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June 09, 2024 - In-Tromsø
Waking up in the same place twice is nice. I have breakfast downstairs again, pushing the limits on the hours available for the service. The smoked salmon offered yesterday is available again today - I indulge, though my stomach still hasn’t settled from being upset for nearly this entire trip. After breakfast, I head back upstairs and pack my bags; I’m transferring to the new hotel I booked today - it’s about three blocks away but much cheaper overall. Leaving my luggage with the hotel front desk, I go rent a bike from a shop a block away. The process is easy (not to mention a fraction of what the car rental would have cost me), and I’m quickly kitted with a touring bike, a lock, and a helmet for the next two days.
I bike over to the main library + public archive here in Tromsø. I’d seen it from the outside yesterday, but was unable to get in; the library keeps public access hours, and extended hours where one can only get in with a library card. The building is a giant concrete parabolic four-piece dome that channels Eero Saarinen; whatever isn’t part of the parabolic form is glass curtain wall. The building was actually designed by an architect by the name of Kjell Beite, completed in 2005. It is connected to the city’s civic and cultural center, and provides many “plus” programs for citizens of Tromsø. Inside, a floating stair spans between ultra thin floor slabs, making its way up three floors + an additional overlook mezzanine. I find a seed archive on the main floor - this one works the exact same way the one in Haugesund operates. There is a journal logging contributions, and this time I find the old dewey decimal system drawers completely stocked with seed packets, with only one sitting empty. According to the log book, contributions to this archive have been consistent and regular for more than two years now.
I meander to the top of the library and sit for a while on the mezzanine, marked by signage as a quiet study zone. After another moment I exit the library and retrieve my bike, taking a route along the shore of the waterway that runs through town. I pass underneath the giant bridge that spans the water, connecting the more residential districts on the other side to the main island of Tromsøya. Some distance down the road I turn around and bike up hill, further into the island - I’m in search of another scenic waypoint I’d seen on the map. Slowly pedaling uphill, I somehow find it without consulting the map again, and push my bike over to a war memorial with Norwegian flags flying. Here I sit with a few others in silence, overlooking the city, before finally descending back into town to retrieve my luggage and check into my next hotel.
In the afternoon I grab a hotdog (a pølse) and a coffee from a 7-Eleven; there are at least three 7-Elevens within a mile radius of my hotel. I spend the rest of the day browsing gift shops before snagging some pad thai for dinner and watching the Montreal GP in my hotel room. As soon as the GP is over, I pack a quick bag and run downstairs to grab my bike. It’s late now, nearly 11pm - I’m headed to a gondola cable car service on the other side of the bridge that runs until midnight. I figure it will be less crowded this time of day (or night, technically). I’m correct, getting to the cable car right as the last one for the day is going up the mountain. Up at the top, I have an unbridled view of the city, a breathtaking panorama that paints the landscape in gentle orange tones from the sun that won’t quite set. Down below, I watch massive cruise ships slide into the Tromsø Havn, docking for the evening. Going to the cable cars happened to be a near spontaneous decision, but much like canceling my plans in Hammerfest, I’m glad I did it.
Back down at sea level I visit the Arctic Cathedral, Ishavskatedralen, a striking church from the 60’s designed by Jan Inge Hovig. On the way home, I grab a blueberry muffin and pass by a group of people singing in the park - it’s 1am at this point, so I don’t linger long.
location: tromsø, troms (NO)
ext air temp: 67 F
relative humidity: 43.9%
dew point: 43.1 F
wet bulb: 53.4 F
ground temp: --