48 Hours a Toast to Tromsø
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THE ITINERARY NORWAY 48 HOURS A TOAST TO TROMSØ Came chasing the Northern Lights? Stay back for some lip-smacking Nordic nosh and a taste of Arctic life By Prachi Joshi Don’t miss the stunning glass mosaic on the eastern side of the Arctic Cathedral, also known as the Tromsdalen Church. PRACHI JOSHI PRACHI 18 NATGEOTRAVELLER.IN THE ITINERARY NORWAY Arctic. Tromsø is lively, young, full of students. It’s unsurprising then that it has more pubs per capita than any other city in Norway. Day 1 10 A.M. FIND YOUR BEARINGS Begin your day with a hot coffee and a buttery cinnamon roll at the cosy Tromsø Kaffebrenneri or the chic Kaffebønna Stortorget. Then take a leisurely stroll down Storgata, Tromsø’s high street lined with colourful shops, supermarkets, cafés, and one very retro-looking, teal-fronted barbershop. Stop to gawk at the fully glass-framed Tromsø City Library that is capped with four bow-roofed arches. Further down Storgata is the Domkirke or Tromsø Cathedral, a simple, yellow Gothic Revival-style building that dates to 1861. It’s the only Norwegian cathedral made entirely of wood. Hungry from all the ambling? Lunch at Mathallen Tromsø, a fine restaurant that serves traditional Norwegian meat and seafood dishes. Do try their reindeer steak (mathallentromso. no). Alternatively, loop back to the picturesque harbour that’s lined with several eateries; Fiskekompaniet is a popular seafood joint along this stretch, HRISTENSEN, VISITNORWAY.COM (FOOD) VISITNORWAY.COM HRISTENSEN, known for its fish soup and C OTH OTH seafood platter (fiskekompani. R adies and gentlemen,” the Shimmering to Tromsø. no). Reservations are a green lights pilot’s voice filters in, “the Tromsø is the largest city in must in Tromsø and, luckily, HRISTIAN L C plane needs to be de-iced before streak an Arctic Northern Norway, spread out over many restaurants accept sky as the take-off.” From my window seat, aurora borealis the island of Tromsøya, which online bookings. by default I become privy to (top) makes is connected to the mainland the procedure: Seated inside an a spectacular by a cantilever bridge. It’s only 5 2 P.M. elevated pod attached to a truck, appearance; p.m. when I land but it’s already EXPERIENCE ARCTIC Pre-book a a staffer is pointedly spraying pitch dark. A convenient local bus DELIGHTS table to enjoy what looks like fiery bolts (but brings me from the airport to the Spend the afternoon at Polaria, the scrumptious (AURORA), IMAGES OMENT/GETTY is actually a chemical mix) at seafood platter city centre, and I trudge through a family-friendly Arctic M IAN/ the airplane’s wings. Apart from at Tromsø’s the snow to the warmth of my experience centre. Apart from P the runway, all of Oslo seems Fiskekompaniet Airbnb apartment. Over the next several aquariums, Polaria has (bottom). UGSOM blanketed in snow. It’s late two days, I chase the Northern a museum, an Arctic walkway S January and I have just flown Lights but I also sample the city with displays of stuffed animals in from Paris to travel onward that’s Norway’s gateway to the and polar exploration equipment, KIATANAN 20 NATGEOTRAVELLER.IN THE ITINERARY NORWAY and a panoramic cinema. The highlight is an open pool where the staff feed and exercise a pod of bearded seals at 3.30 p.m., every single day. So do plan your visit accordingly (polaria.no). 6 P.M. GREET THE GREENS With its location at 69°N, nearly 400 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, Tromsø is one of the best places in the world to view the aurora borealis. The ideal time to see them is from mid- September to mid-April, though the chances are higher between October and March. You can rent a car and go chasing the lights around Tromsø but driving on snowy, icy roads can get daunting even for the most green lights—ribbon-like fingers Bookworms can ticket is NOK 50/`400 and can be accomplished drivers. unfurling heavenwards, alien kick back at the purchased on-board (cash-only) fully glass- (DOG SLEDDING) VISITNORWAY.COM ), A better option is to join guided figures shape-shifting as the or via Troms Mobillett, Tromsø’s P fronted Tromsø OA group tours, like the Aurora Safari wind changes