Week 34 - Versterålen and Lofoten, Norway

An exciting week is behind us. After taking the ferry to Andenes in Versterålen (also known as Nord Lofoten) on Monday morning, we went directly to the whale safari in Andenes. After a short briefing, we put on the full-body floating suits and went out to the canyon with the speedboat. After a short time, a group of dolphins greeted us. They jumped and swam around our boat. And after a long wait, we finally saw a whale, a sperm whale to be precise. It chilled on the water surface for several minutes before saying goodbye in a picture-perfect way. We won't forget this experience anytime soon.

We spent the night at a parking lot near the famous beach of Bleik. White sandy beach and a Caribbean sea (not in terms of temperature;-)) surrounded by mountains look really amazing together.

On Tuesday, we continued to the Lofoten Islands. After a full day of driving, we went on our first hike on the Lofoten Islands on Wednesday: Tjeldbergtind near Svolvaer.

Info: From all the mountains, you have a great view, so I don't mention it explicitly;-)

We spent the night at a parking lot just before Henningsvaer. Julian wanted to go fishing the whole time but didn't have a fishing rod. Next to us parked a German passionate angler. When he came back to his camper in the evening with 8 codfish, we gave him a thumbs up because we were impressed by the amount. He even took the fish apart so Julian just had to fry it and eat it. So his dream of fresh fish came true after all :-)

On Thursday, Julian checked off a point from his bucket list: the Henningsvaer sports field. It is located on a plateau and is only connected to the land on one side. It became famous through a Nike commercial and has been attracting many tourists since then. Actually, it's just a sports field from the ground, but it becomes impressive from above. This is where Julian's new toy came in handy: a drone.

On the same day, we also hiked up the mountain at Henningsvaer: Festvågtind.

We had already reserved a spot with a German expat family. Alexandra welcomed us warmly and we could ask her about the emigration, her life in Norway, and the surroundings.

On Friday, we did something for the first time again: kayaking. We have often been canoeing before but never kayaking. It was a great tour with a good guide. We discovered many birds, starfish, and even a sea urchin. Since we didn't know the English word for sea urchin, we tried the English pronunciation of hedgehog, which was picked up by the others as Eagle. Naturally, there was great confusion, could it actually be that we saw an eagle and the others didn't? But we quickly cleared up this misunderstanding ;-)

After a day of hiking break, we went to Vik Beach on Saturday. Here too, there are white sandy beaches and crystal clear water. The beaches Haukland and Uttakleiv are more famous. However, the parking fee of 20 euros was too expensive for us, so we preferred a parking lot with the best view. We went on a hike to Mannen and walked back along the old coastal road. We got this tip from Alexandra and it was worth its weight in gold.

Today we hiked on Offersøykammen, instead of a view, we were greeted by a cloud hanging in the mountain. But I saw a rainbow :-) The cloud never completely disappeared, but it moved back and forth, so we could enjoy the view from everywhere in the end.

Since Finland, I have been parking and sleeping in parking lots again and again. There are 2 reasons for this: the roads are so little frequented that it doesn't bother at all, and it's quiet at night. Moreover, there are often no other roads than the main road. That's why you often can't find a place off the road. Especially in the Lofoten Islands, the mountains start right at the sea. There is absolutely no possibility to park elsewhere.