Norway: Blue in Sortland

Day 6: Svolvær - Sortland

We started relatively late from Svolvær to our next destination, Sortland - the bus left at 12.30 p.m... So it was goodbye to the Lofoten and hello to the Vesteralen, which were about two hours away by bus. The bus trip was exciting because for the first time we were in a coach that went onto a ferry - between the little Fiskebøl and Melbu - the latter one, we read, has the "Norsk Fiskeindustri Museum", which we, unfortunately, couldn't visit. The Vesteralen looked promising - not so much different from the Lofoten, maybe just a little less idyllic.

We had seen on the internet, that our accommodation in Sortland, the Sjohus Senteret, is located a bit outside of the town at the main street but also at the water. We didn´t really know how far and so we took a taxi from the bus station in Sortland. It turned out to be a right decision because it was a bit far and we had our heavy luggage. We immediately arranged with the taxi driver, that he would pick us up and drive us to the bus station two days later for a very early bus to our next destination.

The Sjohus Senteret itself turned out to be great. We had called there from Svolvær to change our pre-booked accommodation from a room with shared facilities to a Seaside Cabin after the housing in Svolvær turned out to be a bit stressful and cramped. Of course, it cost more but it was well worth it - we actually got a little house directly at the water with two floors and a kitchen. It was much more than we had expected and it was so lovely that it became hard to even go outside (especially as the weather wasn't that charming and it was too late already for buses to an excursion in the area). So we relaxed a while and enjoyed the views outside the windows and only left for a walk to the gas station, which was located about halfway to town to get something to cook.

Sortland itself doesn't explode with attractions, but it is located nicely at a fjord with a colossal bride leading above the fjord. It is also a good transportation hub, with the bus connection to Svolvær on the Lofoten but also to Harstad, from where you can take a ferry to Tromsø. We also wanted to use the bus connection to Andenes the next day. With a day more at our hands, we would have made a trip even to some of the little fishing villages Stø (from where you can go whale watching and hiking), Myre and Nyksund.

Norway: Magic Ice in Svolvær

Day 5: Svolvær - Kabelvåg

We wanted something quieter for the day and planned to take an early ferry for a day trip from Svolvær to Skrova, where we wanted to walk around in nature and watch marine birds. But it rained heavily when we woke up. It was cold, and we were a bit exhausted - so we stayed in bed a bit longer. We still forced ourselves to the ferry pier, which is at the other side of the town, in time. But when we were there, we skipped our plan and didn´t enter the ferry. It seemed much nicer, to take another look at Svolvær.

While Svolvær is not the little, charming fishing village but much more crowded and busy, it still has its pros. It's an excellent place to base and make trips around the satellite areas. It's beautiful and has some attractions you can visit even when it rains. Beside some museums it has something; we really wanted to see - "Magic Ice". It's a dark hall with a lot of huge ice sculptures, and of course, it's freezing inside. I haven't seen such huge ice sculptures before, so there's always the first time. I took quite a few photos, and at the end of our little tour inside, we've got an ice glass with a bit of drink in it to keep us warm. It was something new and pleasant experience.

Fortunately, the weather had improved, and the sun found its way. We took advantage of that and started a trip by bus to Kabelvåg, a village next to Svolvær. Kabelvåg is an interesting village because it once was bigger than Svolvær and still has a huge church, reminding of the glory days. It has a string of attractions close to one another in Storvågan, which is a bit to walk from Kabelvåg. Storvågan is the place, where the first city of northern Norway arose. When we arrived by bus in Kabelvåg, some festivities were going on at the market square, but we soon walked to Storvågan (with a little help of our previously printed Google map) to our primary destination - the charming Aquarium and water zoo "Lofotakvariet".

The Lofotakvariet is located directly at the water, which is a sight for itself and a rather spectacular setting. They showed seals and a lot of local species that can be found in Norwegian waters. I loved it to get an impression of the local fauna, and I also liked the waffles they sold. After a little coffee, we enjoyed the view in the area and slowly went back to Kabelvåg. On the way back from Storvågan to Kabelvåg, we saw another option there - a culture experience path through the greens that branched off the main road. There we found a few stones (what's left) and markings of an early settlement.

Back in Kabelvåg, we decided to walk the 6 kilometres to Svolvær, because the bus was scheduled for a late departure and we had to go in the direction anyway to see the huge church of Kabelvåg, the Vågan Church or "Lofoten Cathedral". The Church is a reminder of the history of the place and today has more seats than Kabelvåg has inhabitants.

The way from the church back to Svolvær leads mostly along the road but through an impressive landscape. Unfortunately, we had to hurry a bit, because we still wanted to go to a supermarket. We just came back in time, before they closed.

In the evening we just walked a bit around in Svolvær, as it was our final evening there, and enjoyed the landscape, the water and the mountains.