From Fjords to Fiats

RB · 2026-10-12T11:27:08+1100

Tromso-2 night stay

Apartment booked via booking.com but management was eventually handled by an aggregator. Two days before our stay, they sent email claiming the apartment was damaged & offered an alternative that we eventually accepted-right at bridge. Security entry to the new building gave us grief and then while trying to unlock the front door via a code & looking through a window the bed was not the promised king size. We were were eventually able to phone the aggregator and then negotiated a 2 bedroom big modern place about 10 minutes walk up the hill from downtown. As part of the deal the aggregator was to pay for taxi ride to the new place. They manage around 80 apartments apparently & are shysters (reading other recent reviews)- music festival on so we believe they were taking advantage. The first arvo was a bit wasted by the apartment saga. Over a very long time we have never had such dramas and eventually we received a superior spot but only because we had the confidence to push back and negotiate hard. This is the group- Northstay - Premium Nordic Vacation Rentals

2 bedrooms

drron · 2026-10-12T11:43:58+1100

MrsRB seems to be doing well with the new walking. I. can certainly be aware how a simple fall can have a negative effect on the overall experience.
Great Photos.

RB · 2026-10-12T14:03:27+1100

drron said:
MrsRB seems to be doing well with the new walking. I. can certainly be aware how a simple fall can have a negative effect on the overall experience.
Great Photos.

Yes now 13 months down the track & still improving. Two plates & 20 odd screws still in place but the walking gait is almost back. Confidence going down stairs is still improving. Interesting that getting through airport security was never a problem with the new hardware.

RB · 2026-10-12T14:28:17+1100

Around Tromso
Things to Do in Tromsø: Must-Sees & Hidden Gems (2026)

Great weather next morning for walking around. A good look around the waterfront overall & also walked over the bridge. Visited St Thomas Church- free entry so people could pay respects to the dead king Harald. We didn't venture to the cable car. Reading seemed to indicate there was a fair bit of construction happening and currently a lot of unavoidable stairs.
The inner city area was much more compact than what looking at a map indicated so it was relatively easy to cover the area we wanted. We visited the Tromso Cathedral that hosts the midnight concerts that have been held for a couple of decades.
The cIty certainly seemed to be a very liveable place with reasonable recreational areas and a lot of public transport options. The road to the airport gives an insight to where some of the growth is occurring & apartments blocks dominate-there are certainly some wonderful views to be had out that way though.
During our wanderings we saw a few spots where old shoes were left out-apparently an August tradition highlighting family members who had been lost to drugs.

Kongsbakken Upper Secondary School founded in 1833 Kongsbakken Upper Secondary School - Wikipedia

King Olav V statue

Part of the music festival-don't think we were part of the target audience

RB · 2026-10-12T14:38:28+1100

More of Tromso
It turned very cold walking across here when the wind picked up

Zoomed view of the ski jump centre

Sad tradition

Repurposed as a library

Cathedral

Interior of Cathedral

RB · 2026-10-12T15:25:04+1100

Tromso to Honningsvag -Wideroe WF911 Open seating

Ride out to Tromso airport organised through a local taxi app so works very similar to Uber with an agreed fare. About 20 minutes through security, everything out with 2 general security belts working and a 3rd belt was for paid priority. Paying for priority at our departure time 12.35pm on a Sunday on a Dash8-100 was not worthwhile.Nice waiting area, plenty of seats, lot of shops but food was pricey (as expected). Plenty of good views from waiting areas.

This flight only goes on a Sunday and at the gate and before walking across the tarmac the captain gathered us all together and warned of wind shear at Honningsvag & the possibility of not landing. The flight normally continues from Honningsvag to Mehamm and Hammerfest. All went OK but it was a bit bumpy decending and a sharp turn into landing. We eventually took a taxi to apartment (only 1 servicing the town & they didn’t have our booking so we waited).

Arrived

Continuing to Mehamm & Hammerfest

Volando · 2026-10-12T17:10:20+1100

Lovely Tromso photos! My one and only visit coincided with winter solstice. Needless to say it looked very different in the dark!

RB · 2026-10-13T10:51:40+1100

Apartment in Honningsvag. Cosy apartment in the centre with sauna. - Apartments for Rent in Nordkapp, Finnmark, Norway - Airbnb

A very comfortable 2 night stay with a very responsive owner. Our booking for the return cab early in the morning was rechecked & went without a hitch.

Separate toilet & wash basin

Sauna attached through door on right but unused

Very handy room with washing machine, multiple drying lines & a dryer

Exterior view-entry was street level dark door near downpipe- no one else around while we were there

RB · 2026-10-13T11:23:22+1100

Around Honningsvag.

Honningsvåg: Norway's Gateway to the North Cape - Life in Norway
Not a huge amount locally but we used Honningsvag used as a base by us to visit North Cape. North Cape (Norway) - Wikipedia
We did a town walk, visited the local brewery, ate at another bar, Soi 9 Restaurant & Bar where we had some great Thai food. The EPL was on TV there and attracted a local crowd. The local supermarket was well stocked & open long hours while smaller food shops were well patrionised by locals.

I understand these were rainbow trout for sale in the supermarket

Plenty of ships using the harbour facilities

Google tells me The sculpture is Nordavinden (also known as Boreas), created by artist Erling Saatvedt in 1971. Design: The abstract metal sculpture resembles a giant fishhook or the Greek god of the north wind.

Waterfront restaurant on the right

Local brewery was a top spot for a beer- had a good yarn with a Canadian travel agent who was guiding a group around ( told us she was having a much needed break from the group!)

Soi 9 for fish & chips & spicy pasta

Looking up from harbour area

Prince Andrew scores a mention!

RB · 2026-10-13T11:38:23+1100

More of Honningsvag

Another troll statue Context: Trolls are famous mythical creatures in Scandinavian folklore and Norse mythology, often depicted as ancient beings living in the mountains and rocks.

Cod heads on a drying rack

Historic wooden parish church, consecrated in 1885. It is one of the very few buildings in Finnmark that survived the German army's scorched-earth retreat and burning of the region in 1945, serving temporarily as a shelter, kitchen, and bakery for the returning local community.