Beer at 69° North

Skål from above the Arctic Circle

The journey to Tromsø had been eventful.  To start with, my backpack failed to get through security not just once, but twice...  due to an old inhaler that I hadn't realised was lurking at the bottom of the pack, the legacy of a past walking weekend.  This held us up for quite a while and I was made to feel suitably embarrassed.

Then our flight to Oslo was half an hour late which meant we had to try our best to rush through security while the departure board kept flashing 'Gate Closing'...  Dashing through the airport we were sure we would miss the connecting flight to Tromsø and were relieved when we were asked to identify our bags (the last remaining 3 bags) on a monitor screen at the gate.

Our flight was late to depart, probably due to us, as we were the last people to board...

Hot and bothered, we were glad of the refreshment on the SAS flight, 'Plane Ale'! We were also getting a little peckish so tried out the Polarbrod sourdough with Wastgota Kloster cheese.  Not bad.

On arrival at Tromsø we waited with everyone else for our bags, expecting them to be the first off since they had obviously been the last on.  Eventually we were the only people left watching the conveyor belt moving round.  Then it stopped... no bags.

Our plan was to have dinner at the Scandic Ishavshotel hotel in the port before getting on the Hurtigruten ship which was leaving at 1:30 in the morning.  When we reported our missing bags we weren't sure where the bags could be sent to.

Luckily there was another flight from Oslo due in later that evening and the bags were going to be put on that one. The helpful lady at the baggage desk said she would get the bags taxied to the hotel or, if they arrived late, directly to the ship.

We could relax a little so took the flybus into Tromsø for a look around.  It was a dull, chilly day and when we dropped off our hand luggage at the hotel we got out hats, gloves and scarves to wrap up in.  The receptionist recommended a bar called Biffhuset Skarven which was busy and warm with log fires burning. Once refreshed and warm again we decided to take a look around the town. Tromsø is Northern Norway's largest city and is on an island 217 miles north of the Arctic Circle. We arrived on the first day of the Midnight Sun so wondered what that would be like.  As it was an overcast day we didn't think it would be too bright later on.

Øl Hallen pub

We discovered the world's most northern brewery Macks Olbryggeri (Mack Brewery) and it's brewery tap Øl Hallen. Much to my husband and son's delight this pub had 67 different beers on tap and they were eager to taste a few!  Unusually, there is a huge stuffed polar bear in the bar, looking very menacing..

Polar Bear welcome

67 different beers for sale!

We saw a little more of the town as we made our way back to the hotel for an excellent dinner after which our bags had turned up in reception (thank goodness).  Bracing ourselves for the cold again we wandered around the harbour and came across the Polar Museum.  Although it was closed, there are a number of displays outside the 19th century warehouse with old photos and details of what life was like for the fishermen and Polar adventurers.  Plus there are some scary looking harpoon guns facing the water. 

Harpoons

Our ship, the MS Vesterålen, docked around midnight and we made our way to our cabins which were outside cabins with windows.  Leaving Tromsø at 1:30am we realised that on a cloudy day the midnight sun makes it still seem like a dull daytime, no real difference from the early evening light.  

You can follow the next part of the journey follow here...

Leaving Tromsø at 1:30 am

For a good guide to Norway take a look at Lonely Planet.