We had a marvelous, sunny day in Tromso as the weather and vitality of this city ushered in the temperate portion of our trip. The area has a long history of human occupation with archaeological evidence showing that people have been residing here for at least 9000 years. Tromso is situated at 70 degrees North latitude, which is about the equivalent of Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost town in the United States. And yet with 50,000 people it boasts many cultural amenities not found in boreal realms elsewhere: a full-fledged university, a thriving brewery, and the Ishavskatedralen, pictured here. The Arctic Ocean Cathedral was built in 1965 and continues a long line of places of worship. Tromso first became an ecclesiastical centre in 1252, at a time when churches made little use of concrete and steel.