Painting the Town Red in Tromsø: A Nordic City Full of Surprises

“Sleigh bells ring, are ya listenin’? In the lane snow is glistenin’…” — not sure where Bing Crosby was walking when inspiration hit him but that was the tune playing on repeat in my head when exploring Tromsø for an extended weekend earlier this year. My last trip before we entered this travel-less time to be precise.

Located above the Arctic Circle, Tromsø, a city in Northern Norway, is a popular vacation spot for people chasing the Northern Lights — my fellow travellers and I had similar plans. While this Nordic city is a hotspot for such nightly adventure, it’s a great sight to see itself with a historic centre filled with centuries-old wooden houses located on the island of Tromsø.

Northernmost Claims

In addition to that, it’s the proud owner of the Northernmost Burger King in the world — don’t do the facepalm just yet! Having read this fact, I’m sure it will stick with you and you’ll happily share it with your friends when strolling down Tromsø’s main street one day. And because it’s so much fun, here a few other Northernmost things you can find around this lovely place:

• University (University of Tromsø)
• Tango Club (Tango Polar)
• Escape Room (Arctic Escape)
• Outdoor Swimming Pool (Skittenelv Camping, Krokelvdalen) — For the brave ones!
• CrossFit Centre  — I wonder what equipment they use? Tree stumps, skid chains, polar bears…?
• Football Arena (Alfheim Stadium)
• Ice Skating Rink (Tromsdalen kunstisbane) — No surprise here.
• Curling Club (Boet curlingklubb) — Beating the Canadians in that one at least.
• 18 Hole Golf Course (Tromsø Golfpark at Breivikeidet) — I assume that’s a summer activity, golf balls being white and all… ?!
• Traffic Light
• Strawberry Field
• Rose Garden (on the island Kvaløya)
• Cat Show (Ishavskatten) — Cause why not?!

(If intrigued, check out the full list on Wikipedia.)

To stick with city fun facts and other observations, let me take you on a tour which is exactly how we started off our trip with Karina, our Norwegian tour guide, who proudly showed us around her hometown. I might not be as good as her as it was a lot to take in given her wealth of knowledge and particular sense of humour, but I shall give it go. So, bundle up and come along.

Tromsø’s Cathedrals

First stop, Tromsø Cathedral. It’s the northernmost protestant church in the world (the facts keep stacking up) and one of Norway’s biggest wooden churches with over 600 seats. While the cathedral we were looking at was built in 1861, the site itself was likely home to a church since the 13th century.

If wooden churches are not your thing, you might want to pass over Tromsø bridge right away, something we did the following day, and check out the Arctic Cathedral on the island of Kvaløya, the one with the northernmost rose garden as we just learned.

Looking at its peaked roof and stained-glass windows, one can understand why it’s sometimes called the ‘opera house of Norway’ in reference to Sydney’s very own modern landmark. The comparison even holds true in terms of activities. Built as a parish church in 1965 and still functioning as such, it’s spaciousness and acoustics turned it into a popular concert venue. So, might be worth checking out their schedule when planning your trip to make full use of such gorgeous building.

Cosy Libraries, Happy Readers

But back to our tour on Tromsø island which led us to their library next, a building I already checked out the night before. Interesting enough, a Norwegian library card works in every public library in the country. You only have to sign up once and will have access to over 800 public libraries throughout the entire country, how neat is that! I guess they have many more dark nights to cover but still, great (and very efficient) idea.

But their customer focus does not stop there. They even went as far as addressing the fickle topic of room temperature, something that’s impossible to get right and can cause a lot of grief — if you ever worked in events before, you know exactly what I mean. To tackle such challenge, they offer different temperatures on different floors to ensure all readers are comfortable during their visit.

Speaking of libraries, I always get funny looks when revealing that one of the first things I do when moving to a new area is joining the local library, thinking it’s rather old school and inconvenient but lockdown actually proved the opposite.

