Tidbits from Tromso

Okay, a quick catch up on what we've been up to in Tromso up until the 4th of December, which is when we wrote this. Can't remember what happened when and in what order, so we'll bullet point the highlights:

* Tromso is in Northern Norway and lies on the 69th (good number, nudge, wink, wink) northern latitude, and because it lies in the middle of the polar light belt, the city is one of the best places to observe the aurora borealis, aka Northern Lights. The tricksy little critters continue to elude us though, but we're hot on their trail! Tromso is also home of the world's most northerly university, beer brewery, cathedral and Burger King (apparently life's most important things: education, booze, religion and fast food). And its guide book says: "Tromso swings more than other Norwegian cities, so come as you please... As do the locals." Errr, really hoping the real meaning got lost in translation there... Maybe that's why that couple was so friendly to us last night at our regular watering hole. Note to self: beware swinging
Norwegians who come as they please! Must look up how to say, "We don't swing, so flashing your reindeer knickers that say 'I'm a horny critter' won't get you anywhere with us!"

* While we've been in Tromso, we saw actual falling snow for a grand total of 3 minutes. We were coming out of the bar, and looked up to see a swirl of white. I lost my mind completely, started screaming, "It's snowing, it's snowing!" ran into the street and started doing my snow dance. The one where you pretend to be leaping through a meadow in slow motion, while flicking your hair out behind you and shaking your booty. I almost got knocked over by a bus, but people were a lot more sympathetic once Poodle explained that I was from Africa and didn't get out much. Of course, the snow stopped almost immediately. Bummer. The second part of the snow dance is a lot more entertaining, but that will require at least 5 minutes of snow.

* There is a cable car across the harbour, which you can get to by crossing the bridge. Most people cross this long bridge, and then make their way up the steep roads to the cable car, by catching a bus or taxi. Alas, this would be way too easy for the Poodles, especially considering the fact that the whole landscape was blanketed in snow from the night before; snow that made its appearance after we were asleep. Which makes me think we need to practice constant vigilance!! No more sleep! So we decided to take a vigorous walk across the bridge and up the mountain, crunching though the snow and ice.

Here are a couple of points one should always consider in these conditions though:

1. Shoes made in SA are not suitable for snow, even if they are heavy-duty Caterpillars which is what Stephen chose to wear. Vigorous walking in aforementioned shoes will likely kill you, or just tear your groin. On the upside, they will provide a lot of entertainment value to everyone who has the pleasure of watching you slipping and sliding across the landscape. I chose to wear my Doc Martin boots, which were very comfy, and provided a firm grip on the ice. This allowed me to point at laugh at Poodle a lot.
2. It is much colder on top of a mountain than in a city below it, particularly when that mountain is covered in knee-deep snow and subjected to strong, icy winds. Wish we'd thought of that when we got dressed that morning, as jeans and a jacket shell don't provide much heat in - 10 degree conditions. We will be better prepared and wear our proper snow suits next time!

* Almost nothing in Tromso is open on a Sunday. That which is open, only opens really late. Tours and outings don't run either. The city is like a ghost town. We were told this is because Norwegians value their leisure time and are loathe to work on weekends, and prefer to spend the time with friends and family. Fair enough, though they're mostly such miserable bastards, not sure how they have any friends. The friendliest people we've come across were an Australian and Romanian who work at 'Solid' which is our hangout place. The Romanian gave us some alcohol that his brother-in-law had brewed in Romania. It was 60% proof but alas wasn't enough to zap my germs into leaving. He sounded very excited though at the prospect of coming to South Africa to sample some Witblitz.

*Trying to do shopping in a country where none of the labels are printed in English can be an adventure in itself. Even buying something as simple as 'ham' can be dangerous, as the Norwegians like their reindeer meat, so you're never quite sure what you're getting. I wanted mayo yesterday and searched the place high and low for a bottle resembling something you'd find in SA. No success. Eventually found a squeeze tube that said 'ekte majones'. I'm still trying to trick Poodle into trying some of it so we can find out what it is. Also, bought a few tins of tuna to make sarmies, and were most confused when we opened them to find that they weren't in oil or water, but a jelly- type base. Which is exactly how Mrs Norris's tuna cat food looks in SA. Well dodgy. But we're nothing if not adventurous, so we either ate really tasty cat food, or fairly decent tuna with what might or might not be mayo ;-) Oh well.



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