After 12 hours of hugely uncomfortable but uneventful plane travel we arrived in Bodo, the small city from which all ferries leave to Lofoten, the small island that took my heart away a little more than one year ago. The airport of Bodo is small, my favorite kind. Within minutes we collected our luggage and were out the door, on a bus and heading into town to catch a 3 hour ferry. We were starved and the kid’s exhaustion from all night travel was setting in and raising its ugly head in the form of whining, crying, fighting and refusing to move any farther until food was supplied. We dragged our feet and luggage to a restaurant on the main drag and had mediocre pizza and salad. After plane food and a terrible night, they will eat anything.
We hop on the 3:00 ferry but just after we board we realize that it’s the wrong one so screaming we sprint off and board the ferry that is next to ours. Once we get on the ferry it does not take long for us to settle in. Lorenzo falls asleep while Valentina and Luca listen quietly to their IPODS. I read a bit then discover that the ferry has internet and I catch up on some emails. Soon sleep overtakes me too and I let it. We arrive in Moskennes at 7:00 and our local guides Kirk and Roger are waiting to take us to our red rorbur overlooking the sea. Rorbu are a typical accommodation in Lofoten. The rorbu, literally meaning “row house” are cabins, once used by local fishermen, are simply restored and idyllically located between the fish landing station, quayside buildings, fish racks and other traditional, local buildings. Here, everywhere in Lofoten, you have the sea on one side, and the the spectacular Lofoten mountains on the other.
We drop off our luggage and walk to a Marem, a small, cozy restaurant overlooking the sea. The choices are limited, the prices are high but the dishes are flavourful. Luckily our waitress was Italian and could translate the Norwegian only menu. Mauro and I had a delicate Haddock steak with mustard sauce. The kids enjoyed very large burgers on thick, hearty locally baked rolls. After dinner we strolled back to our cabin and tried to settle down. Between the bright Northern lights, jet lag and general excitement over our new abode, no one fell asleep until at least 2:00 AM.
The next day we let the kids sleep in until 12:00 giving me some time to catch up on organizing months of photographs. It will take me most of the summer to work on this project during travel downtime but its gotta get done. By late afternoon we were on our way to Reine, Sandro’s base of operation. We tried out our bikes, enjoyed waffles and a bit of metalworking with the local blacksmith. Then, for the highlight of the day, we took an hour kayak trip with Kirk into the bay at the beginning of the Fiord. The water was glass like making the rowing easy. Luca, who took a six-week kayak and swim course at the Boys and Girls club rowed like an old pro. I watched in awe at all of us in this beautiful place so far from home. What a spectacular place.
After kayaking it was back to our rorbu and to dinner in the town of A (yes the name of this town is one letter, but pronounced “O”) where Ghana and Uruguay were playing a semi final round of the world cup. Ghana lost. Some were crushed. Others were not. That’s the way it goes in World Cup competition; At the same time, a bike race about to take off from the restaurant. The annual race called Insominia, leaves at 11:00 and cover 250 KM across Lofoten and cyclists ride throughout the night. Not a huge field of riders but tightly dressed in warm layers and ready for a “night” ride under the midnight sun. We walk home and for the second night we are buzzed from the bright lights and energy from the day. Kids rest reluctantly but thanks to audio tapes slumber overcomes all.
We wake to a gorgeous morning of pure sunshine. We head to the other side of the island to meet the Pohl family—Jim, Joyce, Angie and Devin who we will share our week here in Lofoten. Meeting them face to face after many emails and phone calls is a treat particularly when I discover they have been loyal fans and have been collecting our annual Ciclismo Classico brochure AND saving it on top of their refrigerator since 1990, when I illustrated all the places we went to rather than use photographs. Now that makes me smile.
Our hotel, the Nyvågar Rorbuhotell is set into a quiet bay stunningly simple and lovely, a renovated grouping of boat houses overlooking a quiet bay and stunning mountains. Open your door and you are on a dock. Take five steps and you’re in the water. My kids love it and do not want to leave. Valentina settles in as if she has been there for weeks, Lorenzo learns that dock biking can be fun.
The Nyvågar Rorbuhotell is a rorbu cabin hotel built on the foundations of the medieval town of Vågar, the first town community of North Norway. This area still retains some of the atmosphere of old. Here you can experience Lofoten Museum, which is built around one of Lofoten’s largest and best preserved village owner houses, as well as Galleri Espolin and Lofoten Aquarium. Life at Nyvågar is oriented towards the sea, and the spacious fisherman’s cabins are of a high standard with a high level of comfort. I love our rorbu cabins built on two levels, decorated in light colors.
We meet to review the trip, have a snack and take a warm up ride on our bikes to Svolvar and back. The light is stunning as it whirls in and out of the clouds. In Svolvar the kids are doing wheelies in the main square and bouncing over steps while parents savor a large latte and some salty peanuts. The attempt to do a wheelie becomes a theme throughout the trip. There’s lots of excitement and chatting as we pedal home to our rorbu cabin on the sun filled dock. Sharing a love of travel, food, adventure, fun and bicycling, our families are instantly compatible. It’s going to be a great week! Our dinner that evening is consistent with our accommodations, elegant yet simple: Fish mussle soup with salmon. Halibut with a bit of black caviar. Baked potato. For desert Panna Cotta. The basic description does not do justice to how the delicate flavors coated our palate. The dining room décor is rustic and cozy with old photographs and artefacts from Lofoten life a sea filling the room. The meal was a
Day 2:
Happy 4th of July! We wake up to a drizzling rain which allows us to try out all our new rain gear! We get off to a slow start with Kirk in the lead and the kids following him like a Pied Piper. We ride along a bike trail that parallels the main road. We are surrounded by lush mountain walls of green. The rain tapers off as we approach a 200m tunnel but rather than ride through it we take the gravel trail that goes over the mountain. It’s mostly hard packed but with enough loose rocks and incline that Luca reaches the top crying “ I am going to die.” Fully surviving he reaches the top to his cheering squad of Lorenzo, Valentina and Joyce. His tears dry and his confidence booms.
We take a group photo with the hazy mountains and sea behind us and head down the other side. I teach Luca and Angie not to sit on their bottoms but to lift their bodies and let the bike roll over the rocks. At the bottom we bike to the sea and a lovely sand and rock beach where the kids play, climb and collect shells until our snack of—cheese, nuts, crackers, hot chocolate, sliced banana, chips and sliced carrots—are ready.
Fueled we ride the last 10 KM spectacular zig zagging miles along the sea and over two arched bridges to Henningsvar, the largest fishing village in the Lofoten. Gorgeous coastal
Twisting through sidestreets we arrive at our hotel, the Finnholmen Brygge and walk upstairs to the dining room and common area that’s warm and lined with long wooden tables where the kids have already made themselves comfortable. We relax, award them orange fanta for their hard work then ride back into town to search for lunch. We find the perfect spot, the Henningsvar Climbers Café, run by the NorthNorwegian School of Mountaineering www.nordnorskklatreskole.no. We know it’s got to be good because we find our guides there sipping a beer. The smell of hot soup, savory sauces fill the warm air. We order lasagne, pasta carbonara and a salad with chicken which we split and is plenty for all of us. A local beer on tap washes it all down just right.
We continue wandering around this charming fishing village by bike including side trips along docks, around boats and into galleries based out of musty smelling old barns filled with hand made wool hats, scarves and mittens and seafaring stuff from long ago. The rain picks up again and we head back for hot showers and some downtime before dinner. It’s July 4th and like most years we are celebrating where no one else does so we have a humble toast to our great country and dig into our fresh fish soup. No chance of Fireworks here—it never gets dark!
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