Unique Experiences in the Lofoten Islands of Norway

Friday our ship docked in Reine in the Lofoten Islands. The islands are off the coast of Norway and are connected together by bridges and ferries. We didn’t get a chance to explore the town of Reine as we had booked a bus tour of two of the islands.

After loading up on the bus, we set out for our first destination which was an old church. Along the way our guide told us a lot of information about the Lofoten Islands and the developing infrastructure that is helping to connect the various islands in this group. We viewed the islands through the window of the bus as we drove along. One thing he told us is that while Norway has many mountains, in general they are not that tall. He said that mountains in the United States were generally much taller than those of Norway.

We were frequently driving by the water. While the mountains may not be that tall, they are striking when they rise up beside the water. We crossed a number of bridges and one of them connected the two islands we were exploring today.

We finally reached the Flakstad Church. This church claims to be the second oldest church in Norway. Of course over the years the church has had a number of reconstructions and remodels. I liked the spire of the church as it had a distinctive Eastern European look to it. One of the unique aspects of the church is its red color. Many buildings are red in Norway because it was the cheapest color to make. However, churches were generally either unpainted or painted white so the red is unexpected.

The church was not open to visitors. Our guide even told us not to go inside the walls surrounding the church, but some people did anyway. We did wander around outside the church observing some nearby cliffs.

From the church we drove a short distance over to beautiful Ramberg Beach. The beach surprised me as it was a white sand beach. It was wide and formed a nice crescent shape. We walked all the way to the other side to get in some exercise. With the tall cliffs behind it and its aqua color, it seemed the beach could just as easily have been in Hawaii rather than the cold Lofoten Islands.

After our walk the tour group was provided lunch at a restaurant near the beach. The menu consisted of bread, fish soup, and dessert. After we found seats, the waitress came over and set a bowl of soup down in front of us. We were a little skeptical of the soup as we are not fish fans, but it actually wasn’t bad. It was a cream soup with quite a few vegetables in it so it really didn’t taste fishy at all. It was also pretty filling. With the good bread and tasty dessert we did just fine.

After lunch we got back on the bus and traveled some distance again through the Lofoten Islands. Along the way we passed more beautiful scenery as well as some villages along the water.

Our guide told us a bit about the next town we would stop at which was the old fishing village of Å. The village is set up as sort of a museum. We had an introduction of how the fishing activity worked in the village. It was actually dangerous work, and the fishing season for the main fish, cod, was only for a few months in the winter. That made it even more dangerous. Unfortunately the fishermen didn’t know how to swim so if they fell overboard, there was little hope for them. They lived together in the red cabins, call rorbuers, that are often seen next to the water. They were crowded in together so it wasn’t the best situation.

We arrived at the village of Å and a guide gave us an initial introduction. She explained to us the importance of cod liver oil as a product. She offered us a taste, but we declined. We could then explore on our own. We had passes to the museum, but our time was too short. Instead we checked out some other places, like the local bakery, and some other nearby buildings.

One annoying aspect of the village was the seagulls. They were on top of a couple of buildings and seemed to be nesting there. They made quite a ruckus. Occasionally they would all get loud together for no discernible reason.

From here we drove back through the Lofoten Islands again to the ship passing by more beautiful landscapes.

We arrived at the ship with no time to do any exploring of Reine. I went up on the deck and took a few pictures of the town near the water as our ship left port, but that was about it. We soon left the Lofoten Islands behind.

Late last night we crossed the Arctic Circle. Since it was late, a lot of people didn’t experience it. So this afternoon they had a ceremony to celebrate crossing the Arctic Circle. We gathered together on the top deck. Then they introduced the god from the Norwegian folklore who people would offer sacrifices to when crossing the Arctic Circle. He acted out his part well and blew a horn (the sound was actually the ship’s horn).

Then they announced the winner of a contest to guess what time we would cross the Arctic Circle. Her prize was to have ice and ice water poured on her followed by a shot of alcohol. She also got a ship’s flag, the better prize.

At this point they invited people to come and participate and receive the ice bath and alcohol shots. It surprised me how many people willingly subjected themselves to this. The Norwegian god character and a ship official dumped ice and water on all who were willing. The expressions on their faces could be pretty funny. Sometimes the best were before they even had any ice on them. At the end of the ceremony they had two young women staff members sit and be “initiated” after passing some employment landmark. The men dumped the rest of the ice on them.

The rest of the day was pretty quiet. Of course the scenery is always changing so plenty of opportunities for photos.

While today had been a bright and sunny day, tomorrow our weather is supposed to turn rainy. We will also be visiting a much bigger city. I’ll tell you all about it next week so join me then.