European Winter Escapade 2019 - Part Six - If It Is Dark, It Must Be Tromso

Tromso, Norway, third-largest city in the world north of the Arctic Circle. We are here in search of the Northern Lights.

We arrived yesterday, taking most of the day for us to get here. It is dark. At this latitude, sunrise and sunset are only 20 minutes apart. Oddly enough it is not that cold temperature-wise. It is above freezing. In the city, most of the snow from earlier has melted. However, there is a very strong wind and it is raining so is very uncomfortable.  In my clothing preparation, I had planned extensively for below freezing and snow. I don't really have the right gear for wind and rain.

Our main purpose, however, is to go on two nights of touring with an experienced Northern Lights guide. We will be out for 6 to 10 hours each night, driving inland to try and find an open sky to see the occurrence. The weather forecast for here in Tromso is for non-stop clouds, rain and snow for the few days we are here. However, our guide says that we should be prepared to bring our passports for we may be driving as far as Sweden and Finland (whose borders are close by) to find the Lights.

I have looked on the map and there is a long line of mountains that make up most of Norway. However, as you move east and go towards the other countries, you get beyond the mountains and into flatter land. I am hoping that perhaps the mountains act as a weather barrier keeping the moisture and clouds on the west side and opening things up on the east side. We will see.

In the meantime, I have a lot of pictures that I took during our time in Amsterdam and need to get them edited and posted.