Today I visited Svolvær, a small town with large, jagged mountains erupting around it similar to other picturesque places in Lofoten.
Apparently, the largest cod come from here, and rows upon rows of fish-drying racks make that obvious. I guess winter has the “smell of money,” as the locals say.
Sailing into the harbour, a statue of a fisherman’s wife looking out to sea stood at the end of a peninsula. Fiskerkona is a tribute to all the wives whose husbands were lost to the sea.
I looked up past the town to a protruding mountain with two spires. This famous landmark is called Svolværgeita because it resembles a goat with two horns. Apparently, a lot of tourists flock here to hike up the 356-metre ascent and then jump 1.5 metres from horn to horn. Yesterday’s steep bike ride was enough risk-taking for me, so nei takk!
I walked around town and noticed Tyttebær growing everywhere. I’ve been enjoying these as a garnish on a lot of my gourmet food here on the ship.
There isn’t a lot to this town, but I enjoyed exploring around and speaking Norwegian. I even stumbled into a place called Ice Bar, where you can don a big, furry cloak, walk into a cold ice bar, have a hot or cold drink, and get your picture taken. I said, “No thanks. I can do this at home in Canada for free.”
Before I boarded the ship, I paid a visit to the local war museum. This small venue hosts the largest collection of war uniforms in Norway.
It was well done and there was a lot to take in. Although there was too much Nazi content for my liking, along with a couple of very depressing Holocaust pyjamas, the museum was definitely worth visiting overall.
I was supposed to go out on a fishing boat today, but the winds were too high, so my trip was cancelled. Apparently, I’ll be waking up to some huge swells in the morning—good times!
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