Tromso and The Huskies

Huskies - Tromso, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

FOLLOWING OUR adventures in Flam, the next day, Saturday, was a day at sea. We were headed well north, up into The North Sea, and the Arctic Circle. By Sunday, when we reached Tromso, we were closing in on as far north as we could get - but not quite. We scheduled our only ship-sponsored excursion of the trip for this day. Our only organized excursions for the entire cruise were a trip on the Flam Railway,  and an independently sponsored excursion up into the North Cape (Nordkap) - the furthest North one can travel by land in Europe; above the Arctic Circle. And today's ship-based excursion, which was a trip to a facility where they birth, raise, and train sled dogs. They are all a type of Husky breed, bred to withstand the cold weather and harsh environment, as well as their seemingly endless energy for running and pulling. They absolutely love to run.

Tromso, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

ALTHOUGH I was hopeful for some good photo opportunities, the facility - perhaps disappointingly - did not really lend itself to good photography. All the dogs were either in fenced enclosures or on leads. Understandably, as they might otherwise run, and things would certainly be out of control. Lest the images I included here mislead you, the dogs did not appear to be under poor conditions. The accomodations were clean and well maintained, the dogs all appeared happy and enthusiastic. They get regular exercise during the day, also. There were several busloads of people, so it was crowded. I really hadn't had high expectations. The dogs, though, were very friendly, if a little frenetic. One of the things you will want to be prepared for if you do make one of these visits, though, is the dogs are not particularly clean - they are not bathed regularly and they smell. Not that they are dirty (as you can see from the photos, they seem healthy and well-kept), but they need to keep a certain amount of their natural body oils, in order to ward off the cold. It will get on your hands and clothes. In a way much like being on a livestock farm. As I like to say, "first world" problems.

Tromso Harbor, Tromso, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

BUT COMING into the port at Tromso did present some of the best photography opportunities of the trip. The morning light was really beautiful, and there were a few nice scenes with snow-capped mountains and fishing boats. These northern countries can be dreary - with lots of cloud cover, rain, and cold temperatures. I have noticed that one of the things they do to make things more cheery is to paint their buildings and boats in bright colors. That makes it nice for us photographers. So thanks Norway, for that! 😃

Tromso Harbor; Tromso, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

SURPRISINGLY, TROMSO is the 12th largest city in Norway, with nearly 80,000 inhabitants. We didn't really spend much time in the city, though we did stop at a museum and see a movie after our visit to the Huskies. We did a "drive-by" of the famous Ice Cathedral, but I never really go a great shot of it.

Those eyes! - Tromso, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025