Tromso #2 - Arctic adventures await

At the end of an unforgetable evening of witnessing one of the most beautiful happenings in the world, the famous, beloved northern lights, we went for a visit to Tromso aquarium. This highlight is very entertaining for kids as well as all fans of nature like me. You can spot unique kinds of fishes, massive crabs, and colourful starfishes. I always like to wander around at places like this and put my nose against the glass like a little kid, to ensure no fish can hide from my sight. Also a wonderful, almost emotional documentary of the magical surroundings of Tromso was shown that made me realize once more: here, you do not control nature. Here, nature controls you. And trust me when I tell you that this is how it should be, this is the definition of peace within. We now bought ourselves some local snacks from a local store, I just loved how apart from some tourist offices, this city remained completely loyal to its own culture without adapting to tourists too much. This is how it should be for every city, never ever be loyal to anything else than your own true identity. On day 2 after a very much appreciated good night’s rest on the couch with our Airbnb-dog, we paid a visit to a traditional reindeer farm. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think every animal lover gets excited from the idea. And it is exactly what you think it is: you’re basically being released onto a huge field, filled with the beautiful creatures. Although they got all the room in the world to go their own way on this endless snowy field, which emerged perfectly into the deep blue lake at its end, they were so curious that they approached us curiously. Reindeer must be the most adorable yet majestic creatures on this planet. With their soft white fur, their majestic antlers, their long legs and incredibly cute eyes. And you can imagine the battle you’re facing from the inside once those beauties all battle for your attention, as you’re showing up with a bucket full of their beloved food. Then suddenly they’re not so shy anymore and let you pet them if that means they get to eat. I understand them, we all risk our lives for good food right ?

As if this wasn’t amazing enough, the sight at the end of this field was like a painting. The sky was heavenly blue and the white mountains were basically shining against it, which formed a beautiful contrast with the mysterious dark lake in front of it. We ended this afternoon once again around the fire, what better place to be in winter then besides the fire, in a very special way. The people living here were still living according the Sami-culture, which is a very old and interesting culture, coming with a lot of respect for nature as well as gratitude for life. After a beautiful story about their history, I was completely overwhelmed by a wonderful song called ‘Joik’ (the name of the traditional sami song) which managed to make shut everyone up. It was so pure, although he didn’t use words the gratitude for life basically went from his voice all the way through my bones. We left this peaceful place although I would have loved to stay so much longer. I don’t think I could have emerged more into the Norwegian culture if I tried, the Sami’s really made us feel like we were a part of their family, what an amazingly warm people. On day #3, after photographing the iconic wooden houses in the icy streets of the historic city centre, we were very much excited for our next adventure. Originally the plan was to go on a whale watch adventure, which is a massive dream of mine. Yet, due to the fact that we cannot control nature we received the news that the whales had followed their beloved salmon-friends further north, and therefore wouldn’t be seen anymore. Yet we decided to still participate in the boat trip trough the fjords on, here it comes, an original Viking ship.

We drove so far out of the centre that we spotted zero houses and the mountains and roads all had this magical silver-white colour because of the untouched snow. We entered the gigantic wooden Viking ship, what a beautiful creation that was. And from that point on we started sailing the rough waters, away with the current, further into the fjords. Whilst the massive, majestic giants started rising up besides us, the sun started providing us with minimal yet very welcome warmth. We may not have seen whales, but it was as if the eagles felt sorry for us, as it did not take long before a few of the unbelievably huge, perfectly beautiful predators flew by our boat. God, animals are the most beautiful things in this world, what would it be without it ? What an adventure it was to sail over the powerful waves, along with the undefeatable current. To be surrounded by the miraculous fjords was just that second addition that provided us with the feeling of entering a different world, an enchanted one. At some point we spotted what, for Norwegian definitions, were signs of humanity. Wooden red cabins stretched along the wild waters of the fjords, you could count the cabins with your 2 hands. Yet this really was considered civilization, just with some extra effort. Such a simple thing as grocery shopping, demanded a 1 hour boat trip. What a difference compared to our daily life, what a beautiful world we live in.

After some lovely local, fresher then fresh fish for dinner, we once again entered the cold dark evening sky for another adventure. Adventure awaits around every corner in this place. We were going for a very special hike through the forest, attached to snowshoes. Basically it’s a pair of skies attached to some large boots, that prevented us from losing our balance. This was really adventurous and challenging, we literally crossed the woods, no visible paths at all. Although in my head I visualized it as a rather scary experience, finding our way through the wild forests, reality was much less scary and a lot more enchanting. The snow was sparkling underneath the moonlight while the orange glow of the city lights constantly ensured us that we were safe, in the heart of Tromso. Besides that, the forest was completely dark, so we had to focus constantly. At least, for a short while, because it did not take long before the dark sky started to lit up, and once again performed it’s green lights show. And let me tell you, sitting there like a clumsy eskimo in the dark forest, on a quiet hill, watching that miracle .. that’s pretty damn perfect. And it got even more perfect as a fire was created for us so we could warm up before we hiked back, snowshoe-free, to our Airbnb that already felt like home. That’s the magic of Airbnb.

- It's an amazing life