Day 4: Surfing Lofoten

on December 22, 2019

This morning was the first in a long time where we didn’t have to set an alarm to be somewhere. It’s the shortest day, so there was no sign of any light, and no sign of any Grady until well after 6am – unheard of!

The wind had picked up and the clouds covered the sky, so we rugged up ready for our hike through the snow. Our guide, Odd, arrived to tell us that there wasn’t enough snow yet for snowshoes so we’d explore the region and find a hike somewhere.

Odd is a born and bred Lofoten local. He’s a graphic artist who serves in the National Guard. He’s clearly got a sense of adventure, and is passionate about sea kayaking, nature, the social issues that are impacting our world, and the local area. We hopped in the car and spent the day exploring his favourite spots learning about the area and the history. He was the perfect guide for us.

We paused at the local Viking Museum. It was closed for the day, but we could access the site and look around the reconstructed ‘longhouse’ where the King would have lived. It’s architecture that is geared to the environment!

The Vikings settled throughout the islands. There were the warriors, but the majority were fishermen, hunters, and labourers. Odd shared how the King didn’t have absolute power, and they settled everything as a group. This was quite different to the other ruling parties around the world at the time. He also shared how many words in the English language came from the Vikings, including ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’. Who knew?

Our drive was primarily on Vestvågøy island where people have lived for about 10,000 years. Many mountain roads were replaced by tunnels in the 70s, so we enjoyed the ‘wow’ of the view as we’d emerge. The contrast of the different landscapes was amazing – mountains, plains, farm land, marsh, and lakes.

Odd took us to one of his favourite spots – the surf beach at Unstad. Walking on the snowy frozen sand was a bit different to the dash required on a Queensland beach! The waves were small, and a few people were out trying to catch what they could. The water was comparatively warm… about 3-4 degrees, compared to an outside temp of -1. I’d still need some serious convincing to get in! As we left Unstad we stopped in at a local goat cheese maker. They have restored one of the ~100 year old homes, complete with a turf roof. The style of newer houses in the area remains similar – simple and functional.

In years gone by, a single light would be lit in the kitchen window to help the fishermen to find their way home. The tradition continues today, and while many houses have Christmas lights, they are mainly only white stars in the windows, and maybe some white lights around the eaves and nicely understated.

We couldn’t leave without sampling the cheese – a blue, cow & goat blend, cumin, brie, and seaweed. We also tried the local dried stockfish. It’s an acquired taste and texture!We continued around the island, making the most of the fading light. Today is the Winter Solstice, so the light is really precious! Again, the diversity of the landscapes of the area is amazing, and apparently even more so in Summer. So in the end, today was proof that sometimes things that you don’t expect turn out to be better than your original plans. Exploring the islands and learning so much about the place from someone who had a similar outlook was a huge bonus!