Published: 13.07.2024
The night with the screeching seagulls was again quite short. But the weather promised good things, the clouds cleared up quickly. Our journey started on a lonely road towards the ferry from Fiskebøl. We leave the Lofoten Islands and arrive on the Vesterålen Islands by ferry in 25 minutes. By the way, ferries are free for cyclists and pedestrians. Great thing. Arriving in Melbu, we discover a village festival. Norwegians celebrate summer, laugh, eat, and drink. We let ourselves be infected by this atmosphere. At the local senior club (that's what we call it), there is a fish buffet. The nice gentleman explains to Anja everything there is to eat and is very generous in distributing, probably because at 51, she significantly lowers the average age at the seniors' party. Peter also benefits, but gets a bit less salmon. ;)
In the senior tent, a Norwegian band is playing. We feel very comfortable there but have to move on. A huge high bridge awaits us at Stokmarknes, where the Hurtigruten ships pass through. The wind indicator shows 8 m/s. We manage quite well. We continue on a lonely road along the fjord towards Sortland with colorful houses and flowery meadows. For the first time, the sun shines beautifully, 16 degrees. Anja is wearing short sleeves and keeps celebrating how great it feels, while Peter feels the cold wind and probably just thinks she's crazy and keeps his long shirt on. After 71 kilometers and 512 meters of elevation gain, we both see a great spot for the tent almost at the same time. We decide to end our journey for today in this idyllic place. The weather is wonderful, even Peter finally takes off his shirt and ventures his feet into the cold North Sea. (Editor's note: only his feet, because of the jellyfish and not the cold ;)) The sun, the sea, and the panorama make us stop and marvel in silence over and over again. What an incredible beauty lies before our eyes, almost a bit unreal. We cook our dinner and devour the second 200-gram Freya chocolate. Life feels very sweet at the moment, in our stomachs and on our lookout hill with a view over the North Sea and the not setting (just not) midnight sun. A soft annoying noise catches our ear repeatedly, and we immediately start waving around. The mosquitoes drive us into the tent, and shortly after midnight, with total brightness, Anja once again uses her sleep mask, not Peter. A great day with vibrant colors comes to an end - tak Norge.