This was a wonderful experience, from stepping off the plane in snow covered surroundings to surreal arctic chill on the final day, our flight which was from Luton flew direct into Tromso but unfortunately being half an hour early didn't help as with the airports rules we had to wait this amount of time to disembark as they can only take one aircraft at a time and some Scandinavian aircraft had just beaten us to the slot
There was I think 25 on the tour, may have been 24, but five were men the rest were women and the transfer time is only around 15 mins so us arriving from Luton were able to transfer to the hotel on arrival, check in then the TM had to return to the airport for the Gatwick flight due in an hour later
we all met up for dinner in the Egon restaurant and bar which is joined on to the Polar Thorn hotel at 8.30 along with champagne to go with 3 course dinner of Asparagus soup, Salmon Steak and dessert, there was a self service coffee machine in the hotel foyer so I paled mother with the coffees assisted by one of the ladies on our table of 4, it begun snowing outside and the temperature was -3
Day 2 Tuesday
a bleak cloudy day as we embarked on our tour of Tromso at 11 which took us all over the cirt stopping for viewing point of the bridge which connects the island to the mainland and the arctic cathedral, we visited the polaria museum and the museum of Tromso where we saw the seal feeding and watched a couple of short films, one on the Northern Lights, we returned to the hotel about 3, the rest of the day is free, we visited the Art Café for the delicious Hot Chocolate costing around £5, some had dinner in the Egon tonight at their own expense but they had a wise choice of menu at the bar, order at the bar pay at the bar, prices are not cheap 110 NOK around £10 for a pint of beer but don't ask for a large pint as that's what you'll get at a staggering £13, a Burger and fries would set you back something like £24 and a pizza £17, I went to watch Liverpool match at O'Leary's bar who were playing Bayern Munich in the Champions League but abandoned the first half when a couple others came in said they were off in hunt of the Northern Lights as the skies had cleared, an opportunity not to pass by, we gave up the lights after about half an hour or so as soooo cold and not looking likely so returned to bar for the football, it was heaving now and a waitress found us a table up on the 3rd level
Day 3 Wednesday
depart 07.30 for the Huskies
we were so lucky the skies had cleared and it was a lovely sunny day, we had to make the walk to the Radisson Blu hotel and I do recommend using ice grips as it can be very slippery in places and some descent boots, woolen socks, gloves and a nice warm coat but at the centre they will check your gear and supply you with theirs if necessary, the bus took around half an hour, in all over 300 dogs all itching for a starting place, they are so friendly, 2 to a cart and off we go, over an hour of zooming through he snow, the dogs absolutely loved it but gosh it was cold, if your in the front they give a blanket to wrap around your knees, it was a wonderful experience, after a talk about the dogs etc we were served lunch, Reindeer strew and unlimited coffee, it was -4 outside and we returned to the hotel again around 3
our wonderful Tour Manager was Linda Fleet who went out of her way to give us the very best out of our holiday, she was like one of us and so approachable and so she arranged for several of us to visit a cruise vessel that was in port for the day and enhance in coffee and cake then from here next door to the Ice bar, Magic Ice, where she arranged a group booking, really enjoyable and we returned to the hotel about six
as it was a nice clear night TM Linda took us on a local bus to a beach at 8.30 in hope of catching the Northern Lights which was really good of her, fair play, about a ten min bus ride, she knew exactly where to get off, we hung around till nearly ten was rather cold, the wind was cold but eventually the Northern lights came out, whoooo hooooo we saw them and after getting a few pics we made for the bus back around 10 and celebrated with a £10 pint or a glass of wine back at the Egon bar
wow wow wow
Day 4 Thursday
didn't do the optional Ice Fishing opting for our own cruise booked ourselves online, JY take note, your optional Ice Fishing was disappointing and a waste of time listening to those that did go not to mention expensive, and also misleading as an optional of 5 hours when the group were taken straight to Camp Tamak for the Northern Lights and were stuck in that tent from 3 0'clock with absolutely nothing to do, JY there are ample other excursions you could put on for an optional in the Tromso area, a cruise similar to ours for a start, the group of 8 that booked this seemed so relieved to have someone new to talk to, infact one guy got a bus back to town
we departed for Camp Tamak at 4.30 a short walk to pick up the coach, it was a 90 min journey to Camp Tamak as its right in the wilderness, we arrived just after half past six, we were housed in large tents with a log fire in the center, coffee and 2 complimentary drinks were allowed with our 3 course dinner, soup, Reindeer with mash veg in a beautiful creams mushroom sauce followed by dessert
our hosts were Maria and Andreas and Andreas would put in the correct settings on your camera if you wish whom also took a stunning group picture and other pics of the Northern Lights he was gonna forward to Linda, Vicky would you give Linda Fleet a nudge for these please as i cannot wait to get them, Thanks
the lights came out several times during the night and some managed to get some pretty good shots, they are at their peak at around 9 0'clock to 10 and so we left very happy around half past ten to reach our hotel after a super super night around midnight, oh the temp on the bus read -17 it was later -25 we were informed, no one spent too much time outside, also the clouds were rolling in from around midnight and due to weather conditions they had closed the site for the next few days so really we were very lucky with our two clear days
Day 5 Friday
it was very arctic outside today, snow which later turned to rain and got very slippery under foot, much hanging around with the weather as it was, we had booked lunch at Emma's Dream kitchen but one of the group was ill so we cancelled it along with the weather not being good so we eat in the Egon a burger and fries and a treat of 2 yes 2 £10 pints as we left for the airport at 3.30, even I fell over in the snow twice today when i took a little walk as i'd foolishly packed away my ice grips, i did not feel confident without them
a few other things - Wizz Air were very good except at Tromso airport and the ridiculous 15 min turn around, its never going to happen
The Polor Thorn Hotel has tea/coffee, mini bar in room, excellent shower, TV, comfortable beds and uin a grand location, we also visited the oldest bar in Tromso well worth a visit
i took £300 in NOK was ample bought loads of gifts and still had plenty left despite the high prices
any questions on this very worthwhile tour please ask or any of my comrades have anything to add or correct please feel free to do so
all the best
Dave