While people tend to associate libraries purely with dusty hard copy books, the selection of free audiobooks and online lectures are sometimes unbelievable. It kept me entertained the whole way through, something I have to admit I was surprised to discover myself but I guess everything is moving online these days — so am I, even if the SEO score is telling me differently; still bright red. Oh well, we’ll get there.

Murals All Around

Continuing along the heated sidewalks, a common practice throughout Scandinavia as it’s supposedly cheaper than clearing the snow and ice, Karina showed us one of the many murals you can spot throughout the city. In fact, you can probably get through an entire day just walking around trying to find all of them.

The one we were looking at during our tour was a representation of the view you get from Tromsø’s Town Hall, or most likely the little pavilion in front of it. It’s overlooking the main square Stortorget, where locals often gather for events, markets and other activities. The depicted view also captures the smallest bar in Norway, Raketten, as well as the Arctic Cathedral, or Ishavskatedralen as locals would call it, in the far distance on the bottom of Storsteinen Mountain.

If you have the time, make your way up to Town Hall to take in the view with your own eyes as it’s really hard to capture by camera, at least with mine (which definitely has nothing to do with my photography skills). Town Hall is the yellow building depicted above where somebody else already claimed a permanent spot at an impressive height possibly making up for his little legs — can you spot the tiny intruder?

Nordic Humour and Flaky Competitions

If taking in such gorgeous view was not enough, we also got to bear witness to some serious competition as we walked straight into a professionally organised snowball fight on main square — I did say locals do gather on Stortorget for special events. I assume you did not see that one coming though? Neither did we, something that was written all over our confused yet equally intrigued faces, which Karina wholeheartedly enjoyed whilst being terribly proud of herself and her country. She could not have planned that any better.

While this little surprise gave us an idea how serious Norwegians take their Arctic sports, a few signs along the way gave us a taste of their humour as well — I have a feeling they’d love the ‘Codfather’ in Surrey, a fish and chip shop that still makes me smile every time I drive by.

The Polar Museum and Its Holy Secret

Having had a little chuckle, we swiftly moved on to the Polar Museum, the perfect place for our history and culture buffs to learn about life in the Arctic, be it the history of trapping or the pioneering expeditions to the North Pole Norwegians are famous for. Names such as Nansen and Amundsen come to mind.

In addition to that, this harbour-side building was used as customs bonded warehouse from 1833 to 1970, occasionally tempting some people to drill their way into the building. You heard correctly, drill, from underneath — there are still holes visible to tell the tale.

Those guys must have been really desperate because that water must have been terribly cold. I guess the stereotype of strong weather-resistant Scandinavians exists for a reason, along with a little hint of madness — funny folk indeed.

If curious what they were looking for, it was a rather practical endeavour looking for things that could help dealing with the rough and particularly cold conditions back then, and no, they were definitely not looking for blankets.

Håkon Håkonsson and His Romantic Aftermath

To continue along the historical route, we made our way to Skansen next, the oldest house in Tromsø which was built in 1789. Surrounded by smaller houses and a park-like setup, the area features a café in the summer allowing you to sip your coffee surrounded by remnants of mediaeval fortifications from the 13th century, a time when Håkon Håkonsson (often called Haakon the Old or Hakon IV), was walking those grounds.

Opinions over his reign as King of Norway from 1217 to 1263 have been rather divided with some describing him as insignificant and subordinated to forces outside his control while others celebrated Håkon as mighty ruler marking the beginning of the ‘golden age’ in medieval Norwegian history.

While his efforts of establishing Norwegian sovereignty over Greenland and Iceland made it into the history books, his quarrels with Skule Bårdsson, his father-in-law, inspired playwrights such as Henrik Ibsen who captured those conflicts in his play ‘The Pretenders’ in 1863.

Being a patron of the arts himself, Håkon probably wouldn’t have minded, as he sponsored a Norse version of the medieval romance of Tristan and Iseult, or Isolde as some of you might know it. If not, check it out as it’s one of my favourite stories …and movies — back in the day when James Franco was still a heart-throb.

