I hope you’re ready for a big photo post.

It’s just past midnight as I’m writing this post from my couch, looking out the window at the blue sky outside. The midnight sun continues to be disorienting; my husband pointed out that the lack of night seemed to be affecting him creatively and he’s right – we’re both night owls by nature and have a history of getting good creative work done in the wee hours. Which can go sideways when the wee hours don’t look or feel like night anymore. I think we’ll both be relieved when the sun starts to actually set again next week (the nights will still be light for several more weeks, but at least it marks the transition toward the night’s return).

The photos in this post were not taken at midnight, but rather earlier this afternoon. The weather’s been chilly and rainy since we got back to Tromsø, as it so often is at this time of year, but today we woke up to nearly cloudless blue skies and sunshine, and we hit temps around 24ºC / 75ºF (hot for Tromsø!). That’s a rarity to be taken advantage of, because in the summer when the weather’s like that, the whole world here is in technicolor. You immediately forget all about the weeks of grey weather as soon as you step outside. I decided to head out for a long walk in the afternoon to take advantage of the weather, because I always love exploring new paths and nooks and crannies of this island.

First I went up to Prestvannet, the lake on top of Tromsøya. The pictures look serene, but the racket is no joke – several species of birds nest here every spring and summer, and the noise is non-stop when the sun never sets.

After a whole winter of seeing Tromsdalstinden covered in snow, it’s almost strange to see it with very little left.

I wandered some new forest paths…

…and documented some wildflowers. One of my favorite things about the Norwegian summer is the wildflowers, and up north they grow like crazy due to all the daylight. It’s light and lush all at once. (I seemed to be very drawn to the purple ones today. Also, I’m no botanist, so it’s possible I’ve misidentified one or more of these.)

I think this one’s skogstorknebb, or wood cranesbill.

One of my very favorites: geitrams, or fireweed (or rosebay willowherb if you hail from the UK).

Rødkløver! The red clover here is enormous and super saturated.

I even spotted a few thistles.

While they’re not widlflowers, the lilacs bloom late here and I’ve certainly been enjoying their fragrance as I walk around town. The blooms make me think they might be dwarf lilacs, but I’m not really sure.

I also can never resist a good dramatic patch of light coming down through the trees in the woods. It feels so inviting, cozy, and intense all at once.

I mapped my route when I got home, and it turns out today’s walk was 8 kilometers. I think I’m going to feel it in the morning…

The rain is supposed to return next week, so I’m sure there’s some knitting on the horizon! Hoping to share some of that soon. For now, I hope you’re enjoying your summers as well. x