Lisbet + Sommerøya= <3.

Today, my last free day before classes, I took the opportunity to go hiking around the neighbor island of Kvaløya, which is the 5th largest island in Norway. My Polish friends, Ignazy and Ula, and I took the bus across the bridge and walked across the narrowest part of the islant to see the fjord on the other side. Wanting to see a different fjord a little farther away, we stuck out our thumbs and the only people who stopped for us were headed to Sommerøy.

So, we jumped in the van. Sommerøy was a wonderful surprise. A lovely little island full of colorful houses and sandy white beaches, even in the winter! We followed a road along the coastline, climbed a hill to spot a lifehouse, and found a fish shack by the side of the water. I collected a few shells and we ate lunch at the top of a windy hill waiting for our ride to return.

From there we drove around the south side of Kvaløya, where we spotted a herd of reindeer grazing by the side of the road. We also saw an island that is home to a herd of wild muskoxen. The University of Tromsø introduced the muskoxen to the island in the 1960s, according to our drivers, a couple of very friendly and kind social workers.

I'm so happy to be in Tromsø! The sun should show up sometime this week, and there are so many things to look forward to!

  Fjellgruppa (hiking and skiing in mts. around Tromsø)

  Summer in the north (beaches, Europe, kayaking)

  "Arctic Norway" classes

NPR podcasts

Tea (lady grey, polish mint, sunfruit)

I've also emailed Tove and Tore of Tromsø Villmarkssenter. They both ran the Iditarod in 2006 and have a wilderness tour operation (dog sled tours, climbing, glacier hikes, etc.) I'm hoping to get a part-time job with them, but if not, I'll be happy to come visit their puppies. :)