On Monday, November 8, 2010, Astronomy’s travel group of 15, along with MWT Associates’ Melita Thorpe, continued cruising north along the Norwegian coastline aboard the MS Midnatsol. We've had little luck spotting bright shows of aurora borealis due to pesky cloud cover and significant snow. Nonetheless, last night we saw glimpses of aurorae lighting up the horizon underneath the Big Dipper, and we hope for more before heading home, which for most of us is the United States.
A prominent statue in Tromsø honors arctic explorer Roald Amundsen, the local hero. David J. Eicher photo
Late Sunday night, several of us snuck into Svolvaer, a small town that holds a terrific museum dedicated to World War II. Called the Lofoten Krigsminnemuseum, the building is stuffed with hundreds of artifacts dedicated principally to the war in Norway.
Monday morning, our ship set a course for the so-called capitol of the Arctic North, Tromsø, which is well-known to history buffs. The fjord here west of the island that contains the city is the site of the sinking of Germany’s fiercest battleship of World War II, the Tirpitz, sister ship of the celebrated Bismarck. Although we had heavy fog and snow on the seas coming in, we saw a glimpse of the direction where wreckage of the Tirpitz still lies.
In Tromsø, some of the group went and participated in dog sledding. I joined others to take a polar history walk around this fine city of 64,000, where we had nearly steady snow showers. The city’s Polar Museum was fascinating and holds numerous artifacts relating to the local hero, Roald Amundsen, and other arctic explorers. After walking through the city and seeing many buildings of interest, our group was treated to a “Christmas beer” in the oldest tavern in the city, hangout of many explorers past. We then returned to the ship for a fine dinner. Hopefully, more aurorae will be coming our before we have to head home.
And remember, you can find photos from our trip at Astronomy.com's Trips and Tours page.
The waterfront of Tromsø makes an exciting display at night, November 8, 2010. David J. Eicher photo
We cross the Arctic Circle
Waiting for aurorae, visiting St. Olaf
Astronomy in Norway rolls on
The quest for aurorae begins
On the road: Norwegian aurorae