Story details differ from one author to another but it’s basically a classic tragedy about an adulterous love affair between a Cornish knight and an Irish princess. I’m sure we all can hazard a guess what the ending might look like but nevertheless, worth checking out.

The same applies to Håkon’s life. You can read about it in ‘The Saga of Haakon Haakonarson’ (or ‘Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar’), which was written by Icelandic chronicler Sturla Thórdarson after his death. Before you start going down those romantic or historic rabbit holes though, let us finish the tour — after all, in contrast to the oldest house, there’s still the tiniest to see.

The Tiniest House in Tromsø

This might have been one of my personal favourites, probably not a sight per se but still picture-worthy. Not sure how you feel about it but I would love to live there, and so do many others it seems turning this into one of the most photographed houses in Tromsø.

It’s so popular, it even has its own nickname, it goes by ‘The Suitcase’. All that’s missing is a little handle on top and one of Scotland’s giants can easily carry it away, assuming they would not stumble over their own feet again — have you read about the mythical stories of Skye yet?

Painting the Town Red, Yellow and White

While ‘The Suitcase’ was easily accessible that day, some other houses had a little snow situation going on — I’m not calling it a winter wonderland for no reason, although more convincing and picturesque scenarios are still to come. Noticeable in this picture though are the vibrant colours which are very common for Scandinavian houses.

Similar to people using cars as a status symbol in today’s society, the colour of the house reflected a family’s financial situation and profession in the olden days. Certain colours required certain resources wherefore some colours cost more, some less.

Traditionally, Norwegians painted their houses a strong red, yellow or white whereby the latter was the most popular colour signifying wealth in contrast to red which was the cheapest colour to make. It was created by mixing ochre with cod liver oil (or other vegetable or animal oils). Yellow was a little more expensive than red and was also created by mixing ochre with cod liver oil. White, the most luxurious of them all, needed mineral zinc, the main reason for the high price tag back in the day.

As a result, you can see lots of red buildings in areas that are living off farming and fishing due to lower incomes. This is also why so many barns in the country side were traditionally painted red.

Given the social status implications, some people were rather smart about it such as wealthier farmers who painted their family home in white and surrounding barns or sheds in red. There are also stories about some families on the west coast of Norway supposedly painting the ocean facing side of their house white while using red for the less important walls out of concern about their image, rather cost-effective I’d say while also slightly silly, a mix we came across before I think.

“Why not pink?” somebody asked, acknowledging that we are no longer restricted to natural resources these days. In response, Karina told us that once you made up your mind about a colour, you actually need to ask permission amongst your neighbours first to ensure it does not offend anyone — not being a house owner myself, gypsy lifestyle and all, I wonder if that’s common practice these days as well?

It sounds like a rather nice gesture, and also a good way to meet the new neighbours and their taste palette giving you assurance you’re moving to a good area. Or alternatively, it could save you from painting a house you won’t end up staying in for long anyways, who knows.

Wanny Woldstad and the Arctic Wilderness

We continued our walk a bit further up and stopped at another mural which was celebrating the female explorer — or shall we say ‘exploress’ — Wanny Woldstad (1895-1959), the first female taxi driver in Tromsø, and first female trapper on Spitsbergen, Svalbard, whose story is rather inspiring.

Widowed twice and mother of two teenage sons by the time she was making her mark as taxi driver, Wanny met Anders Sæterdal, a trapper who took a summer break from his usual life in the Arctic Wilderness. Lured by its solitude and intrigued by the challenging conditions where another unusual talent of hers would come in handy, she jumped at the opportunity, packed her bags and joined Anders for the next trapping season in Svalbard.

