So we left Ålesund behind and headed north, destination: Tromsø. However, before that something was going to happen that excited me greatly. At approximately 1pm on Tuesday the 30th of September 2025 I realised a dream of mine that I held for many years, as we crossed 66°33’N and entered the Arctic Circle. To call ourselves Arctic Explorers whilst on a rather posh cruise of 3000, having had nothing to do with the sailing of the ship itself is rather a stretch, but one I am willing to accept! In fact the moment we entered the circle I was indulging in a whiskey and cigar, rather different to Amundsen, Shackleton and other famous explorers that lead to this dream, however, we had done it and I for one was as giddy as a child.
The day at sea was filled with more socialising, quizzing and entertainment followed by an early night. We awoke at 6am and I immediately headed topside once again to take pictures of entering the fjords and our docking into Tromsø. We then got a quick bite to eat and figured out our rather long day ahead. Soon we were once again on land and grabbed the shuttle bus into Tromsø’s center along the way taking in the sites. Once we arrived we doubled back on ourselves to visit one of the Sámi shops we had seen on the way. The Sámi people are the indigenous people of Northern Scandinavia, stretching from Norway, across Sweden and Finland into the Kola peninsula in Russia. Traditionally they are Reindeer herders and they are the only people in Norway who are allowed to own Reindeer.
The shop was full of traditional garments, hunting knives, antlers and of course souvenirs. In total we popped into three Sámi shops in Tromsø which was a great treat. Continuing around we went to Tromsø cathedral and other shops. One of which had a small cinema room showing a 15 minute film about the Northern Lights which we excitedly watched as our Northern Lights experience was booked for the evening. Once we had taken in our fill of shops there was only one thing to do; visit the most northern McDonald’s in the world! In fact there was a couple of ‘most northern in the world’ in Tromsø, McDonald’s for one and Hard Rock Cafe for enother. I even saw a Burger King and took a photo just in case, though later discovered there is one in Sweden just a bit further north! After buying the most expensive single large meal in McDonald’s I have ever seen (which meant we decided to share rather than buy one each), we set off to see the Arctic Cathedral.
We set off for a quick stop to an archway on our side of the Fjord which lines up perfectly with the Cathedral and took some pictures. Then to get there we had to walk across Tromsø Bridge over the Fjord, leading to some fantastic views across both sides of the water. Once we were close there were obviously lots of tourists doing the same thing which put us off going inside, but we did take in the views and I for one simply imagined the place covered in snow and how beautiful is would be. We pottered around for some time and then headed back over the bridge. Once across, we passed the Polar Museum which we elected not to go in to due to the price and time that we had spare.
We continued our venture around, going to the Hard Rock Cafe, various vintage shops and a cafe for a break from all the exploring and walking. It was then we found out about the Magic Ice Bar in town. At a constant -7 degrees with ice sculptures, glasses made of ice serving drinks and the opportunity to laugh at the wife saying she was cold, this was too tempting to miss, so we set off and checked it out. On arrival we seemed to time it horribly as a large tour of people had just arrived as well but they only lasted 10 to 15 minutes in the cold meaning we were able to enjoy the bar almost alone. After 45 minutes we agreed it was time to warm up and grab a snack before we embarked on our Northern Lights experience.
Soon we found ourselves waiting for the coach that would take us to see over 200 huskies, allow us to indulge in traditional food and then wait, and hope for the lights to show. The experience was so amazing I have decided you’ll have to wait until next time for that!
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