March 2026
warm wood and large windows framing snow-covered mountains. After sitting in the intense heat for a while, I’d built up enough courage to do the other part of the Pust experience, and step outside to lower myself into the freezing sea. The cold hit me like a shockwave but dashing back into the sauna, skin tingling, I felt invigorated and ‘fizzing’ with endorphins. If the sauna wakes you up, an Arctic Fjord Floating experience slows everything down. Encased in a thick survival suit, I stepped down into the icy fjord and lay back. The suit keeps you buoyant, so you simply float, staring up at the pale winter sky. Food, too, became part of my Arctic education. On a guided group walking tour, we visited a butcher, a deli, a cheese counter and the fish market, learning about northern Norwegian culinary traditions, before enjoying lunch at a local restaurant. On offer was reindeer and, for the very
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SEARCHING THROUGH NORTHERN SKIES | 15
main stopping street, Storgata, thankful for the relative safety of its heated pavements. But slipping is always a risk, especially if you nip down a side street or try to cross certain roads, so I was glad I’d bought a pair of snow grips with spikes to slip over my shoes for icy patches. Prices are high, with a reindeer burger and non-alcoholic beer costing £30, and a fridge magnet around £7, but cash isn’t needed at all, as everywhere, from cafes to supermarkets, takes payment by card. Between tours, I explored Tromso’s compact
centre, which strikes a balance between small-town intimacy and international energy.
I ducked into independent shops
daring, whale, as well as Arctic char, roe and wolf fish.
Despite its location, Tromso feels lively
rather than remote. A number of new and direct flights from Dublin and England have seen tourist numbers increase significantly in the past couple of years. Cafes hum with conversation, while visitors in padded jackets and woolly hats fill the town centre’s
and souvenir stores, and lingered over a hot chocolate in a warm café, while snow fell softly outside. I even visited the northernmost McDonald’s in the world! At night, strings of lights illuminate Storgata Street, and there’s a steady buzz of anticipation, with people regularly glancing upward, just in case the aurora appears. Travelling solo in winter above the Arctic Circle might sound isolating, but it was anything but. I met other solo travellers from Germany, Moldova, Slovenia, America and the UK. And escorted group tours lead to easy connections, as you share the same complaints about cold feet and long waits under starry skies, as well as the same sense of wonder when the lights do appear. By the time I left Tromso, February no longer felt like the dead of winter, but a season of quiet magic. The air was cold, yes, and the daylight was fairly brief. But the rewards - dancing green skies, bracing sea dips, floating in silent fjords, and sharing Arctic meals with new-found friends – were extraordinary. For travellers seeking something beyond
a typical city break, Tromso offers not just sights, but sensations. It’s a place that stays with you long after the snow melts from your boots.
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