W e’ve had a great time in Tromso but budgetary constraints have dictated that we kept our daytime activities to a minimum whilst here. Also, three nights in a row of bus expeditions that last about eight to nine hours from wo to go has also made us take it a bit easy the rest of the time.
However, I have really rated this place that stakes a claim for the most northerly town in the world for a whole range of things….the uni and the brewery are a couple that spring to mind. Tromso has a great feel about it and it’s a place where people live in some of the most extreme conditions in the world – a place that’s well above the Arctic Circle where there are months of complete darkness and then months of endless daylight. But Tromso is charming, exotic and somehow alluring for all of it’s extreme qualities. In short though I would love to return here when Norway is the focal destination of our holiday and not part of a year of travel. With a pocket full of cash (not a lean budget like ours) you could find endless options for entertainment all year round. A reindeer or dog sled ride out into the wild to view the Aurora, now that’s something to keep in mind for another time!
So I don’t claim to have got all the ins and outs of this town sorted but here are ten quick things I’ve noted about Tromso:
1. Everyone leaves all their curtains open at night (all night) with lights on for the world to see in. They usually have lamps sitting in each window and the outside lights on too.
2. People use cross country skis and one person sleds as modes of transport.
3. There is roughly 30 km of underground road networks that are complex enough to have roundabouts.
4. There are seat belts on buses.
5. Beds are made with two separate doonas folded in half for each person (this seems to be the European way in general).
6. There is a seriously disproportionate amount of stunningly beautiful women.
7. A beer in a pub costs at least $10 Australian.
8. They eat whale, seal and reindeer.
9. Everyone seems to knock off work at 3.30 pm.
10. They love Goyte’s, ‘Somebody that I used to know’….as does the rest of Europe it seems. We’ve heard it played in every country we’ve been in…a nice reminder of Australia 
Apparently the Dutch leave their curtains open too, though I’m not sure why. As for the gorgeousness of the Scandinavians, I’m reminded of a story from a few years ago where Sweden was playing Australia in soccer at the Olympic Stadium. A couple of typical Aussie blokes were overheard to say – and this is true – “Sweden – the only country where I’d #%*( the men as well as the women”.
Too funny!! Though I have to say that in Tromso the blokes just can’t compete with the chicks! As Damien said, none of the blokes had been hit with the ugly stick but it’s the girls who stood out. However, I saw a few male model contenders in the streets of Oslo today!
I would love to understand why Norwegians have a penchant for leaving all the windows open, especially in a cold climate where heat can be lost through the glass. We are staying in the home of some nice people in Oslo tonight and there are no curtains at all on the windows in the lounge room/kitchen where we are sleeping.