With various marksmanship trophies decorating her past, Wanny was no stranger to hunting and handling guns, wherefore Anders found himself an equal partner, instead of the docile housekeeper and female companion he might have hoped for. Wanny was a fast learner, accompanied him on hunting expeditions and shared the joys as well as the thrills of nature, including various perilous situations the usual housewife would not necessarily like to find herself in.

In contrast, Wanny fully embraced such Arctic winters and the rough lifestyle that came with it. She took her chances in every way, sometimes leading to scoldings from Anders who wasn’t too thrilled when she shot her first polar bear and spared his head which Anders instantly gave another round for safety’s sake — as you do.

That’s just one of many tales, giving an insight into the life of such fearless and inspiring woman, a woman who survived the harsh Arctic winters and perils of the wilderness but ironically found her end in the midst of civilisation when a bus ran her over in 1959.

Nevertheless, I’m in awe of such woman and hope I might have piqued your interest as well, despite the massive spoiler in the end. Still worth some further reading, I guess I know now what my next library visit will entail. And who knows, giving my intrepid nature and wild camping ambitions, Svalbard might turn into a ‘Travel Memory’ one day.

Funnily enough, I did chat about a Svalbard trip with somebody when Wild Camping along the North Downs. I was rather intrigued but equally terrified when hearing about the nightly polar watch that has to be kept in turns. Being startled by the sounds of pheasants when wild camping my way through Kent, I might need a bit more practice until I can tackle such endeavour.

Having to learn how to handle a gun would also be an obstacle, so I’m not sure if I can follow Wanny in the near future but it definitely does sound rather tempting, the lure of the wilderness and all. Once you throw in the nightly watch, the heart does sink a little. I’m not even sure if I’d be more uneasy about falling asleep and putting my companions at risk or the actual polar bear encounter? Neither will have a pleasant outcome, so best not to lose any sleep about it.

Midnight Sun Runners

Speaking of sleep deprivation though, let’s move on to our next sight, a statue called Runners which symbolises Norway’s Midnight Sun Marathon, the Northernmost ‘Association of International Marathons and Distance Races’-certified marathon in the world — another one added to the list.

It first started in 1990 attracting runners from all over the world keen to run in the midnight sun, a natural phenomenon that occurs during the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle, Tromsø being one of them as we know by now. During those months, the sun is visible at the local midnight which is surely a sight to see and probably not the best condition to get a good night’s sleep, so why not run 42km* to kill some time one must have thought one day.

*Random Trivia: Why is a marathon 42km long? And even better yet, why do we even call it a marathon? Apparently, it goes back to the Battle of Marathon (first one down) in 1921 when a Greek soldier named Pheidippides or Philippides ran all the way from Marathon to Athens to report about the victory. You might have guessed it, he ran for 26 miles before being able to break the news, the anticipation must have been unbearable…

The marathon is hosted in June close to the summer solstice (approximately 21st June in the northern Hemisphere) when the sun does not set below the horizon within a 24-hour period. The closer you get to the poles, the higher the number of days per year with potential midnight sun. In Svalbard, Wanny’s second home, the northernmost inhabited region in Europe, the sun won’t set for four months (approx. 19 April-23 August). 

If four months of eternal sunshine are not enough, pop up to the poles where the sun will be around for half the year. The opposite phenomenon would be the polar night which naturally occurs in the winter months when the sun stays below the horizon throughout the day — which is probably when those libraries offering continuous escapism come in rather handy.

Tromsø Cable Car to Storsteinen Mountain

Having set the scene for nightly skies, I’d like to finish my tour with a special view of this beautiful city, so let’s cross over Tromsø Bridge, pass by the Arctic Cathedral and take the Fjellheisen Cable Car all the way up Storsteinen Mountain.

Towering 421 metres (1,381 feet) above sea level, Storsteinen mountain and its well-placed viewing platform offers one of Norway’s most photographed panoramas which I’ll happily share with you guys, so have a look at lovely Tromsø and its surrounding mountains, islands and fjords.

