Hell's Kitchen and other Adventures in Tromso

The first thing one is told about Tromso, the largest city/town in the north of Norway is that it is a party town, especially during the period of the midnight sun. Even in the fall as the sun is well on its way to obscurity and the leaves have are past the turning to yellows and orange and well on the way to brown and dead, the town is a bee hive of activity. You can feel it on the streets that the way they counter the day-less winters is by endlessly celebrating life. They do have a mid-night sun marathon and the worlds northern most beer festival, which someday I must attend. This town sports the northernmost of just about everything, even if it isn’t quite the worlds northern most town (which I’ll get up at an ungodly hour of 5am just to set foot in – why? Because its there.) But I did enjoy a beer at the worlds most northern most brewpub – mediocre beer, but that wasn’t why I was there, was I? Interestingly it is only a block from the worlds northern most Burger King. I’m not saying if I ate the world’s northern most fast food burger. If I did, I wouldn’t admit it, would I?

My mom wanted to visit the Polar Museum. Great if you love dioramas of how to club and skin baby seals, artic foxes and other cute fury animals. They actually sell seal key chains and small stuffed seals made of…you guessed it, seal skin. Did I get one for Jasmine? Come on. Though I admit that the seal skin gloves were mighty nice and there was a brief moment where I thought, hmm…

Oh, I almost forgot about Hell’s Kitchen. Too bad this place opened after the boat took off. I really wanted a menu. Hell’s Kitchen, “Diner and a Party Too” the slogan says. I nuzzled up against the window and looked in at a very intimate old world style place. Of course the menu says “Spicy American Tapas Meny” (Meny being Norwegian for Menu). Interesting they equate American food with hell. I wish I could have remembered their menu, it was full of puns. I like the drink “When Hell Freezes Over” which was some iced liquor. When I’m back for that beer festival, you know I’ll have to go eat there.