*27 August 2025* Today was mainly about Tromsø but we had decided not to stay there but rather make a good visit en route to Sommarøy. Biggish cities are not quite our thing on this trip! Although the distance was only 115kms by ferry/road, it made for a long day. ![[15-GNT - Map.jpeg]] First we took the short ferry over to Breidvik. ![[15-GNT - 1.jpeg]]![[15-GNT - 2.jpeg]] Then drove the hour or so to Tromsø. ![[15-GNT - 8.jpeg]] It is a beautiful city, set on an island with bridge and tunnel connections. At the east end of the main bridge is the famous Arctic Cathedral. ![[15-GNT - 7.jpeg]] The Arctic Cathedral, or **Ishavskatedralen** was completed in 1965 and is renowned for its bold triangular shape, which evokes Arctic peaks, glaciers, and the northern landscape. Its façade is dominated by huge glass panels, including a spectacular stained-glass window added in 1972, depicting Christ and symbolic northern imagery. ![[15-GNT - 4.jpeg]] This stained-glass window, among the largest in Europe (covering about 140 square meters), is particularly meaningful for us because the artist who made it, [Victor Sparre](https://www.foranewworld.org/people/victor-sparre), was a friend of ours back in the 1970s owing to his close connection with MRA (which we worked with). The last time we were in Tromsø was in February 1981, after our honeymoon in Abisko, when we stayed with dear friends Sturla and Viveka Johnson who were living in Tromsø at that time. I took a picture of Elisabeth in the Arctic Cathedral then, which I could not quite reproduce in exact same frame today. ![[15-GNT - 16.jpeg]] ![[15-GNT - 3.jpeg]] We wandered around the city centre for a while. The city Cathedral (not the Arctic Cathedral which is in fact not officially a cathedral but a parish church) is the only cathedral in Norway made out of wood. Tromsø, unlike Alta and other more northern towns, was not sacked by the retreating German armies, so many of the original buildings survive. ![[15-GNT - 5.jpeg]]![[15-GNT - 6.jpeg]] The highlight of our visit to Tromsø was undoubtedly the several hours we spent with Sami artist Hans Ragnar Mathisen, now aged 80. We first got to know him in 1977 when he travelled with a group from the MRA musical 'Song of Asia' to New Zealand where we were both working with MRA at that time (before we became an item!). It was truly wonderful to reconnect with an extraordinary and gifted man, with an incredible life story. For any who are interested, this portrait written in 2022 is worth reading: https://www.hakapik.no/home/2022/1/7/hans-ragnar-mathisen-portrait-of-a-life-well-lived Hans Ragnar showed us some of his art, including brilliant hand-sketches of faces, some of which we knew. He signed a beautiful drawing of a Sami drum which we bought from him. ![[15-GNT - 9.jpeg]] We had offered to take him out for a meal, and on the way to the restaurant he wanted to feed the ducks at a nearby pond. He has always had a close connection with nature, and particularly with birds. It was touching to see his love for these creatures. ![[15-GNT - 10.jpeg]]![[15-GNT - 11.jpeg]] After dropping him home, we headed in the rain for "Summer Island" (Sommarøy), wondering where the summer was, but buoyed by the forecast which promises a week of good weather ahead. Even in the gloom, the vistas stir the spirit. ![[15-GNT - 12.jpeg]]![[15-GNT - 13.jpeg]]![[15-GNT - 14.jpeg]]![[15-GNT - 15.jpeg]] << [[The GNT, Day 14 - Alta to Svensby]] | [[The GNT, Day 16 - Sommarøy to Fjordbotn]] >>