaranteed and the landscape of snow and water will captivate you completely.
The city center is located on an island, called Tromsøya but the urban agglomeration also develops on the mainland to the east, connected by bridges and an underwater tunnel, and on another island, called Whale Island (Kvaløya) to the west .
Touring it on foot is not a problem if you like going slow and will allow you to enjoy every detail. We really appreciated the unusual combination of water and snow. Perhaps it is our Mediterranean nature that finds the sight of a small port with sailing boats peculiar while snow is falling from the sky.
Similarly, it was unusual to have breakfast with smoked salmon and herring, accompanied by coffee, but this too is an experience to remember.
We stayed at Scandic Ishavshotel in a quadruple room, comfortable even if not very large, but the breakfast offers a quantity and variety that is difficult to find.
During your visits, find the time to go into some place to warm up and before leaving, to face the cold, not exaggerated but persistent, equip yourself with gloves, a scarf, a cap and hand warmers.
The experiences we had during this trip were so profound that they aroused the desire to memorize them forever. We have therefore decided to write and publish an intimate book that contains them. Thus was born the story Aurora e la Tigre (Italian) , where the other stages of the journey are also narrated.
If you are interested in the complete itinerary, you can download it for free here.
Have a good trip!