Lofoten Islands, Norway

Welcome to the Lofoten Islands, an archipelago in northern Norway above the Arctic Circle.

On our itinerary this port was listed as Lofoten Islands (Gravdal). The Lofoten Islands part was right but the Gravdal part wasn't. Today was a tender port, with the tenders dropping us off between the two villages of Leknes and Gravdal. There was a shuttle for $19.95 you could take to get to Leknes. But not Gravdal. 

Gravdal

Leknes

Thanks to the first organized tour I've taken so far I wound up visiting both from the inside of a bus. And Ballstad as well.

I only got off the bus once at the last stop but I was still able to snap plenty of photos. 

Dragestil church in Gravdal

All the road signs made me glad I wasn't doing the driving. I'd get lost for sure.

We saw lakes, beaches, and jagged mountains. 

People swimming in the 47 degree water at Haukland Beach

We again saw hillsides in so many shades of green with yellow dandelions added in for some extra color.

Can you tell this is a school building?

We also visited the fishing village of Ballstad.

Fishermen's cabins along the water

While others hiked up for a better view of the area there I used the restroom at the grocery store. And took pictures of the signs, of course.

Learn to wash your hands in Norwegian

Another bathroom sign

Having used their free restrooms I felt obliged to make a small purchase. While I didn't buy fruits or vegetables I did admire the colorful produce case.

It was a quick two hour bus trip around the area, just enough time for my first time in a crowded bus.

Ugly fish at the tender pier

Tomorrow we have a sea day and then on Thursday we'll be in Trondheim. See you there!

Honningsvag, Norway

Hello from Honningsvag, the northernmost point of our cruise.

We’re in the land of the midnight sun now. Any guesses on what time I stayed up to take this picture?

12:30! It made for a short night for sleeping because when the Captain announced a little after 6 AM we had whales on both sides of the ship, I wrapped myself like a mummy in my brown fuzzy blanket and camped out on the balcony. 

Early morning minke whale watch

I saw a ton of whales. Unlike humpbacks, these minkes didn’t travel in pods and weren’t breaching and showing off their tails. They just swam along similar to an orca, up and down, up and down. 

Once we arrived in port many passengers took tours heading to the North Cape but I stuck close to home. Since today was Sunday and most stores were closed I got my laundry done before heading off the ship around 11. I started off by going up a little slope towards the shopping area to give Scooter a chance to prove himself on hills. 

Oops, forgot the picture of the slope

Yep, closed up

He wasn't a fan of the incline (go figure) but he really wasn't a fan of all the uneven pavers. During Idaho winters we sometimes get frost heaves when the roadway buckles, bulges, or dips from the freezing weather. Here the roads themselves seemed to be smooth but when it came to the sidewalks, watch out. The changes in the pavers made the scooter go up, down, and sideways. 

What a rollercoaster of a workout to keep control

Thankfully there were other areas to explore. The marina had wooden walkways and pavers in better shape  and certainly the scenery made up for the bump-bump-bump my bum bum felt there.

I watched people hike this mountain. Wow.

There were several pieces of art made from trash found along the coastline. 

Trolls are big in Norway.

I even discovered other objects decorating spaces.

I stopped for a treat...

before I made my way back to the ship.

It was a beautiful day for exploring. I'll be back here again in August and based on today's little jaunt I've already made my plans for then.

Tomorrow a sea day then off to Gravdal in the Lofoten Islands. See you then!