This July we vacationed with my cousin and her husband in Iceland and Norway. After a few days in Iceland, we headed to Norway, specifically to the Lofoten Islands, located way up North inside the Arctic Circle. The weather is surprisingly mild thanks to the near by Gulfstream. A fun, adventurous place, Lofoten is beautiful. Think picturesque fishing cabins over the water, mountains rising from the sea and endless daylight.
It took all day Saturday to get us there. We grabbed some dinner nearby the EVE airport. Surprisingly good considering our limited options. We had about a three hour drive to our Air BNB but the ride was a beautiful taste of the impressive vistas that awaited us.
People can wild camp in Norway anywhere as long as it is a certain number of feet from a house. So always be aware of your surroundings and people crossing roads etc. It was high tourist season but I do not feel like it was unbearably crowded.
We stopped at a grocery to grab a few essentials and all the gummy candy we wanted. Almost every grocery store has a by weight candy section with the most interesting gummies. Alyssa loved the fizzy bottles and I loved the strawberry dream and sour fruit by the foot. Reliving our childhood we also got candy necklaces. Another overseas favorite is to try different flavor potato chips. I think my favorite basically translates to a hint of wild garlic.
We tucked onto our cabin for the night.
Sunday, we headed into Henningsvaer. We wandered around the shops and town. We walked to the lighthouse after grabbing lunch at a cafe. So good we ate here three times. Get the shrimp sandwich, the garlic aoli makes it. Ryan and I were worn out so we stayed tucked in the Air BNB while Alyssa and Ian went for a hike. Ian made fish tacos for dinner, one of my favorite meals.
The next day our on private chef, Ian made eggs and yummy breakfast potatoes. We celebrated my very merry unbirthday with snorkeling the Arctic Circle. We wore drysuits which proved difficult to actually swim while wearing. It was beautiful. Kelp, a lobster, fish, a starfish, some crabs and jellies. After we grabbed a shrimp sandwich and headed to meander the islands.
The longest Viking long house was found in the area. The Viking museum was interesting and I highly recommend it! The museum has artifacts from the area and informational videos about the culture. They have built a replica of the long house as well as marked the archeological site of the original. We were able to grab the last ride of the day on the Viking ship replica. Pizza was the dinner of choice. Because the sun never sets it makes eating tricky. We adventured well into the night and you feel like the shops should still be open but they close at normal clock time not sun time.
Alyssa and Ian went to chase the midnight sun, luckily they came back to get us. The Midnight sun was beautiful. There really are not words to describe it.
Tuesday, we meandered around the islands more. Stopping at a few beaches, glass art shop, and had fish burgers for dinner. Lofoten Gardsysteri was a farm selling cheeses and sausage. We snacked on the cheeses throughout the day. We are always on the look out for unique souvenirs. Glasshytta was just the place. Handmade glass art from Lofoten.
We explored villages throughout the islands. They are picturesque and charming. Rambergstranda is a beach we stopped at, as well as Sagsanden Beach. One thing I love about Norway is the abundance of roadside wash closets, very convenient.
We stopped at Nusfjord, a typically fishing village. You can rent the cabins here to stay in. Walked around the fishing village and then hiked up the hill above the parking lot for the view.
We had Anita’s for dinner. Delicious fish burgers with a view. They also have food items including Gardsysteri cheese if looking for some gifts
A is the end of the road, literally. We walked around the village wishing we had more days to explore the museums. Wondered out to the point where we could see Vaeroy Island across the water.
On the way back home, while driving on a cliff above the ocean, Alyssa spotted a black fin. Ian and I also spotted one after she saw it. We finally after traveling through two tunnels and discussing with our husbands about whether they would still be there, we found a turn around point. I spotted a baby fin on our way back by. We parked at a pull off and ran like crazy fools down the side of the road at 1130 pm. We watched a pod of Ocras feed for about 45 minutes. We followed them up the coast line past our car and kept thinking is this really happening. Ocras are not seen in Norway during the summer months but somehow we got lucky. What an incredible once in a lifetime experience. That one wont be easily topped.
We stopped to chase the sun on the way home. It was a spectacular one.
Our final full day we took a boat tour to Trollfjorden. Along the way we saw a few Sea Eagles, the export spot for the dried cod, a salmon farm, beautiful blue and turquoise waters. Afterwards we got ice cream. From Lofoten Links and we hiked, Gimsoy, near our sunset spot. It appeared easy but like most things in the area it required some scrambling upward. Ian made us fish tacos again for dinner.
On Thursday morning Alyssa and I took an early morning polar plunge in Rorvikstranda. It was chilly but I think what I was imagining before we did it was worse. Based on Google we guestimate the water was around 52 degrees and the air 54 degrees. Alyssa and Ian drove us to the ferry. We began our travels home, going through Iceland to spend the night before heading back to America the next day.
We love Iceland, if you missed my blog post on the first portion of our trip take a look. Lofoten was beautiful and I highly recommend it.
Have you been to Iceland or Norway? What is on your ultimate destination list? I can not wait to visit Germany around Christmas.
Happy Travels and Safe Adventures!
The Barefoot Mermaid 
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