The Lofoten, part 2

Whereas the first part was already breathtaking, let’s hop into the second part of our trip in The Lofoten.

The silent Trollfjord cruise

Well, this started quite fun because since we booked the tour only one day in advance we received a message that our registration wasn’t confirmed yet. We had to drive from Henningsvaer to Svolvær (around 30 minutes) and be there at 9:45. Even the morning itself, nothing was confirmed… I called the booking company several times but no one picked up… We just decided to go there, show up, smile and tell them we booked the tour. Gladly, it all worked out and we could join!

The people were (again) super nice and gave a lot of information. We saw several eagles and got the chills from now and then. However, the view from the inside wasn’t bad either + they had delicious freshly baked cinnamon buns as well. So, breakfast was served 👍🏼.

Driving from Svolvær to accommodation three

After the tour, we had lunch in Svolvær at Kaffeebrenneri Brent and drove back from Svolvær to our next and last accommodation in Reine. It was an two hour drive, the longest we had until now. With the Spotify list “songs to sing in the car” time went fast and around six we arrived at the accommodation.

A lovely girl welcomed me at the reception while Megan stayed in the car. She took me to our apartment, which was eventually a studio. I kindly asked her whether she had other apartments available… To be honest, our other accommodations were all cute and cosy, but so tiny and we were very much into a sort of living room vibe. She told me that there was one apartment left and because it is low season, we could stay here and have an upgrade. Not gonna say no to that 😆. Well, be prepared because this view is unbelievable beautiful…

And then, while eating our homemade Indian Curry for dinner, it just hit me… emotionally. The trip has been such a dream, this place is so utterly beautiful and serene, and from one moment to the other I broke into tears. Happy tears. I am just so grateful that this is all possible. Besides, that I can experience this with one of my best friend is just… Gosh, happy tears again…

Hike to the Reinebringen

Tuesday was going to be the sunniest day, so we decided to hike the Reinebringen then. It is one of the most populair hikes in The Lofoten and of course we couldn’t miss out.

This time, finding the start of the trial was much easier. Probably because the trial is just almost 2000 stairs. You cannot get lost for sure, that’s a good thing!

Besides Megan having some difficulties with her breathing, we made it save and sound to the summit and gosh, yeah it was insane. So, again, be prepared!! We have tried to explain the feeling in words to our families, but it is just not possible. About the trial, again, definitely NOT for all ages and for people with bad knees it’s a no go for sure in my opinion.

It was quite cold and windy up there, so after we both ate an apple and had another look at the view, we started our way down. On the picture below, you can see how steep the way was. In total, it took us two hours to go up and down.

No before picture this time, but we have got the after. The girls made it!

Waterfalls everywhere

Wednesday was rainy, very rain, and cloudy. But honestly, it wasn’t a bad day at all (even with rain The Lofoten is magical)! After we ate our breakfast, we jumped in the car to drive to Nushfjord. It was a 40 minutes drive and because of the rain, there were just waterfalls everywhere.

Pretty amazing if you ask me!! We walked a little around in Nushfjord, drank something at Karoline’s Restaurant (although on the menu was written Nushfjord Artic Resort, great lunch/dinner menu by the way!!) and spontaneously walked into a gallery. Would have loved to take one home 😆.

We ended our day with an amazing dinner at Gadus (reserve beforehand), a small Italian (fish) restaurant in Hamnøya. We played more Keep op Keer (it’s 7-7 😏) and walked back home with our tummy’s full. Good to say that there aren’t many pavements around in The Lofoten. Still, since we were sometimes also spending a lot of time in the car, we wanted to stretch our legs and walk around. Just be careful 😉.

Typical of The Lofoten

From the moment we arrived in The Lofoten, we saw these wooden racks in every town (picture below). Some got more than the others, but you will see them everywhere. In the beginning we thought they weren’t in use anymore, but a local woman told us otherwise.

So, to give you some inside historical information (yes, we did our best to dive into The Lofoten culture). The wooden racks are used to dry the fish. There are two types of fishes they hang on. Both dry from January/February until June. In the beginning, we were thinking that maybe the seagulls would eat the fish, but the woman told us that there is already so much fresh fish around + since it isn’t fresh, the seagulls leave it. To be honest, we cannot really imagine buying/eating this…

When you buy the fish you can keep it like this for a maximum of 2 years and when you decide to eat it, you have to cook it. The fish from the left picture for two days and change the water every now and then, and the fish from the right picture, seven days. That is because that fish is salted. They even made snacks of the fish which you can just eat. How interesting right! But still not convinced though 😆. We decided to just have “normal” fish and had lunch at Anita’s Seafood in Reine. Incredibly delicious, lovely people and an amazing view! Just make sure you come on an empty stomach though.

The end of this memorable trip

I can say a lot about it, but I don’t feel like I have to. From the start in Bergen to the end of our last visit to the cute bakery in Bodø before flying back home, everything was just how we liked it. It by far exceeded our expectations. We saw so much in 8 days, had good conversations, enjoyed the silence as well, read books, walked up mountains, ate enough Cinnamon Buns… We literally just lived and enjoyed life, and sharing this with Megan has been a blessed!

Plus, if you are ever doubting about going or you have got questions, please send me a message. I will help you!

With love, Isabelle.

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