Saturday, March 23, 2024
On our first full day in Tromsø, we woke up and all had our breakfast by 9 a.m. There was a wide variety of choices to eat, from mini pain au chocolat to smoked salmon. We then had a morning meeting that started with a brief moment of silence. Mr. Ottman revealed that we would be starting every morning meeting with a “COLD opening.” COLD stands for congratulations / calling out (positives) and obstacles (negatives).
After our morning meeting, we met our Intrepid tour guide Nikolai. We went across the street to Thon Hotel Polar to use their conference room for our introductory session with Nikolai. He explained some fun facts about Norway and its culture, such as the fact that knitting is extremely popular here.
After this meeting, we had our orientation walk around downtown Tromsø. There were beautiful snowy mountains in the background as we walked around town. Nikolai showed us plenty of cool landmarks, such as an old fortress and a cathedral. While it was sometimes hard to hear him over the screaming seagulls, the tour was very informative and fascinating.
After this, we were allowed to have several hours to roam around downtown Tromsø in groups of three or more. There was plenty to do, such as shopping for souvenirs, tasting the new foods from the grocery store, and having some fun on the playground. We were allowed to explore the city for about five and a half hours before we met up again to walk to the bus stop to get to the Fjellheisen (cable car) ride. The bus ride there was nice and quick, but walking to the cable car ride was very difficult as the roads were extremely steep. For the ride up, we were split into two different groups as not all of us could fit into one car. The views from the cable car were quite beautiful — the entire city of Tromsø was lit up with beautiful mountains looming in the distance.
After taking the cable car to Storsteinen, which is a mountain ledge, we reviewed the safety rules and were released in the snowy plains. Some students immediately ran up the hill (and proceeded to fall) while some walked near the cliff to get pictures of the view, and others gathered in the café to get hot chocolate and a slice of raspberry cheesecake or apple pie. Once we all had plenty of time to play in the snow and warm up in the café, we gathered for a group picture and a quick moment of silence to truly appreciate our surroundings.
Heading back down was a bit more complicated due to a few lost tickets, but the complications were quickly resolved thanks to Nikolai, Mr. Ottman, and Dr. Mosher. We made sure everyone was present by recounting and each person locating their roommate. It was an interesting and full bus ride back.
Once we got back to the hotel, we were told a short version of our plans for tomorrow, including what type of clothing would be appropriate for the activities and times to be ready. We quickly headed to our rooms to get rest before tomorrow’s early start.
Grayson & Kat
