What a magical place!
We were lucky enough to book a trip during the summer solstice and sat out on deck of our ferry, in the sun, at midnight. Hilarious. Of course, time does not indicate light hours in northern Norway.
We took a train from Hamar to Trondheim. Another train up to Bodo, and from there, a ferry out to Moskenes , part of the archipelago of Lofoten. If it sounds a lot, its worth it. Norway is simply gorgeous to travel through.
The only problem we had to face was not wanting to close our eyes in case we missed something. Considering its about 30 hours of traveling time, and the sun is always, literally, shining, we had to force ourselves to at least try to close our eyes.
The train driver announced when we crossed over into the arctic circle. The landscape was barren, and there was patches of snow on the ground. I began to be afraid, that even in the middle of summer, it was going to be too cold for me.
Once in Bodo, it was no trouble finding the ferry over to the Moskenes. It took approximately 4 hours to get there. It was part of the highlight of the trip. There were hardly any clouds in the sky. It was just past midnight, the sun was above the horizon, and for the entire trip to our cabin, it was a continual sunset/sunrise. It was just glorious to be bathed in golden light for so long, with the freshest air brisk in my face and the glowing, luminous waters in all directions.
One of the most memorable times in my life.
I was already thrilled by the time we arrived. And then the tiny village the ferry docked in! Did I say Norway was beautiful?
Let me just direct you to some photos, so you can see for yourself. There are plenty more where they came from. You could just point your camera and truly you couldn’t go wrong.
Two more highlights I must mention to be fair to our trip.
We woke and lived according to how we felt, so we didn’t live by the clock at all (unless just to check the time of the local super market). We woke one night and in full light, at 1 in the morning, went for a 5 hour hike into the mountains. I just loved it.
Secondly, we walked from our little village to Reine. Nothing could prepare me for the dramatic sight. Sharp mountain peaks, darkest grey, surrounded by still water, and nestled in close to the base, the cutest, most charming little village you can imagine. Of course, it was our first impression. We did walk in to the town, and errr, I must admit I saw a few curtains twitch as we walked by. A small town it was, no doubt about that. But what a setting.
In all its one of my most favourite and striking destinations so far. Highly recommended!!!
P S – be aware that the smell of cod is rather prevalent…
