Norway: What a Vaer?

Day 4: Å - Svolvær - Henningsvær

Unfortunately, we already had to leave the beautiful Å for our next destination. We started at 9 a.m. with the bus from Å, heading to Svolvær which is a 3.5 hours bus ride away. With more time we would have made another stop about half the way. There are two attractions, which we particularly would have loved to see - the fishing village Nusfjord and the Viking Museum in Borg. Maybe next time! The bus ride again was quite scenic - riding the bus was always a bit like a sightseeing trip of its own. The coaches were - like everything there - quite expensive but always punctual and comfortable. We could stow our luggage down on the bus, and after some time we finally reached Svolvær.

Our "hotel" was within walking distance from the bus station, and we were greeted cheerily by the young staff. With around 70 Euro per night, the Svolvær Sjohuscamp was the cheapest option we could find in Svolvær when we were planning the trip and searched the internet. We had booked a double room with shared kitchen and lounge. The wooden room turned out to be tiny and had a shaky, unstable looking (and sounding) bunk beds, two uncomfortable chairs and barely enough room to have our luggage inside. The rest of the big house was much better - the lounge for common use was spacious, and we could use the kitchen. The bathrooms were clean but had to be shared. Unfortunately, it was a bit noisy - you could hear the people in the room next door and above and in front of the room door, where the lounge is, and later there were also young people sitting directly in front of our window where benches are, drinking their beer. It was all a bit too much for us coming from a spacious and peaceful Rorbu in Å, where all you could hear at night was a seagull. The location was great though - only a short walk away from everything, including the marketplace, the harbour and the bus station. The house is primarily on the water, quite scenic. We left the guesthouse soon for a sightseeing trip into Svolvær.

 

Svolvær is the biggest city on the Lofoten with around 4.000 inhabitants. When we walked into the centre with the busy little marketplace and the harbour you could see already the difference, there was much going on with many tourists and cafes, pubs and restaurants. At the dock, they offer tours to the Trollfjord among others, and you can buy fish and seafood right from a boat - I couldn't resist and got myself some delicious shrimps! At the marketplace, there is also the helpful tourist information, where we got information on a ferry connection from Harstad to Tromsø, which we wanted to take a few days later.

 

After getting the first impression of Svolvær, we took a bus to visit Henningsvær, a little fishing village set on a string of small islands. We had read that it's a bit like the Venice of the Lofoten. It wasn't really, but it still turned out to be beautiful with the ocean around, the mountains and the Rorbu. We just walked around there and went to some rocks and wooden racks called "hjell", where they dry stockfish or codfish, enjoying the views. We also found out, that the Norwegians really love their waffles - there were even children selling them out in their garden. We had some time left because the bus back to Svolvær would leave only after 8 p.m., so we got dinner at a nice restaurant, overlooking the water. I couldn't resist when I saw that they offer whale meat. (*Whale meat and products are restricted btw. Visitors to Norway are not allowed to bring it outside the country), I had to taste it once in my life. My friend asked me later if I felt guilty, well I said no. It didn't really taste good. Maybe because it also lacks spices. Being an islander myself and coming from a fishing village in the Philippines, fish and marine life is our life. We eat it. What I felt wrong about was that it was insanely expensive.

 

When we came back to Svolvær after a thirty-minute bus ride, it was still bright enough to walk around a bit. So we took a look at the little island Svinøya, which is connected with Svolvær with a bridge. In Svinøya there was a lot of Rorbu-accommodation, restaurants and there seemed to be a party for elderly people with live music - not exactly what we were looking for. But I got some beautiful photos of the otherwise less impressive area.

Norway: Amazing Lofoten - Å - Reine - Kjerkfjorden - Vindstad - Bunes

Day 3: Å - Reine - Kjerkfjorden - Vindstad - Bunes

Another beach was on our schedule for the next day, this time the hidden "Bunes" beach, which can only be reached via boat (to Vindstad) and hike. We started at 9 a.m. with a 20-minute bus ride from Å to the village of Reine. Then we had to catch - and first to find - the little boat heading through the Reine-Fjord to Vindstad. Reine is beautiful, but it isn't big. At first, we went to a wrong direction to the boat. Other confused tourists did too, but finally, we found the little pier which is not far from the church. At least you know it has to be at the water, which reduced the thinkable possibilities where it could be located. The boat ride through the Reine-Fjord was an experience in itself. The little boat was quite fast on its bumpy ride, where you sit outside and try not to be thrown overboard. And then you have the scenic, huge mountains with the low clouds all around. After a short stop in Kjerkfjorden, we continued with the boat to Vindstad.

Vindstad isn't really a real village - it was more like a couple of cottages far away from each other in the middle of this beautiful landscape. It is in the middle of nowhere, practically reachable only by boat through the Reine Fjord. From the jetty, you can walk through the "village's only path" going over the hill and to the other side of the Fjord, the Bunes beach. It was easy to find because there was even a sign going up the hill and you could see the peak and already see the beach down below. From above, the view was magnificent. On one side, the Reine-Fjord, on the other, the Bunes Beach.

We walked down to the vast and lonely beach until we reached the ocean. After a picnic in the dunes and some walking around we slowly went back. Some people even camped there, but we wanted to reach the only boat that day returning to Reine. Back in Vindstad, there was a lovely surprise - some Norwegians had opened an improvised cafe for the tourists that came returning from their walks and were waiting for the boat. They were selling waffles and hot coffee, which was just what we needed. It was like a very temporary cafe, open only shortly before the boat leaves to Reine in the afternoon.

Back in Reine we took a short look at the village before our bus left back to Å. Then we finally had some time to take a closer look at Å. It is a very idyllic little village with the red Rorbu, the mountains and the sea. Another reason we chose it as the location was its good bus connections, it lies at the southernmost end of the Lofoten and the buses start from there in the morning and then head northwards and come back in the afternoon and evening - perfect for trips to other destinations in the area like Reine and Ramberg. Å also has a "Fishing Village Museum" and a Stockfish Museum. (Stockfish is actually a codfish)

We went grocery shopping at a very little supermarket for our dinner before we went back to our own Rorbu. Then we went to take a look at the "Moskenstraumen" at the very end of the village, after passing the big parking lot, where the bus station is located, and the camping ground. It was yet another quite scenic area and some people where camping there too - although it was bit muddy there and it had big mosquitoes. I even returned there later with my tripod for some shots after having dinner at our lovely Rorbu.