So, we sailed into the harbor at Tromsø (The “Paris of the North’), arriving there on a warm-ish (above freezing) day with the sun shining. That isn’t as pleasant as it sounds; when the sun comes out the ice melts and the wet ice demands extreme caution. Our tour company should label this the Voyage to the Land of Sprains and Breaks.
Undeterred, we scurried forth and went in search of Norwegian pizza. As I’ve mentioned, pizza is a big deal in Norway. To wit: In 1969 there was a major fire in Tromsø, resulting in the destruction of many homes and buildings. The city management, eager to keep the public happy, took a poll as to which building should they rebuild first: The City Hall? The library? The church? The people responded – they wanted Peppe’s Pizza parlor back.
Tromsø is centered on an island and spreads to nearby mainland, which are connected by both bridge and tunnels. The tunnels include roundabouts – a common traffic feature on this side of the Atlantic. Less common is the local practice of going out and driving in circles around the tunnel roundabouts in celebration of, well, whatever.
Random Tromsø facts: This is the home to the world’s northernmost university, and the Polar Museum. Like Alta, it has a striking modern Cathedral just across the bridge over one of several fjords. It was in Tromsø in 1944 that RAF bombers located and destroyed the German battleship Tirpitz, sister ship to the more-famous Bismark (Wikipedia image below).
Random Norwegian facts: Most people in Norway speak English, and English is a required subject in the schools throughout primary and secondary education. In addition to Norwegian and English, indigenous Sami (“Lap” and “Laplander” are no longer accepted) students must be provided with instruction in their own language. The Samis are native across Norway, Finland, and Russia, with about half (40,000) in Norway. Sami languages were once outlawed in Norway, for which the Norwegian government has since apologized.
After a night in Tromsø, we pushed on to a small town named Narvik. Narvik has several features that are important to its success – it has a year-around ice-free access to the Atlantic, it is located near a massive source of iron ore (the Kiruna Mine), and it has a train to move the ore from there to Sweden. You’ll be stunned to learn that this is the northernmost rail line in Western Europe. Not surprisingly, the Germans were quite eager to take control of Narvik and its iron ore during WWII. The story of those battles is described in detail elsewhere, including in the movie “Narvik,” available on Netflix.
We stopped in Narvik briefly, then headed off to Amsterdam. Alas, a visit to the Netherlands was not to be; 35-mile-per-hour winds on the North Sea precluded that itinerary. Instead, and on schedule, we pushed on directly to Tilbury, the landing point for cruise lines bound for London.
Much like the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, my bourbon lasted just until we made way into the English Channel. In a search for refreshment later landing day, we stopped at a small convenience store around the corner from our hotel. There, on a low shelf, I located a bottle of Buffalo Trace. If you’re not a bourbon fan this won’t mean much, but I was frankly astonished. Buffalo Trace is a reasonably decent Kentucky distillation and virtually impossible to find in Durham liquor stores. It was the pot of gold at one end of the rainbow. The other end of that rainbow comes down a few doors away, at the Quilon restaurant. Quilon is a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant we stumbled onto while searching “restaurants near me” on Google maps. It was so good we ate until it hurt. It was so good we declined dessert. But that’s not how things are done at Quilon - they brought the dessert anyway. And we ate it anyway.
The Point of It
Wandering around on other continents raises a concern about the hazards of travel. Of all the things one might do, visiting countries outside one’s own can lead to life-altering disturbance of the mind. This is particularly so when one digs down a little beyond the superficial appearance of “place,” and into how other people actually live.
On one hand, we have been to Algiers, which is beautiful, but we were appointed a guide and followed by guards. One wonders what the powers that be might have feared from a bus full of geriatric tourists? More recently, we went to Hungary. Budapest is gorgeous and engaging, but perhaps not so much if you are of a mind that holds people equal regardless of their background or sexual preferences. Perhaps Hungary is not so swell if you believe that the government is the servant of the people, and not a soft-landing spot for oligarchs. Turns out, the “illiberal democracy” is no kind of democracy at all. Still, the goulash is tasty. As is most of the food in Mexico, Central and South America, but buckle in for some volatile politics and maybe the odd kidnapping or gang war. Jamaica si, Haiti no. Southeast Asia beckons.
On the other hand, OMG the Socialists. I have now visited Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Russia. Which one of these things is not like the others? Iceland, Sweden, Finland, and Norway are (shudder) Social Democracies. Russia is a former “Communist” dictatorship and current autocracy. Unlike the others, Russian leaders are noted for causing their opponents to be imprisoned or killed. It is infrequently mentioned that Stalin killed as many of his own people as those whom Hitler had put to death. Putin makes up for the lack of sheer numbers by his audacious killing of high-profile opponents, both within and outside Russia. I was there during the five minutes between Communism and oligarchy (in 2000, I believe), and was followed by guys who talked into their coat sleeves. The borsch was delicious.
Social democracies are characterized by power vested in organized labor, regulation of private industry, economic intervention, extensive welfare services and the right to own private property. They are egalitarian, democratic, and such countries generally feature high personal and corporate taxes to provide for social programs. They are horrible, horrible places (just ask MTG) where all sorts of children run about well-fed and housed, educated and cared for, and who grow up to be useless mooches happily living in some of the most civilized cities on earth.
The adult literacy rates in Scandanavia are vastly superior to our own, which may in part explain how it is that they have high rates of gun ownership yet almost no gun violence. Crime rates are low and the justice system is restorative, as opposed to punitive. Although they may have a “State Church” (Norway is Lutheran) other religions are permitted and study of religions (plural) is offered in primary school. Norway allows gay priests and same-sex marriage. About half of the people describe themselves as neither religious nor atheist. Finland is routinely identified as the happiest country in the world.
It will probably come as no surprise to you that I am a dues-paying, card-carrying Democratic Socialist (DSA, yah!). It’s clear (and has been for some time now) that some dangerous extremists – many motivated by criminal enterprise, others by a lust for power and a will to dominate, often predicated on a warped and fictitious view of Christian morality that Christ himself would angrily reject, YES, those guys – are lining up to take the USA back to a happier, saner time. Say, 1885, before women had the vote, when people of color knew their place, homosexuality and “deviance” were criminal offenses, and the politics of the day was marked by corruption and materialistic excess. Mark Twain’s “Gilded Age.” I can hardly wait. I can safely say without a hint of hyperbole that I’d rather be freezing my ass in Artic Norway than warm and snug in a fascist America.
I’m really enjoying this Tom. The little ephemeral details you snug in here and there add such good texture.
Traveling does broaden the world doesn’t it? While traveling in Peru I became aware that our guides somehow had managed to learn a couple or three other languages with English being their forth and Spanish either their second or maybe even third language as they had come from some of the indigenous peoples who inhabit that country.
We do well to handle learning a second language and think it’s terrible to have to accommodate for children who may not be conversant in English. Certainly doesn’t speak well for our “melting pot” image.
As a side note, I’ve moved from NC to a Central American country so my high school and college Spanish(what little I’ve retained)has come in mighty handy.