I spent the first part of this week in Tromsø with John and his girlfriend Yoana. Although the weather was much duller than it was in Stavanger and Sørreisa, we still managed a drive out onto Kvaløya, which lies on the seaward side of Tromsø, over one of the arching, concrete bridges that are typical of the area. The sea was blue-grey under a sullen sky, with patches of turquoise closer to the sandy beaches, scattered along the rocky coastline.

This was an old schoolhouse in the village of Rekvik. The blue plaque says it was used as a school from 1916 to 1975, and it was used as community housing for evacuees in 1944-45.

And of course, a bit of local wildlife…

John, Yoana and I went out for lunch in a grill restaurant near the hurtigboat harbour in Tromsø on my last day. As with most meals, especially in the more northern parts of Norway, it was very meat-centric but delicious nonetheless.

I flew back to the UK on Wednesday and am spending the last few days of my holiday in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. I have been madly taking photos because there is so much colour here. I hope you enjoy the contrast between the wild and austere Norwegian landscape and the cosiness of the Dales!

Thanks for reading. Have a lovely week!