LOFOTEN
Where your heart stops !
Kabelvaug
Blessed with the most beautiful landscapes that explode right in your face, Lofoten (pronounced as loo foh ten) is a bunch of islands strung together, shaped like a leaf, springing westward out of Norway’s upper tail region, of course, lying within the Arctic circle. Known to be a traditional archipelago, these group of islands record proof of human settlements dating back to as far as 250BC. Each season brings about a new, stunning appearance, so it is always the right time to visit the place. Characterised by short mountain ranges with sharp, pointed peaks, surrounded by water bodies and sprayed in varied, unimaginable colours, its rugged, untouched beauty attracts millions over the world and inspires creative minds time and again. To add to its elegance are the coloured houses of its inhabitants, that are totally unique to this place.
Most times the area seems like a no-man’s land with plenty to explore in so less time. So make sure you keep aside at least 4-5 days to explore the entire area peacefully. The archipelago found a place in our itinerary just by browsing its images available on the internet.
NORWAY AND DENMARK DIARY - Day 7 - 06TH April 2019 :
BIDDING FAREWELL TO TROMSO :
It was 7 am and a cold morning but a nice and bright day. Snowing had completely stopped. Our frozen hands dragged luggage to the TROMSO PROSTNESET (ferry port) to board our ferry to HARSTAD, we were excited. We purchased our tickets at the counter and boarded our ferry. It was a three hour ferry that would reach us to HARSTAD by 11 am. The ferry looked big enough to accommodate 200 odd passengers. The journey was great. We never escaped views of the snowy landscapes. Drifting through blue waters, we reached Harstad comfortably. We had now officially touched the Lofoten land.
We were then picked up by ARTICBUSS company, which arranged for our transport to SVOLVAER - which was our destination for the next 3 days. It is from here, we chose to discover the wonderful LOFOTEN ISLANDS. The bus looked huge for a 16 seater. The driver found us at the entrance area of the Harstad ferry port on time. And there she was....our 16 seater ARCTIC BUSS... luxury at its very best, waiting there for us, all ready to ferry us from HARSTAD to SVOLVAER. As we boarded our luggage into this beauty, the driver looks at us with a surprise & curiosity and says" Are you guys on vacation or are you shifting to Norway"... we were all in splits...it meant we were carrying so much luggage he had ever seen. Kind man he was.
SPEEDING THROUGH HARSTAD TO GET TO SVOLVAER
We comfortably and on time, glided through the pretty villages on the way. The scene in every turning was to die for !..
It was interesting to see long tunnels through the snow clad mountains at every bend, which could give any of the best National Highways around the world a run for their money. So well maintained and too good to be true. The Gorgeous scenery all around between such tunnels kept up the variety.
As we moved on in our bus towards our destination, we made a quick stop at a small roadside petrol bunk, attached to which was a necessities store. We shopped for some milk and other basic items. We saw these cute dolls which we had earlier spotted in a few places but were not aware of its importance. Yes ! the trolls.
So what's it with the TROLLS all over Norway we asked. The people in Norway have mythological stories which narrate that the TROLLS used to be friendly and naughty characters that would step out only at nights and trouble people, for eg. misplace their things, hide a few others, etc.. (reminded me of KUTTICHAATAAN behaviour in Kerala). They are believed to be auspicious and therefore have become synonymous to Norwegian beliefs.
Up close and personal with the TROLLS
THE YUMMY SLUSHY !!
We did not fail to relish this delicious treat , wherever we found it, across the entire country. It was Crushed ice with different flavours and colours added to create each layer. Yummmm !!
Such Tranquil and peace all around. There was not a soul in sight. We sped away in the bus, on an almost two hour journey. The winding roads, the endless tunnels cutting through the mountains, the lovely bridges, the cool views, beautiful fishing villages all along the way, there was no dearth for Scenic wonders that our eyes captured. We felt truly blessed to view them so closely. The image of this particular fishing village on our way, with its reflection was shaped like a fish. You would want to take a closer look at how progressive the village is with all latest means of transport and infrastructure around.
The changing scene at every nook made me wonder ," Isn't this heaven". How lucky the people staying here were, they could drown deep into these extremely beautiful surroundings and lead such a peaceful and enviable life. These pictures were taken from our moving bus. Happy we could capture the moments. A village on the E10 highway , just look at the various colours - land, water, mountains far away, sky, clouds, pretty houses, road. Unparalleled !
Out of a tunnel on E10, stepping into SVOLVAER finally, can't wait to get to our new home. Another scene, same you may wonder, snow clad mountains, water and ice, but this is a half frozen lake, which is slowly melting. Oh the fjords !!
We reached SVOLVAER by 1:20 pm. House no. 14 Nonshaugen awaited us. The village was as silent as the darkest of the nights.
WELCOME TO SVOLVAER
Address :No. 14, Nonshaugen
After settling down in our SAFE HAVEN, we unpacked swiftly. Making Jeera Rice was the quickest option. It was cold outside, the house kept us warm. It seemed rather uncomfortable in the bedrooms at the beginning, but when we settled down, we knew it was the right choice. It was close to the super markets. We felt relaxed. Two of the group members were put up in another small but cute place nearby, Address : 43 Storoyveien. A 5 min walk from 14 Nonshaugen -. Pretty close right ?. The TV room was always occupied by us, and the kids loved it. There were 2 balconies one at the same floor as the kitchen and the other on the second floor, where 6 of us had rooms. We stepped out that evening, it was raining a bit, there was snow everywhere. Remember ! We are still above 68Deg North... ?, I mean the Arctic Circle. No doubt It was BITTER COLD, but lovely. We walked up to the village Center. As it was 6:30pm shops were closed.
ADDRESS : 43, STOROYVEIEN
A cute little house, tucked away on the banks of the water body. It had views to die for, a big verandah, a barbeque oven there, and looked very Christmassy on the inside with lights twinkling away. Even cuter was the host , Tora, who i fell in love with at the very first sight.
It is very noticeable that the people of Norway are extremely friendly and pure at heart, just like the blessed nature around them. 43, Storoyveien being just at a 4 min walk from 14 Nonshaugen , we co-ordinated well for all outings.
EXPLORING SVOLVAER VILLAGE
We were out to explore this marvel filled village that evening with a hunch to cover as much as we could. The views outside our house was nature at its very best right at our feet. Walking up and down the hilly, snowy streets as slowly as possible was challenging at times, as they could get slippery due to rains. We found our way to the village center. All along the way, we saw closed shops, beautiful buildings, supermarkets. As it was an island, we were soon at the water front once again. With pretty red houses of the fishermen lined up against the backdrop of a jaw dropping row of the mountain range, it couldn't get more picture perfect. Just look at it ! The lovely and colorful boats just added to the aesthetic look. We walked down to reach the boats and satisfied ourselves with pictures of this evening magic. We were also looking at opportunities to settle for a boating experience which never materialised. Nevertheless, there was no dearth for activities around. Even if we chose to sit at home and do nothing, it would be eventually the SOMETHING we were looking for. Such was the atmosphere. This is exactly what we did. The next day , we just relaxed in the house , playing a bit of cards, watching movies, eating and sleeping until early evening.