Too light to sleep, better party instead

  Tromso, Norway
Saturday, July 9, 2005

'Tromsų' blurbs my Lonely Planet, 'With the largest concentration of pubs and bars per capita in Norway.....' SOLD! I like this place already!

After a beautiful scenic bus ride, I approach the town. Its situated on an Island and we have to cross a large arched bridge to get to it. Quaint multi-coloured houses and harbour buildings line the shore with a backdrop of snow-covered mountains and magnificent fjords all around (I'm sounding like a travel brochure here). The place looks so cool, you just know its going to be fun and it's Saturday night, so I'm well up for a party (if I can find one). I find my bed for the night and have a look around town. Proper high-street, lots of pubs and bars, this is looking good. One thing missing though - people. The place is really quiet. It's only 9:30pm and everywhere I've been in Scandinavia they start late, so I get some food and chill at the guest house till about 11pm.

I venture out into the bright sunlight (It never gets dark here, the Sun sets at about 12pm, but it never gets dark) and head into town. Slight improvement, so I pick the Victoria Fun Pub and install myself at the bar. The bar guy tells me all drinks are half price from 9:30pm till 12:30pm. Thats one heck of a happy hour! The only beer on tap is the local Mack-O. Swedish beer was a little disappointing, so I'm hoping Norwegian beer is better, but my hopes aren't high. I order one (and get 2). Looks like beer, smells ok, I touch the glass. Its cold. I bring the glass apprehensively to my mouth and take a small sip..... IT'S GOOD!!!!! Things are starting to go my way. I get talking to an old fella from Newcastle (UK) sitting next to me. He's a sailor by trade but is working in Tromsų on heavy machinery during the summer. On finding out I'm Australian, he starts telling me stories about his time in Australia when he was 18.

He'd gone to WA to work in the mines. He enjoyed the work, climate and people, but had a little bit of trouble with some local guys (over a girl) which ended up in punches being thrown and him spending 6weeks in the slammer! Sort of took some of the shine off for him. But not to be discouraged, he went on a coast to coast road trip in a VW beetle with 2 girls in tow, got to Sydney, had a little bit of trouble with the locals, and got himself deported! And the thing he found the funniest was that he's a Brit and he got deported from a British Penal Colony. Ha! Hmmm....


Anyway, things started kicking off around 12am. It was weird, before that, it was just me, the bar staff and the Loony Geordie, then at 12am, suddenly the place got crowded with a huge queue out the front. Apparently thats standard practice in Norway - Drink at home till late and head out already drunk. Lively crowd and a great night (I think I was the only foreigner there and was a bit of a novelty) - The place closed at 3am and I wandered out into the bright dusky light (still can't get used to it)and headed home to get some sleep for my big trip to Alta further up north tomorrow.


Arctic Church in Tromso