Travel
places visited, routes taken, things noticed
I'm hoping this page will slow-grow into a record of places on my list that I want to (and finally) get to visit. School timetables and ££ permitting!
Click the destination titles below to open each entry.
Tromsø, Northern Norway
Tromsø is easily my favourite place I’ve ever visited.
I’ve always wanted to visit Norway, especially the Lofoten Islands (fingers crossed that'll be crossed off one day) and Northern Norway. Finally the wife and I were able to get away for a week in the October half-term holiday. We absolutely loved this trip! I had a lot planned: we were hoping to see either the northern lights, some reindeer or some whales — Tromsø put on a show for us — we saw all three!
We stayed in the Vervet area of Tromsø, close to the water and within easy walking distance of the centre. Snow had already settled on the surrounding mountains, giving the city a sense of winter without making it feel cut off. Tromsø itself is compact and easy to navigate — the bus service was excellent and made getting around in icy conditions stress free.
The October light was one of the standout features of the trip. The sun stays low, casting soft blues and pinks for a short part of the day before fading into the evening. I was worried it would be gloomy as the days get shorter in October, but it was far from it. Tromsø has plenty of cafés and restaurants — handy for someone who would drink tea intravenously.
Exploring off the island - by car
Whale Watching on the Brim Explorer
We took a “silent” whale-watching trip out to the feeding grounds onboard Brim Explorer — a full 9-hour round trip, but absolutely worth it. The boat runs on diesel for the long journey out, then switches to electric engines once inside the feeding grounds, making the whole experience (from what we could tell) very unobtrusive. The guides were excellent — one was a marine biologist who gave us all a talk about the whales and their environment and they were very clear about observing from a respectful distance. They even said that if the area became too busy with other boats, they’d simply leave, which was good to hear actually. We were incredibly lucky: we saw a pod of orca and several fin whales. I’d never even heard of fin whales before this trip, let alone appreciated the size of 'em — Massive, typically 20–24 metres in the Tromsø area (that’s about 65–80 feet in old money!). Check out this and their other excursions here: https://brimexplorer.com
