Lofoten islands
Trip Start
Mar 15, 2006
1
21
62
Trip End
Dec 20, 2006
Stamsund, Norway
Friday, July 28, 2006
Stamsund is a picturesque little fishing village with a couple of hundred inhabitants. I stayed in the youth hostel, which was a converted fisherman's house. I met a few older people who had been coming back to this hostel for 30 years! I can see why, it was a lovely spot, looking out accross the water, and with the mountains behind. You could borrow the rowboats, which I did quite a few times. It was peaceful taking them out late at night. It never really got dark being so far north, just became twilight for a couple of hours then light again. I saw sea-eagles, but didn't see any puffins, which I would have liked to. I ate a lot of fish because people would take the boats out fishing and catch to many and offer the extra ones around.
One day I took the bus down to the town of A (A with a circle on top). The trip was so picturesque, passing under very steep mountains, then by lakes, the sea, complete with white sandy beaches, and little red painted villages along the way.
I spent the afternoon in A. Everywhere there were wooden racks for drying cod. They were empty at the time, as they dry them over Winter. Apparently each year 400,000 square metres of Norway is covered in drying cod like this, which must be quite a sight. I consoled myself by visiting the cod-drying museum instead, and I am now quite the expert on the cod-drying process.
Another day I visited Svolvaer, the 'capital' of the Lofoten islands, which was nice, with lots of outdoor cafes, set under a mountain called Svolvaergeita (Svolvaer Goat) because it has two-pronged peaks like horns.
I would have liked to stay for longer on the Lofoten islands, especially to do one of the whale or bird watching tours, but had to leave for Tromso.
