Instead of having approximately 12 light hours in which to explore Stockholm we were now reduced to about half of that, due to the amount of time wasted having to travel on 2 buses and 2 trains instead of the one direct train.
Now we were on our own. No more tour operator organised bookings for accommodation or travel. The official end to the arranged tour.
If we had known in advance what going dog sledding entailed I think we, especially being over 60, would have declined but now at least we can say “We DID it”.
Trondheim was to be a one night stop over before travelling by air to Tromsø, nicknamed the ‘Paris of the North’ in the 19th Century, by visitors who were impressed by the very sophistication of the city.
So now it was time to go to sea. We had to board our Hurtigruten Ferry by 20:30 for departure at 22:00.
After a good night’s sleep we went downstairs for breakfast which was, on a scale of 1-10, about a 6 and then set off to explore Bergen.
Time to move on - today we will travel from Oslo on the Norwegian East Coast to Bergen on the West via the other highlight of our Aurora Safari Tour, Norway in a Nutshell.
We arrived in Oslo expecting to see everything covered in snow but the locals were expressing their disappointment at the lack thereof. There were some patches on higher ground, keeping the temperature down, but nothing within the city.
Nine months planning and another month travelling and then, it is all over.
After quite a time of little to do with regard to preparation for our trip, it is suddenly time to apply for our Schengen Visas.