In addition to the breath-taking views, you can also find a café up top serving coffees, sandwiches and waffles which are apparently to die for, and probably of as well, given the calorie count Karina shared with us jokingly when finishing off her part of the tour.

While some of my fellow travellers gave Karina’s recommendation a whirl, I ventured outside and started walking, as you do when on top of a mountain with its peak still in sight. Walking along the platform while admiring the view of Tromsø at night, I could feel the wind gushing by as well as the snow given in under my boots one step at a time. Enjoying that crunching sound when slowly making my way higher up, I could understand more and more why Wanny didn’t hesitate when asked about exploring the Arctic Wilderness.

The solitude of being surrounded by this glistening bliss covering the ground like a soft white blanket, reflecting the moon, the only light leading the way as night fell, the brisk wind letting people’s voices and steps disappear, only you and the elements, your breath visible in the crisp air, getting heavier the further you go, your body adjusting to the rough nature while easing in to its peacefulness. Reminiscing about that moment does make me wonder. Maybe I will follow Wanny’s footsteps one day after all, …if it wasn’t for those sneaky polar bears…

Either way, I hope my descriptions as well as the pictures will not only leave you on a literal high when thinking of Tromsø in the future. If not a big fan of the cold and rather interested in the summer months, you should take advantage of the extended cable car opening times running until one o’clock in the morning during the midnight sun.

As mentioned earlier, maybe check out a concert at the Arctic Cathedral and then make your way up Storsteinen. If concerned about your return, the cable car is a 30 minutes’ walk from the centre of Tromsø, so could be achieved leisurely after a night of music and sunny views.

Sounds like a great night to me — who needs Northern Lights if you can have that. Which reminds me, you might have been waiting for that one? Well, there’s more to come! So, stay tuned for part two of my Tromsø adventures which will properly take you out and about in this snowy paradise.

…to be continued…

Scrumptious Bonus

To lessen the disappointment and not wanting to finish on an anti-climax, I thought I throw in a few Norwegian treats you do not want to miss out on:

• I mentioned the smallest bar in Norway, Raketten, earlier, so below a picture — despite its tiny dimensions, it looked terribly cosy even having a fire place going, so do stop by for a reindeer baguette and a hot brew. We didn’t have enough time to do so but kept longingly looking at it every time we passed by.
• Norwegians like their dried fish, something I will tell you a bit more about next time. For now though, put it down on your Nordic shopping lists as it’s a great souvenir for the people you love, and for the ones you’re not so fond of. If for the latter, don’t tell them to eat it in the outdoors as the smell once opened is rather potent. I triple-wrapped it when putting it into my suitcase. The flavour makes up for the smell though, either as protein-filled snack or used for cooking.
• Speaking of air-dried animals, I went slightly wild on the cured meats because I know my parents love them. Please don’t judge but I went for the full array: reindeer, moose, and whale salami — all of them were very tasty.
• If you’re a KitKat lover, the Norwegian ‘Kvikk Lunsj’ is a must. It does not only look a bit more fun but comes with travel tips, information about attractions and where to find the Norwegian Trekking Association’s cabins, a proper hiking snack …assuming you can speak the local lingo, but how hard can it be — have you figured out the Norwegian KitKat name yet? Reading it out loud does help.**
• Everybody’s favourite was the chocolate covered corn snack depicted below. My nephew was three years old at the time, so could not express his enjoyment in words, his chocolate-covered face did the talking though when munching his way through the bag, they did not last for long.
• Another local speciality is salty liquorice. The ones I bought looked like coals, more of a joke not being a fan of liquorice myself, my dad loved them though, so if liquorice is your thing, dig in.
• I also highly recommend looking out for a chocolate bar with crisps inside. Sweet? Savoury? Why settle for one if you can have both! Unfortunately, the bar didn’t make it onto the return flight, so no pictures were taken to avoid evidence — sorry friends, more treats next time! 🙂

**Quick Lunch

When was I there? 6-9 March 2020