First Tromsø Update

I finally made it to the library with my computer so now I have to chance to write up a blog post.

The trip to Norway was long and exhausting but exciting as well. I traveled to Tromsö with my mother and my little sister Emily. It was the first time any of us had ever been to Norway. We left on Saturday evening around 6 PM. First a train from Karis to Helsinki, then the night train (including sleeping car with beds, yay!) from Helsinki to Rovaniemi. From Rovaniemi we jumped on the Lapin Linjat bus to Tromsö. The bus took about 8 hours but the scenery was certainly worth it. We saw 18 reindeer wandering around, the bus had to swerve several times because the reindeer didn't move. At this point I dug out my camera and started to snap a few shots.

The bus to Tromsö wasn't particularly full, most of the passengers only rode a short distance and then got off. Only eight people and one dog traveled the whole way to Tromsö. The dog was incredibly well behaved and very sweet.



We stopped at Kilpisjärvi for a small break and that was when the scenery really started to become spectacular. It happened to be a cloudy day and the fog and clouds shrouded the mountains and made them seem even more impressive. After about six or seven hours in the bus we finally got tired of sitting and even the great scenery didn't help. When we caught sight of Tromsö we practically cheered.



Once in Tromsö we had to take a taxi to the airport so that I could sign the contract for my dorm and get my keys. Then we jumped in another taxi ride to my apartment. All in all, Tromsö is much bigger and more spread out than I ever would have imagined. And the student housing is out in the middle of nowhere, you need to ride a bus to get practically everywhere. It takes 10 mins to the store, 15 to the campus and about 30 to the city centre!

The first night we slept at my place, my mom and Emily slept on a mattress on the floor. The next night they had a room in a hostel in a place called Åsgård. It was an all right first night, except for the fact that I have just a couch in my room and no bed. Hopefully I will get that fixed soon since the wooden armrests really dig into my neck when I try to sleep.

That's about all that I have the energy to write for now. These posts will get better when I'm settled and have had a chance to process things a little better. Oh, and here's my address in case anyone wants it.

Linnea Nordström
Tunvegen 10/A10
9018 Tromsø
Norway



I'll also be posting more pictures as I have time to sort through them and pick out the good ones. For now here's some info on the ones in this blog:
1) Reindeer crossing the road in Finnish Lapland
2) The mountains just as we crossed into Norway
3) Driving up to Tromsö
4) The view from the street outside my dorm