Tromsø: The Key to Enduring Dark, Cold Winters

Global EAT - Tromsø: The Key to Enduring Dark, Cold Winters
Spectacular northern lights over the city of Tromsø, Norway (Gaute Bruvik/visitnorway.com )

Tromsø, Norway’s Arctic gateway sits on an island 350 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. Visitors come to experience the spectacular northern lights and the Polar Nights (when the sun is below the horizon) in the winter.

Winters are long, dark and frigidly cold, yet Norwegians, particularly those living in Tromsø, Northern Norway’s largest city don’t experience as much winter blues, said Stanford University PhD student Kari Leibowitz in The Conversation.

The key is to have a positive wintertime mindset. Enjoy the winter activities and cozy up.

Canada and Norway share the Arctic. Both offer similar wildlife and seasonal experiences. However, the indigenous people are of different heritage.

Sami are fair-haired and light-skinned whereas Inuit have Asiatic features.

In addition to living a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, the Sami people are also reindeer herders.

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The Sami are the northernmost indigenous people of Europe. They live in in Sápmi, an area covering the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula. ( C.H/visitnorway.com)

From late May through July, the Midnight Sun bestows 24/7 daylight. It’s a surreal experience.

The pristine wilderness and fjords are ideal for activities from hiking, fishing, kayaking, sledding to whale safari and visiting the Sami community.