course. City Library free transportation app. F Base Stations Tour offered by (top) for many If you have more time in the URLANI ( Tromsø Safari (which the writer Day 2 uninterrupted city, head out on a fjord cruise F tried; tromsosafari.no). This is a 10 A.M. hours; Winter- aboard a comfortable catamaran specific activities HELSEA comfortable coach tour, which FEAST ON FJORDS like dog-sledding (tromsosafari.no). From late C takes you to one of their seven Tromsø is surrounded by a (bottom) mark October to end of January, there’s private base stations, about 90 breathtaking landscape of the perfect also a good chance of spotting minutes from Tromsø. It may chilly fjords and rugged, snow- adventure for whales. This is the time when the adrenaline be -20°C but the base station crusted peaks. Ersfjorden on the junkies. world’s biggest mammals visit the has a large warm shelter with western side of Kvaløya Island Troms coast to feed on herrings. water, hot chocolate, cookies, is a stunning fjord that is easily Of course, whale sightings cannot and cake, plus toilet facilities accessible by public transport. be guaranteed but the scenic and thermal suits. Ask and the In 30 minutes, bus number 425 cruise around majestic fjords is guide will gladly help set up your from Tromsø’s main bus station rewarding nonetheless. (BUILDING), VISITNORWAY.COM HRISTENSEN, C tripods and cameras. Then it’s all deposits you at Ersfjordbotn, OTH OTH wait and watch, and point-and- the viewing point that offers 2 P.M. R shoot. On a good day, the sky is spectacular views of the fjord VIEW, FROM THE TOP HRISTIAN HRISTIAN positively lit with shimmering and surrounding peaks. The bus Grab a soul-satisfying burger at C XXXXXXXXXXXX (XXXXXXXXX) XXXXXXXXXXXX 22 NATGEOTRAVELLER.IN Rugged, snow- covered peaks and beatific landscapes of the chilly fjords (top) surround Tromsø; The famous one kilometre-long Tromsø Bridge (bottom) connects Tromsøya to Tromsdalen on the mainland. Burgr, a fun bar plastered with From the church, the Fjellheisen and offers 67 craft beers on vintage video game posters cable car station is a 15-minute tap, including those sourced (burgr.no). The city’s iconic, stroll. The cable car whisks you from various Norwegian gracefully arched Tromsø Bridge is up the Storsteinen mountain microbreweries. Other bars worth a mere 200 metres from the bar. ledge in under five minutes for a checking out are Hildr Gastrobar, The one-kilometre-long bridge panoramic view of Tromsø and Blå Rock Café, and Skarven. But crosses the Tromsøysundet its surrounding mountains, fjords a personal favourite was Huken strait, connecting Tromsøya to and islands (fjellheisen.no). Pub for its comfy retro-chic décor. Tromsdalen on the mainland. Apart from beer, here you can Walk across the bridge to 6 P.M. also try akevitt or aquavit, a spirit Tromsdalen Church. Popularly SAVOUR SOME STAPLES distilled from grain and potatoes, known as the Arctic Cathedral, For a population of just over and flavoured with herbs like it’s a stark-white, concrete-and- 70,000 people, Tromsø has an caraway or dill. metal building. The soaring astonishingly large number of Follow up with dinner at triangular structure may seem pubs and bars. There’s Ølhallen Bardus, one of the best bistros in ultra-modern but it was built in Brewpub, which opened in 1928 town whose highlight is a dish 1965, while the stunning glass and is reputedly the oldest pub featuring fried cod tongue, a mosaic on the eastern side was in town. It’s now the brewpub Norwegian winter staple. For added in 1972. for local favourite Mack Brewery the less adventurous, there’s pan-fried cod, mussels, and even vegetarian ramen (bardus.no). 8 P.M. STROll UNDER STARS While the Northern Lights are best viewed far outside the city where there’s minimal light pollution, sometimes the auroras OSHI (BRIDGE) OSHI are really strong and you can J RACHI RACHI see them from the outskirts P of Tromsø. A couple of good spots are Telegrafbukta Beach (3 kilometres south of the city centre) and Prestvannet Lake (2 kilometres north west). Before you head out, check out the +/GETTY IMAGES (MOUNTAINS), (MOUNTAINS), IMAGES +/GETTY probability of seeing the lights on E O/ norway-lights.com. ❚ Sj 24 NATGEOTRAVELLER.IN.