Our last days in Norway were spent in the Tromsø area, the busiest place we had been for a couple of weeks. One day we had a go at cross country skiing on the cross country ski trails in Tromsdalen Valley. Logan and Lucas took to it like ducks to water and Zara picked it up really quickly too – I did ok too but I was left wondering how many new tricks this doggy has left in her!
A cold snap was on its way to Tromsø so we were glad for some indoor activities. The first was Polaria, an aquarium specialising in Arctic species, including 2 bearded seals and 3 harbor seals. It was really lovely to see the trainers working with them – whilst it was definitely entertaining because they are so adorable, the focus is on stimulating the animals in a way that allows the trainers to study their behaviour.
We also hit the Tromsø swimming pool – the favourite of our trip so far! It had a wave pool, river ride, 2 waterslides, a climbing wall, a plunge pool (brrrrr!), a heated outdoor pool (yes outdoor!) that you accessed by swimming through a warm water channel, a sauna, and multiple spas that were in all sorts of walled-off nooks with coloured lighting to draw you in. It was so much fun and it will be a hard pool to beat!
The stores in Tromsø gave us an opportunity for souvenir shopping as Lucas had decided he wanted to buy an ethically obtained reindeer hide. It’s not something Logan or I would ever buy, but we were really proud of the way he weighed up where and what to buy. Zara and I also bought some lovely (wee) nick nacks to remind us of our time in Norway.
We were lucky enough to see Aurora on 7 separate occasions during our time in Norway, each of them beautiful for a different reason. Our last night in Tromsø we had a campfire on the beach on Kvaløya Island – there was something truly special about our wee family all playing a part in setting up the fire and roasting marshmallows whilst the Aurora danced above our heads!
Our final night in Norway was spent near the border of Finland and Sweden. We had the most magical time in Norway – an adventure of a lifetime for us all!
Seals!