Norway Win t’ Winter Olympics

Norway is playing down its Winter Olympics success, according to the New York Times, via MSN, so I’ll claim it as being down to my influence, which also scores 93 on the all new for 2018, and not used for a while parodymeter (any outsourcing funding for vulgar  victory celebrations from Norway [as cited for Winter Olympics sports in the article] will be reluctantly accepted).

I didn’t think I’d taught Norwegians much about snow from the day I spent on Bergen’s Mount Ulriken in 2013 but it is now obvious that I did!

Maybe this inspired athlete was one of Norway’s gold medallists in Pyongchang?:

Running the Tromso Midnight Sun Marathon in 2007 also must have taught them a thing or two about endurance!!

Norway also provided the cover star for XaW Files: Beyond Humanity of course!

Oslo, Norway after Leaving Tromso

I left the Tromso – Tromsdalen campsite, and flew to Oslo.

Oslo, Norway Photos

With four or five hours to spare between flights on another sunny warm day in the south of Norway I took the bus into Oslo. A friendly bus driver gave me a map after dropping us off in the north of the centre.

So I walked down through the central sights to the bus station and got the bus from there back to the airport to fly out. I think I saw most of the big attractions from the outside.

I didn’t have much camera battery life after taking the Tromsdalen videos, so it was a case of taking a photo and waiting for the batteries to charge enough to take another one. I managed these two:

Marc Latham’s central site is the Greenygrey (http://www.greenygrey.co.uk), and he has books available on Smashwords and Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/author/marclatham).

Drinking Mack Beer in Tromso, Norway

On my second day in Tromso for the 2007 Midnight Sun Marathon I returned to Tromsoya island over the bridge, and looked back at the cathedral, Tromsdalen and Tromsdalstinden mountain [1,238 metres (4,062 ft)]. at its eastern end. At the end of my time in Tromso I would walk to the foot of the mountain, and stand with awe under its quiet natural beauty.

Tromso Bridge, Cathedral and Tromsdalstinden Photo

I took this photo from Tromso bridge, sticking my right arm out as far as possible to get the curve of the bridge leading to the Arctic Cathedral.

Drinking Mack Beer in Tromso

With the beer a little expensive and my marathon looming I only had the one Mack beer in the historic old bar Olhallen, which was also the cheapest place to drink I think. Mack does say it is the most northern brewery in the world, so it was a good excuse to drink a nice beer.

Tromso Docks Waterfront

Tromso docks waterfront offers great views of the Tromsdalen mainland from jetties backed by colourful buildings.

On and Under Tromso Bridge

There are great views north (first photo below) and south (second photo) of the Tromsøysundet waterway and mountains from Tromso bridge. In the first photo the mountains are on Kvaloya island, and in the second they are on Senja island. The Tromso municipality’s main island of Tromsoya is in the middle of the two.

On the Tromsdalen side the E8 road runs underneath. It reminded me of the Pink Floyd marching hammers.

Gerald Scarfe artwork

Returning to Nature

Returning to the campsite, these trees reminded me of the grey bridge structure. Between the trees is one of the Tromsdalen valley’s many waterfalls, surrounded by pristine forest.

Marc Latham’s central site is the Greenygrey (http://www.greenygrey.co.uk), and he has books available on Smashwords and Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/author/marclatham).

Tromso Norway Arrival for Midnight Sun Marathon

My previous trip to Cuba in 2009 was to Tromso in Norway to run in the 2007 Midnight Sun Marathon.

Tromso, Norway

I had clear sky for my June flight to Oslo and then a couple of hours later another one up over the Arctic Circle boundary to Tromso on Norway’s wild rugged west coast.

The blue sky provided great views of the southern Norway coast, and then up over forests and lakes above Oslo to the snow-capped peaks in the north of Norway and Sweden… as we flew over both countries.

Then we veered west, and I was glad I took online advice to sit on the left for the flight to Tromso, as there were great views of the coast, islands and fjords around the airport.

I walked the 7km (4-5 miles) from the airport to the campsite on the Tromsdalen mainland, passing Lake Prestvannet in the middle of the island on the way. I set my tent up just across from a stream, with lots of trees all around, and mountains rising up behind.

Tromso Photos

I also passed the award-winning architecture of the Tromso cathedral, just across the bridge on the mainland:

This photo is from the mainland looking back at Tromso island and the vertiginous peaks of the Senja coastline in the distance:

The campsite is situated the other side of this water inlet, at the entrance to the Tromsdalen Valley:

Looking back at Tromso island from the bridge across the water:

The never-setting sun over Tromso island:

I walked north on the mainland, and this was looking back at the bridge linking Tromso island with the mainland, with the Senja island mountains in the distance:

Marc Latham’s central site is the Greenygrey (http://www.greenygrey.co.uk), and he has books available on Smashwords and Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/author/marclatham).