notes from norway 2

A day has passed. A simple day! One with a bit of hiking, a bit of rain, and my beloved: fiskesuppe. 

We took a slower morning after the marathon two days — honestly, it was feeling more trio than vacation. I had a bit too much instant coffee and somehow declined to have any breakfast. 

Which was fine! Since our eyes were feasting the entire trip to Hamnøy. The rolling highway was coupled with the grand and powerful cliff faces falling straight into the ocean, with small peaceful islands dotting the straits. Careful, sloping bridges connect each island, sloping down into tunnels which emerge into beautiful small fishing villages filled with red rorbuers — like Hamnøy!

This is one of the most famous views Lofoten has to offer! Fun fact the rorbuers are the small fishing dorms that fishermen used to sleep in. Obviously today they are being used as hotels, but it’s still quite beautiful. Part of the reason they are all red is that it was the cheapest paint to use! So fun. 

We had another fiskesuppe — this time at the fairly renowned Anita’s Sjømat (seafood). We had an abundance of seafood and my cod patty burger even had shrimp and smoked salmon on it. Crazyyyy!

It’s housed in one of those cute little yellow buildings, the historical significance of which I’m not quite sure. But the food was great and they had this crazy fish skeleton chandelier!

After our delicious fishy meal we drove out and started our big attraction of the day: the Reinebringen hike. Three miles, with 1,700 feet of elevation gain. No gentle uphills. Just some stairs!

Hiking up was honestly pure hell as we had both packed way too much clothing. I thought I’d at least wear my thin layer but ended up with just my t shirt. Mid-hike I also started to doubt my choice of hiking pants as opposed to a more airy pair of shorts. The more you learn. 

At last, we reached the top. There’s an option to continue further but it would require walking on a ridge — I would only do that with esteemed subscriber Stephen Davis around. We were rewarded with a beautiful view of Reine with small red rorbuers dotting the islands below. With the cold breeze and the epic clouds rolling in, it felt like the culmination of the trip: land, sea, and unpredictable weather. 

The way down was thankfully a bit more uneventful, but by the time we reached the car the rain started rolling in. There was nothing left to do except buy a spork at the local outdoor shop, pick up some groceries and head to the cute little AirBnB and make some mackerel spaghetti. Not my finest work but it got the job done. 

Another day down! Time to rest a bit tomorrow and wait out the rain before hitting one final hike on Friday!