Leaving Tromso

We left Tromso on the 8 o'clock flight to Oslo this morning. The plane soars above the jagged peaks of the the Norwegian Mountains and with narry a turn to left or right sets course for Oslo to the south. On our 3 hour layover at the Norwegian capital's airport I was amazed to read that over 300,000 Norwegians live in the Arctic Circle, making Norway's part of it the most populated in the world. The rich and protected fishing grounds of the Norwegian Sea and Svalbard provide much work (Norway is a member of the European Economic Area - with Lichenstein and Iceland) as does oil, shipping and ski, Northern Lights and Midnight Sun tourism.

It was strange to bump down into the Weald's greening woodland and drive back on the M25 chock full with crazy traffic after the majesty of yesterday's foray onto the Lyngen Peninsula into fog in Dover.

It's funny how the sun, with those piercing slanting rays so soon becomes an enemy as well as a bringer of warmth. See here for the Norwegian Air solution on the Emergency Exit row seats.