Fugloya & Tromso, Norway
Yesterday’s bad weather forced us to cancel any plans for Bear Island so, instead, we continued sailing south. Today we reaped the advantage of that by having some hours available for extra activities. The weather had cleared and immediately after breakfast we hopped into the Zodiacs and enjoyed a bumpy (but definitely not cold) Zodiac cruise along the impressive cliffs of Fugloya. This name is Norwegian for “bird island” and it certainly lived up to its moniker with hundreds of puffins flying around the island and landing on the water. There were dozens of the impressive white-tailed eagles circling lazily on the thermals high above the island and occasionally dropping down to sea level to take a look at us. On these trips it is sometimes unclear exactly who is watching who!
Then, still with extra time under our belt, we steamed for Tromso. A city! People! Stores! And no bears! We arrived early afternoon and were lucky enough to secure a docking space within walking distance of both the excellent Polar Museum and Tromso’s city center. Being a Saturday afternoon the town was busy but there was also a beer festival taking place, a rally of classic American vintage cars plus a couple of weddings were being celebrated so all-in-all the place had a definite carnival atmosphere – very different from the isolation and starkness of Svalbard only a few days ago.
Tomorrow we shall be offered a formal guided tour of the city stopping at several of the main highlights but for today it was pleasant just to stroll the colorful streets, sit on one of the numerous public benches and enjoy the warm sun as the hustle and bustle swirled all around.
After dinner several of us enjoyed an evening stroll back into town while others sat on the back deck and watched the sun slowly drop behind the surrounding tree-covered hills. We are truly in coastal Norway now!
