Oh, Tromso has so many funny facts! 
 
Funny Fact 1;
 All the footpaths in the CBD are heated from beneath. It is so expensive in labour to shovel snow and anyway they just don't have a population large enough to supply labourers, so heating the footpaths means the snow melts regularly so the paths and roads can be traversed even in the dead of winter. 

 Funny fact 2:
There is a comprehensive road system UNDER the roads complete with roundabouts and road signs and parking stations. Due to Tromso's proximity to Russia, during the cold war a full tunnel system under the city was constructed, capable of being a safe bunker for the whole population. Would be a good place to live if nuclear war ever eventuated.

 Funny fact 3: 
The Sami people are allowed to have a herd of reindeer and if a car hits a wandering reindeer, the Sami owner sues the driver.
 
Funny Fact 4: 
 Moose swim between the islands. All you can see is a bit of a head and horns sticking out of the water.
 
Funny Fact 5: 
Shoveling snow is a major fact of life and gives rise to many neighbourhood disputes. The court list is full, we were told, of aggrieved neighbours who claim snow was shoveled from next doors path and door straight over to theirs, doubling their snow shoveling requirement.
 
Funny Fact 6: I love this one! On her 30th birthday, if a girl remains unmarried, she is given a gift of pepper - to spice up her life!

Most of these wonderful funny facts were imparted to us in a driving tour and then a walking tour . Our lovely guide was German. She said this was common, as Norwegians girls didn't want to stay in Tromso, so tour guides had to be sought from other countries.

The major plan for the day was to take a cable car up 421 metres to a cafe and lookout on Mt. Storsteinen and then to hike to the summit of the next peak, Mt Floya . Well the hike was not going to happen for us when on the way up in the cable car the wind blew wildly, and within the first few metres the swaying cable car was in a world of deep cloud and driving snow and sleet. We settled ourselves in the cafe with a coffee while a few brave souls headed out into the snow, disappearing from view in a few seconds. They did make it to the summit but with zero visibility for their efforts and came back very wet and cold. 

A lovely Norwegian lunch of open sandwiches, including reindeer, seal and whale meat was served in the cafe before we braved the swaying cable car ride back down with a few momentary glimpses of what would be, on a clear day, a stunning view of Tromso. Our bus and guide then took us to see the Arctic Cathedral, an amazing modern design with a stunning stained glass window. This is a Lutheran cathedral, the faith of most of Norway.

A trip to the Polar Museum was fascinating where we learnt about the Arctic trappers, sealers and whalers and, more particularly, about the Arctic explorers Amundsen and Nansen.  

I then left the rest of the sighteseeing to Avan as I needed to have some visitor centre assistance to book some train tickets for our time after leaving the ship. I had been thwarted in this so far by a requirement of the internet booking site that I have a Norwegian Nationals number. Sort of like a tax file number. The Tromso Visitor centre, while not being able to actually book my trains, were able to sit with me at the computer and work out how to circumnavigate this requirement and get the tickets booked for the iconic Bergen to Oslo train trip including a side trip on the Flam railway. Avan enjoyed a tour of the botanical gardens and the underground road system before we met up again back at the ship.  

Next we leave behind mainland Norway and head upwards to Bjornoya (Bear Island) the most southern tip of the Svalbard archipelago. The weather, although blustery and freezing, allowed us enough of a brief respite for zodiac exploration around the island. Now a protected nature reserve providing a haven for many varieties of seabirds, it has a small a staff who man a meterological and radio station. 

 No bears though!