I have stopped counting the number of dreams that have come true. Maybe I'm just too scared that I hit some limit....
Getting up and on the go when it is still dark, is near impossible. But our four days here are supposed to be more relaxed, and so we were in no real hurry.
Breakfast consisted of those frozen bagels, with brown cheese, or cheese and salami, although the brown cheese seemed to be the less popular option. And then we set off to go and explore a little. We were told that the Villmarksenter was not very far fom where we were staying, and that we could see some dogs there. Apparently, the snow is late this year, and people here are frustrated for not being able to do what they so love doing. This was evident at the Villmarksenter. There is a shop that was open, and we could see all the dogs, but not a single person in sight. We walked about for a while. The dogs are all tied to their individual wooden cages. A little wooden house, almost. So they can either walk around it a little, or jump up and stand on top of it, which they seem to like to do, or lie inside it. These dogs must surely know. People with cameras must mean sledding. And they all looked like they would do anything to be able to go out sledding. And if we stood around quietly, watching them for a while, they would all start howling.
Next we went back to the city centre, this time to do some real shopping. This was fun, as to be expected. The shops are filled with the cutest Christmas decorations, not to mention the beautiful homeware and handcraft stuff. Because Nisse is actually an elf, you find the cutest little elf figures everywhere. But Tromso city centre is also home to the world's northernmost glass blowing factory and beer brewery.
We were fascinated to watch three ladies in the glass factory create beautiful champagne glasses. Tromso must surely be the city of dance, because even in this little factory, these three ladies were like three well choreographed dancers, dancing through the process of melting glass, adding colour, one adding bits of glass to the next one's creation, while the third one gracefully moves into place to get a mold ready for the next step. I could have watched this for hours, if it was not for a cold beer beckoning...
Olhallen is Tromso's oldest pub, and sells the Mack Brewery's beer. We quite like the beer, and enjoyed some time off our feet in such a cosy pub.
The kids were behaving quite strangely throughout the afternoon though. I was beginning to suspect that the Mack beer was not the only thing brewing. When we eventually got back to our little house, I got to find out what they were up to.
I may have mentioned this before, but I always dreamed of giving them a white Christmas. So they decided that we should have just that. They had been smuggling a small tree, decorations and all, in their suitcases all along. And they had been buying gifts for each other (and me) all afternoon. Wrapping paper took the form of our hats and beanies. And even though all Tertius' plights for snow throughout the afternoon had not quite materialised, we had our White Christmas. In my fifty years, I can say without any doubt that this was the very best Christmas I have ever had.
If ever you dream of doing something special with your children, set about fulfilling that dream.
I so love my children!
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