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.

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.

 

Norway: Land of the Midnight Sun

Day 1: Berlin - Oslo - Bodø

After having seen beautiful pictures of the Lofoten archipelago on the internet, we just had to go there. The only question was how and where exactly. After some research, we found out that the town of Bodø in northern Norway is an excellent starting point. It has an airport with cheap flights from Oslo, a ferry connection to Moskenes on the Lofoten and even a train station with trains coming in from southern Norway.

So off we went on two cheap flights, with Air Berlin to Oslo and continued on the same day with Norwegian to Bodø. With four hours between the flights, we had some time in Oslo at the airport. All said, we started at 11.30 a.m. in Berlin and finally arrived in Bodø at 6.40 p.m. - we had chosen a cheap connection, and the waiting saved some money. That was a good thing, because already in the airport of Oslo we realised, that Norway is as expensive as people say. Even a little snack cost a fortune! We were warned but didn't really believe it until then.

Finally, in Bodø we were a bit whacked and didn't really have the energy to find the bus to our hotel at the airport, so we took a taxi - we knew it wasn't that far away. Our hotel of choice was the City Hotell. It cost about 95 Euro, which sounds very expensive but is actually one of the cheaper ones in Bodø. Our room was small but o.k., with a bathroom, TV and curtains - the curtains are essential because it doesn't really get dark in the area in the summertime. It wasn't unique and actually too expensive, but for Norwegian conditions, it was o.k. The main reason we booked the hotel was its nearness to the ferry port anyway. We planned to leave already the next morning for the Lofoten. And the hotel is just a short walk from the ferry. 

For us it was actually great, that it didn´t really get dark, so we still had some possibility to see a bit of Bodø. My friend insisted on going to the ferry terminal first, to look how far it is really away and to look, if they are still open to buy the ferry ticket for the next morning. It turned out, it is not far, but the ticketing office was already closed, so we just went along the coast and got a first impression of what was about to come - the sea, the mountains and an extraordinary atmosphere. It was quiet and felt like a different world.

After a short stop at the little shopping mall "Glasshuset" we wanted to go to a pizzeria, but thought again when we saw the prices - I think it was more than 10 Euro for the cheapest and most basic pizza. We ended up in a snack bar, which seemed to be the most affordable option (but was still ridiculously expensive) and talked to the salesman, who originally came from northern Africa and who complained about the cold Norwegians and raved about the warm (lol) Germans he experienced once in Hamburg. That was new - usually, Germans are said to be somewhat cold and reserved (especially in northern Germany), but I guess it's just a matter of perspective.

It still wasn't dark, so we tried our luck for a supermarket to get some beverages and snacks for the next day - they seemed to be open quite long, and we passed one when we came by taxi from the airport and thought we could find it again. On the way, we passed the interesting Cathedral, and after some walking found the still open supermarket, just when we were ready to give up looking.