Tromsø

Beach of the Atlantic Ocean from the Arctic Circle

The finals days of our three-week, estrogen-rich, renewable energy excursion were spent in the northern portion of Norway, above the Arctic Circle. Tromsø greeted us with snowy mountains in all directions and, without interrupting the anomaly of sunny weather we traveled around with, the coldest air we’d felt in awhile. The sight of the ocean under blue skies with the ominous wintery mountains all around was sensory overload enough to snap us out of our travel-induced exhausted and most of us were too excited to stay inside. After various afternoon activities, including discovering the new bus system, visiting souvenir shops in town, and walking along the quartz covered beach collecting shells and sea glass, all 19 of us sat in the dining room of the hotel and devoured a traditional Norwegian meal of meatballs (with a vegetarian version for the large portion of meat skeptics among us), rice, and salad. It was so nice to all enjoy a meal together, not to mention to eat prepared food with neither the worry of converting prices nor excessive dishwashing.

Midnight Sun feat. Mallory Hart

The sun never set, and the clouds cleared around 11:30 inviting a lovely view of the midnight sun from the dock a few hundred yards down the beach. Monday morning brought more time for exploration. While some continued to relax at the hotel or walk along the beach, others ventured into town to visit the library, shop, go to the polar aquarium (Polaria), or rent bicycles. We all gathered and rode the bus uphill to the Department of Physics and Technology at UiT where Professor Tobias Baström discussed his involvement in sustainable energy, specifically solar PV in northern Europe. The afternoon unfolded into more free time to explore or relax before we were all treated to an absolutely stunning Norwegian dinner at Emma’s! (See Mallory’s blog post for more info on the amazing food!!)

A Bearded Seal during feeding/training session at Polaria

Overall, the spectacular weather made the already surreal scenery unbelievable, and supported the believability of the potential for solar PV technology in above the Arctic Circle! Our last few days in Norway were spent learning, laughing, and reflecting on all that we had seen of the amazing nation we were so lucky to experience, and all of its admirable endeavors in renewable energy we’ve come to understand over the last three weeks.