Norway - Fjords & Mountains

After we said our goodbyes to Lennart and the Sampi Nature Camp we headed west to Abisko a small mountain town close to the Norwegian border. It was a beautiful location, on the edge of a lake surrounded by  mountains. We woke to a cloudy snowy day, with a forecast for more of the same all day. Hard to take landscape photos in a white out, so we spent the day relaxing and working on photos. Sara went for a short walk on the lake - it was beautifully quiet in the snow.

Saturday 12th of March we started the 400km drive to our next location - Lofoten Islands, Norway. It was a beautiful day, and the drive was full of stunning views. We stopped for a picnic lunch to eat the sandwiches we'd picked up at the grocery store in Sweden, right before driving into Norway. We had been advised to get groceries there because it was cheaper than Norway.  This was a common theme, apparently Norwegians who are close to the border drove to stores in both Sweden and Finland to take advantage of lower prices. After lunch we continued the drive, which was really pretty, but full of narrow, twisty roads, with the sun now low enough to blind us!  We arrived at our cottage after 8 hours, having stopped numerous times to take advantage of the great weather and take photos.

We settled into our cabin, part of an old fishing camp in the tiny village of Hamnøy. We were on one of the small islands at the tip of the Lofoten island chain. The fisherman cabins are called Robu's, and are typically red. The camp had been remodeled to accommodate guests and was very comfortable. We particularly enjoyed the heated bathroom floors that were in all our rooms in Scandinavia. When we originally booked the cabin we had called and asked for one that was north facing so we could easily see any northern lights and for a little additional cost ended up with the most perfect location - well worth the extra! Around 10pm we popped outside to the deck in case there was any aurora out and we were treated to an incredible hour of lights, with the stunning backdrop of the mountains and fjords. We hadn't expected to see any lights in Lofoten as it is often cloudy on the coast, so this was a real treat!

Sunday we had an easy day, driving about 35km to the tip of the last island and exploring the small village of Reine.  Monday the 14th we explored the small villages north of us, enjoying the stunning beaches and watching some  brave people surfing in the arctic water. We drove back to Reine after lunch to take the ferry into one of the fjords. The captain must have thought crazy tourists, cause we sat outside in the biting wind to take videos and photos while the ferry completed its one hour round trip to pick up a few people from the tiny communities on the edges of the fjord. Although it was a cloudy day the views were still stunning. 

Tuesday we explored the fishing village of Nusfjord which includes a lovely café for lunch, and renovated buildings from the 1800's when fishing was the primary activity. It was a beautiful sunny day and we thoroughly enjoyed wandering around. Nusfjord is on the east side of the island, and we next headed to the west side to check out the beaches. We visited Vikten and Utakleiv, where we stayed to enjoy a magnificent sunset. It was quite cold and windy, but the experience was too lovely to hurry, so we stayed until the light was totally gone by 7pm. By the time we got back to our cabin it was quite late, and after a quick dinner we were thinking about calling it a day. Sara popped out to the deck to check for northern lights since it was clear, and saw what looked like the beginnings of something. John hurriedly joined her and we were treated to a stunning display of lights! What a perfect end to the day, we fell into bed around 1am exhausted but very happy!

Wednesday was our last full day and we spent the time returning to a few spots for additional photos, and then drove to Samsund, about 75km north east of our location. There were some fascinating views of the rocky fjords and bays at low tide. It was a rather cloudy day with rain on and off, but we still had an enjoyable time. We had an amusing time in a grocery store after buying a few items and using the self checkout. After walking into the exit barrier which didn't open we realized the receipt needed scanning. Not speaking a word of Norwegian Sara tried to scan the receipt and promptly had hand sanitizer squirted on the paper. Blast! By the time the scanner was found the hand sanitizer had blurred the bar code, so we still couldn't get out. Luckily an employee just waved us out the other side, Sara told her we were stupid tourists, to which she replied "You are not the worst". Just one of the funny experiences from our travels. We returned to the cabin and enjoyed a lovely meal at the local restaurant, including a Lofoten beer.

Thursday 17th of March was a long day of driving. We left our comfy red fisherman's cabin before 9am and drove the 515km to Senjafjord Hotel. It was a tiring 8 hours of driving, with driving rain and snow most of the way. We were extremely glad we had the little VW Polo since the roads were so narrow, and there was frequently large trucks coming towards us. A nasty weather pattern had settled over our part of Norway and the forecast was rain and snow for the rest of the week. We had been so lucky with the few days of clear weather we had in Lofoten. Senja is Norway's second biggest island at 1,580Sq km and is an area definitely worth exploring. Sadly we only had one night, but thoroughly enjoyed the comfortable hotel.

Friday was our last day on Norway. We spent the morning packing our bags trying to ensure each bag weighed less than the required 23kg (50lbs). It is very tough to pack light when you are spending three weeks in the arctic circle! We drove 235km to the town of Tromso. Weather was still terrible with driving rain and quite a bit of snowy roads in one area - good thing we still had our trusty VW Polo with the ice studs. We enjoyed a really fabulous meal at a restaurant just 3 minutes walk from our hotel -  Mathallen in case you are ever in the area!

Saturday 19th of March we flew to England to spend the week with Sara's mum and sister (Christine and Emma). We had an incredible time in Scandinavia - the whole trip exceeded our expectations and we have so many unforgettable memories. 

Click here to see the photos and videos!