To the Tengelfjorden the good weather started and we were really happy that the sun was shining and it was a bit warmer. It was a shame we did the Vesteralen experienced so rainy. But it is well known that you cannot do anything against the weather, you can only make the best of it! Our hope that it should be better in Lofoten was not disappointed.
Lofoten - tourist magnet
We drove on to the coast of the next island and found a really nice place to stay by the sea. However, this place is also very popular and therefore full. The owner of this place provides everything free of charge. A hut to shelter where you can also make a campfire outside, a table with benches, a toilet and an overnight tower for cyclists. Totally beautiful and well cared for. When we arrived it was still a bit overcast over the water and also cold and wet, but the sun came through more and more. Behind us the mountains, parked near the beach and in front of us the sea, it couldn't be better.
The next morning the sun was completely there and it was just an incredible view! In front of us the sea with a few clouds of fog and behind us the mountains that had a cloud of fog as a hat. These clouds then quickly cleared again and we enjoyed this view a little before we drove on. I was still very impressed by the overnight tower.
That was downstairs with a sliding door and when you went in, a staircase led upstairs. Upstairs there were 4 beds, which were separated by narrow wooden walls. There were windows all around and you had a great view. However, it was also quite warm and stuffy here, as the sun was shining directly on it. The possibility to stay the night is great, but I probably wouldn't.
We then stopped for lunch at a lake and ate. The journey is always beautiful between the mountains and the sea. Sometimes I can hardly hold back my admiration for nature and Basti has to keep his ears shut. We have a second stopover in Laukvik made. There is a cute fishing village here. They even had a coffee roastery here. We walked a bit along the harbor and Basti took photos of the dried fish heads.
In Svolvaer we did some shopping and filled up with fresh water. We quickly discarded the idea of staying here because it was in the middle of the industrial area and across the street from a construction site. So we drove on, it was also quite early. The next stop was then in Henningsvaer. On the way there, we drove through all of the night spots. Believe it or not, everything was full and there are not a few places !! In addition, many locals were standing there because the weather was great and everyone wanted to go to the beach. So we then stood on the parking space in front of Henningsvaer.
Since the weather was still nice, we decided to walk into town in the evening. It was really a nice place and we got great pictures too. On the way back we ate something because we didn't want to cook at 9 p.m.
Back on the square, Basti is still at the water at sunset to take photos. We did not take the well-known pictures of Henningsvaer, once from above over the small islands and the famous football field photo between the stands for drying fish from above. Basti would have had to take his drone for the soccer field and for Henningsvaer from above we would have had to go up a rather steep hill. In addition, there was no parking space on the ascent.
But the city was really nice and we were glad that we walked in that evening. In the night Finja woke us up again and so we were up early. So we went on after a coffee and on the way back to the main street all the places on the side were still full. Since we wanted to take a shower, we drove back a little to stop at a beach with showers. But we didn't have a chance here either. Everything was full and you couldn't get a single parking space. So continue our route.
We then have them Gimsoya Island circled and identified a spontaneous vantage point. How glad we were to have stopped there. At a church we stood in the parking lot, looked at the white sand and turquoise water and at the island opposite. What a view!!!
Even the locals came with chairs, cool bags and swimming gear and made themselves comfortable on the beach. After we took some photos and Basti let the drone fly, we drove on over the island.
The next vantage point was a campsite with a great view over the sea, so we didn't stop there and continued to the main road. Another stop was at a rest area, where you had a great view of the area. In Lofoten they have expanded the rest areas and turned them into sights. Just beautiful.
After a few pictures we drove on and wanted to go to the famous one Haukland Beach stop. But we didn't have a chance here either. Everything was full and we were too stingy to pay a decent parking fee for just a few photos. Since the weather is so nice and warm, the Lofoten are overrun with tourists and the Norwegians are still on vacation, it looks pretty tight with places and everything is overcrowded.
The journey continued and we landed on Nusfjord. Here we stood for the night and since it was still quite early, we finally managed to make fresh fries for ourselves. They were delicious !!
That night Finja woke us up more often and had diarrhea. So cook soup again so that it gets better. Of course we are overtired and unbalanced, but the weather should be really good again. That’s what it was all about The fishing village of Nusfjord. Since it is a very old village and the buildings have to be maintained regularly, you have to pay some kind of entrance fee. But we were happy to pay for it for such a well-preserved village.
Most of the houses are from 1870 and the workshops and fishermen's houses were in operation until around 1950. Some houses are inhabited and others still have a small business like the bakery and still others have exhibited the history of the village.
There was a picture frame with a fish in it that said: Kiss the Fish. Basti didn't want to kiss the fish and just stood next to it. After a nice round through the village and a few pictures we drove on.
On the way there was still that Ramberg Beach, but here, too, there was no chance of stopping. The way led us further Pure. What can I say, everything fully parked and no way to stop. Actually, we wanted to look at Reine and run up the stairs to take nice pictures from above. Well, it shouldn't be.
It is getting annoying to us that there are hardly any parking spaces or that overnight places are so overcrowded. Well, it is probably not the right time of year to visit Lofoten in a relaxed way. So we only stayed until after A i Lofoten to drive, the end of Lofoten, which can be reached by car.
Here we were lucky and got a parking space. The weather was still okay, sun and a bit warm. The wind wasn't that extreme anymore, so we went to see the village. You could also walk to a stretch of coast from where you could see and take photos of the end of Lofoten. Just amazing to stand here and see the end !!!
You can only hike it from here, but it would take a long time to get there too. Back at the bus, Finja first got food and we thought about where to stay. After a brief mutual deliberation, it was clear to us that we would drive back via Lofoten and not take the ferry to Bodö.
We found a place to sleep on the old E10 and spent a good night. The weather doesn't look that good anymore, cloudy and stormy. It looks like rain and so we want to drive back over the islands and spend the night at the beginning of Lofoten. On the way back we have a rest area in Eggum approached, which is located directly on the sea. Here we took a short walk after a meal break and looked at a remnant of a small German satellite station from WWII. Since it was very stormy and also rained a bit, we made our way back.
We saw a huge eagle on the mountainside circling there and holding the annoying seagulls away. He was too far away to see what kind he was, though. And since there were cars behind us too, we couldn't stop to take pictures. For this we were rewarded with a moose that grazed right on the roadside. That was great !! We had never had a moose this close before, but we couldn't stop here for pictures either.
We found a place to stay at the beginning of Lofoten, at the end of a fjord. The weather is not great, rainy and windy. We are now letting the evening fade away and will be going back to the mainland the next day. It needs washing and a hot shower wouldn't be bad either.
The Lofoten were great and since it's not all that far apart, we drove a lot. The days were a bit stressful because you kept stopping to look at something. That was of course always evident in our moods and we also grumbled at each other. But overall it was a nice time there and it is definitely worth seeing the Lofoten Islands. I would only recommend a different time, since everyone and everything seems to have been on their way here. There were also a lot of Germans here and of course it's the summer months that are overcrowded.
You can find more pictures in the Photo gallery Norway.
