Goodbye Tromsø

Day 10: Tromsø - Oslo - Berlin

We had to leave early for the "Flybuss", which leaves at the Grand Nordic Hotel. From there we went beneath a mountain to reach the Tromsø Airport. We had another long stop at Oslo-Gardermoen Airport before we continued to Berlin. I really look forward to coming back to Norway. There´s still so much left to see!

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: Lofoten, Here I Come

Day 2: Bodø - Moskenes - Å i Lofoten - Ramberg

After having breakfast at the hotel in Bodø, which by the way cost extra, we went to the ferry pier with our luggage. It was just a short walk, and after some waiting, we could get on the ferry and buy the ticket for around 20 € only at the entrance to the ferry. The ferry connects Bodø with Moskenes on the Lofoten, and the trip took about three and a half hours. It was a beautiful trip. The ocean was calm, and the sun was shining, and some people even used the chance for sunbathing, as we could sit on the deck outside. After some time we saw the impressive mountains of the Lofoten.

 

In Moskenes we wanted to take a bus to our first destination on the Lofoten - the very concisely named "Å". But we didn't have to wait for the scheduled bus, as there was some kind of private Mini-Bus going to Å waiting for ferry passengers. That was great because we were a bit afraid to be stranded in Moskenes without a car. Especially because at the ferry pier there´s not much to do and see beside the tourist information, the bus station and, well, the ferry pier. It was not exactly a town, but not having a car turned out to be no problem at all.

It was just a short ride from the ferry pier to Å i Lofoten and in Å we could easily walk to our room that we had booked - a "Rorbu", that was located directly at the water. The Rorbu from Feskarbrygga was just a dream. We had the room "Hovedsmann", and it had a huge living room with kitchen, bathroom and bedroom and we could sit outside. But more important was the atmosphere of the place and the house itself as well the location at the water and the little harbour, looking up the huge mountains. We loved it - it turned out to be the favourite accommodation of our whole journey!

 

On the internet, we had found a "Rutehefter", the schedule for the buses on the Lofoten. And while it was already afternoon, we decided to use the rest of the day for a first excursion. So we took a bus from Å to Ramberg, which is about one hour away by bus. The major attraction of Ramberg is its sandy beach. After a scenic bus ride, we found ourselves in Ramberg, which had a little "in the middle of nowhere" feel. It was great, and we walked around through the landscape and finally along the beach. We couldn't swim. Even in August, it was way too cold - it is above the Arctic Circle. We just dipped our feet into the ocean, and it already felt like freezing, before we relaxed on some rocks nearby. We had some time because the next bus back to Å was scheduled for 9.40 p.m. We still skipped hiking up a hill. But the trail we had read about didn't look like what we've imagined. It seemed much steeper and really difficult to climb. The area was breathtaking anyway, with the low hanging clouds in the mountains, the sea and the little houses in the landscape. When the bus finally came and took the tourists from Ramberg, which was only us and an Asian mother-daughter team - it was still not really getting dark. 

 

Back in Å I just needed to get my tripod to do some long exposure shots in the middle of the night (which by the way not dark) of the harbour and the beautiful little village of Å.