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- 26 Apr 2012, 1:00 PTG
- ☁️ 9 °C
- Altitud: 7 m
- NorwayNordland FylkeVåganSvolværStorøyvalen68°13’56” N 14°33’53” E
Austvågøya
26 April 2012, Norway ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
We decided to make for the ferry at Melbu rather than drive back up to the island of Vesterålen and take the tunnel to the Lofoten islands. This saved considerable driving, and allowed us a far more relaxed trip than would otherwise have been the case.
The weather was once again on our side and we were bathed in brilliant sunshine, and in the car we were actually becoming rather warm as we headed for the ferry quay on the southern tip of the island. With an eclectic mix of rock, country & western, 80s synth, classical and metal tunes pumping steadily from the stereo it was glorious to be on the road again.
The short hop on the ferry doubled as a coffee stop. As we sipped our warm drinks I found that I still hadn’t gotten over the clarity of the water.
As we drew towards the quay on the far shore, one group of rocks reminded me of ‘Tracey Island’ from Thunderbirds, because of its colours and the gorgeous blues of the water surrounding it.
Once landed we began our journey down the E10; a highway running all the way down the spine of the archipelago; each island connected to the next by tall bridges (that allow shipping to pass beneath). We drove along under a blue sky, following the road as it wound around the shore of Austvågøya, the first island in the chain of mountainous little islands.
The island is essentially a pair of peninsular 'lobes' connected by a small spit of land, so this stretch of shore is down the middle of the island. The video shows around 13minutes of journey, time-lapsed into 20seconds (available in high definition). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMN_dp_emHs
Before we knew it (time passes surprisingly fast when you are agape at your beautiful surroundings) we were in Svolvaer, one of the larger settlements on the islands. We had, for a time, been considering taking the Hurtigruten to here, taking in the legendary Troll fjord which is only accessible by sea (or climbing a few mountains). Following a “parking space safari” around town, we stopped to lunch at a picnic bench in the harbour, enjoying the tasty leftovers of the dinner and breakfast prepared the previous night in the cabin. Without any particular intention of doing so we had prepared stuff that is also tasty cold.
It was whilst wandering the harbour that the sharp (but pleasing, at least to me) contrast between the warm sunshine and cool arctic breeze became apparent. In the still air of the car, one could easily believe one’s self to be in the warmth of a Mediterranean tourist-trap. Here though stepping out into the moving air of the harbour brings a refreshing coolness (and a gentle aroma of brine).
This was also our first encounter with the perhaps somewhat eccentric (although the locals would protest at such a description) of drying fish. Great wooden racks are hung with large quantities of fish. Although the structures are skeletal, the two across the harbour from us appeared solid, so packed with fish were they. After lunch in the harbour air which carried a chill which was beginning to, if not bite, at least nibble we headed into a coffee shop. As we sat enjoying cappuccino, and musing over the peculiar Norwegian custom of serving tea in tumblers it struck me that things had really started to gel; being on adventure in interesting places with good friends.Baca lagi