Bucket List Adventure Day 7 - Continuing North..again

Arriving into Tromsø, the "Capital of the Artic" 350 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle with its large islands and high mountain back drop will spark excitement. It's said Tromsø has a mild climate because of the gulf stream, so somewhere between 0C and -9C isn't that cold... really!

I last came here many years ago on a conference in the summer and experienced the midnight sun. This time the sky will be very different. We will arrive around 14:30 and as the sun will be setting around 17:00. I will be in a hurry to disembark to get to those gorgeous huskies for a few hours adventure in the snow. My own very first mini polar expedition fulfilling a life time ambition. We will be out for over 3 hours, so as the sun sets we will be "mush mushing" over snowy open plateaus taking in the magnificent frozen landscape and hopefully the northern lights will light our path.

There are of course alternatives, and my sailing chums can choose between a walk around Tromsø or a polar history tour. But for me this is the first thing I had on my list - and sometimes you just have to do, what you have to do!

The city has a lively nightlife, but I will be back on board as we sail at 18.30, tired, probably elated and ready for another wonderful Hurtigruten dinner as we head north to Skjervøy; an island and fishing community in the northern part of Troms County. A bit of a Norwegian lesson here - the name originates from the Old Norse word Skerføy, skerf means "rocky ground" and øy meaning "island" - I bet that won't come up in Trivial Pursuits.

Meanwhile I will retreat to the bar with my glass of cloudberry wine in my Norwegian Cardi and my furry slippers - such is life on the MS Nordlyss.

Tomorrow even further north - there is no stopping us now!