Short winter vacation with lots of snow, sled dogs, and a greenish shimmer

If winter doesn't come to us, then we have to go to winter. That was the motto, and a short trip to Tromsø in Norway was planned with Elly.

03/03/2018: A short flight to Tromsø with an even shorter stopover in Copenhagen was planned. But as life shows us - things don't always go as planned. Shortly after the transfer in Copenhagen and rolling onto the runway, the pilot cancelled the flight due to technical issues and we were forced to wait a few hours at the airport. The hours turned into a whole night at a 4-star hotel in Copenhagen, courtesy of the airline. We unexpectedly got a very nice room, dinner, and the opportunity to explore Copenhagen in the evening. We took advantage of this and visited the Little Mermaid (who is probably very cold in the frozen sea), passed by the Citadel, Amalienborg Palace, and Nyhavn until we reached the colorful hippie commune of Kristianiastan. So despite the unexpected stopover, it was a successful day.

04/03/2018: Today we finally went to Tromsø. Shortly before landing, the clouds cleared and we saw a beautiful panorama of snow-covered mountains and icy fjords. An sight that will not be forgotten easily. Just breathing in the clear icy air will be remembered. We took the bus to the city and were already amazed when the bus entered a tunnel that led to an underground roundabout after another, and we came out of the mountain again at our hotel. Tromsø itself is located on an island in the fjord and can be reached via 2 bridges. On the island, there is a tunnel system for the main roads, which is a very elegant transport solution and keeps the cars out of the city. After arriving at the hotel, we explored the city. The small center could be crossed in 15 minutes, but the backdrop of the snow-covered mountains always invited us to pause. The -10 degrees Celsius took some getting used to in the following days. In Tromsø, there is a lot to discover about polar research. You always stumble across Amundsen, who is almost a kind of folk hero. Tromsø still organizes polar research to this day.

05/03/2018: Today we went to the mountain Floya on the south side of Tromsø. For this, we had to cross the large bridge that connects the southern part and the island of Tromsø and pass by the Arctic Cathedral. Then we went uphill. A winter walk couldn't be more beautiful - cold, lots of snow, a brilliantly blue sky, and breathtaking views over Tromsø, mountains, and fjords. Although some passages were icy or slippery, we survived the ascent and descent.

06/03/2018: Today one of the highlights awaited us - a husky sleigh ride. We drove into lonely snow-covered valleys and met a highly motivated team there, which provided us with all the important information for driving a sleigh and provided us with thermal suits. After a short and detailed briefing, we met the incredibly cute dogs, who immediately sought contact and wanted to set off. So we quickly sat on the sled and one person stood at the back as the helmsman. As the helmsman, you had 2 different strong brakes and had to help the dogs when driving uphill. As the sitter, you had to watch out for the emergency brake and, more importantly, take photos. We quickly noticed that a team of 6 dogs can gain quite a bit of speed or that it can get quite warm in a thermal suit when you have to push uphill. It was a dreamlike 2-hour trip through picturesque white landscapes - a day that will be remembered for a long time. In the evening, we tried to spot the Northern Lights. Unfortunately, according to the app, we had a low probability of success. But we still had to try it and after some searching (we didn't really know what we were looking for), we finally saw a bright strip in the sky and a small fascinating green cloud over the city.

07/03/2018: Today we strolled calmly across the island, visited the university in the northernmost university city in the world, and discovered that a huge recreation area or currently a ski center was located on the ridge of the island within the city. Even a lake could be found on the ridge path in the middle of the city. To conclude, we went to a restaurant and enjoyed delicious local fish. In the evening, we had no luck with the Northern Lights, but we could admire the view of the illuminated houses in Tromsø.

08/03/2018: After a long sleep following a night of searching for the Northern Lights, we walked around the south tip of the island once again and enjoyed the view over the fjord. For dinner, we had a delicious local caramel cheese (Gudbrandsdalsost).

09/03/2018: Our return flight was very early, and we didn't want to miss the chance to see the Northern Lights one last time. So we got up in the middle of the night and walked the path to the airport, but unfortunately, we didn't see any Northern Lights. So it is certain that I must go to the north again, not only to experience a real winter, but also to see this fascinating natural phenomenon of the Northern Lights properly.