2 December 2013
My companion and I arrived in Tromso by plane from Gatwick Airport at 3.20 pm local time (2.20 London time) to find that snow had fallen and so had night. A short bus ride took us to the harbour where our cruise ship, the Nordlys (Norwegian for Northern Lights) awaited us.
Views of Tromso from Deck of Nordys at about 4.30 pm local time
I dined at 6.30 on cauliflower soup, some sort of smoked fish followed by a sweet which seemed to consist of cold rice pudding, jam and blue berries. Later at 9.30 I accompanied some stoic passengers out to the “sun” deck where we watched the captain demonstrate how to prepare “Stock Fish”, which is dried cod tenderised with a hammer and is a Norwegian delicacy. Unfortunately I was offered a piece which was not tenderised enough and broke a back molar.
The Captain of the Nordlys Preparing Stock Fish.
I am now sailing north along the Norwegian coast deep into the Arctic Circle wondering what further fortunes lie in wait.