swaying

Norway Friday 4 December 2015

Up at 8.30am for a lovely buffet breakfast, but as we walked across the restaurant we all felt the 'deck' swaying and lurching!!!  Now we know the true meaning of sea legs and land legs!!
Really weird sensation and was even hard to balance our cups of tea across the room!

A peek from our room across a snowy Tromsø morning - love the way it's nestled between the mountains and the sea.  But, very sadly, this is our last day up here in the Arctic Circle . . .

 So it was time to explore the lovely Tromsø - all bedecked for Christmas

 spotted an old cinema

here on the right

 and a lovely contemporary library Bibliotek og byarkvic

 This great old bank building

 and Tromsø Domkirke (Cathedral) built in wood in 1961 on the site of earlier churches

loved these Nordic desgin bike racks

and that little alleyway conveniently led us to a lovely gourmet cafe and delicatessen, Mathellen, where we quaffed a welcome warming coffee

before going back onto the icy cold streets.  Time was closing in to catch our bus to the airport . . .

All the shops had little lanterns on the floor outside their doors - so welcoming

But dark was really setting in now as it was approaching 2.30pm

Time for a quick peek into a souvenir shop with all things Norway.

Loved how you get glimpses of mountains and sea between the streets - reminds me of Sheffield and Belfast - seeing glimpses of the hills between busy city centre roads.

And this eccentric little shop, Tromso bruktbokhandel, which we found down a side street, is said to have the best Lego and comic book collection in North Norway - but sadly no time to delve inside.

Anyway that was the end of our amazing adventure and we were whisked back to Manchester Airport through the dark skies.  We all just wished we could start all over again . . .

So THANK YOU sensational sixers - you are all amazing travel companions and it wouldn't have been the same without you all.

Here's a cheery song to herald our summer adventures now we understand a little more why those Norwegians so cherish the eternal summer nights up above the fjords in those magical wooden huts . . .

If you've missed the start - then just click here to go back to the beginning - we certainly wish the we were!!!