Harstard on the Norwegian Island of Hinnoya was a sleepy, picturesque town with a few artistic themes going on. It was 10am on Sunday morning that we walked into town and not a soul was about. No shops or cafes open so our hopes of a nice hot coffee were dashed. The Norwegians treat Sundays as a family day and therefore there is not too much activity going on, well at least at that hour of the morning. Not sure of what the washing on the high lines between the buildings represented but it looked quite quirky and colourful.
Then we discovered the huge clothes peg lying in the main square.
Also bales of waste plastic had been bundled and put on display. Sending a message I would guess.
The next place of interest was the sail into the Trollfjorden, a 2 km long fjord between The Lofoten Islands and the Vesteralen Archapalago. With its dark steep mountain sides, the Trollfjord is really exotic and spectacular. The entrance is only 100 metres wide while the mountains rise 600 to 1100 metres high.
Yes its that narrow entrance that we were about to sail through. It looks so narrow and we wondered how our ship could ever squeeze through. Its moments like this that make me a little nervous.
This was taken from the Ships forward camera as we sailed towards the narrowest part.
From our apartment we felt like we could almost touch the sides.
The rock formations were amazing.
The Captain told us to speak quietly so as not to wake the sleeping Trolls and we should look out for spotting at least a couple!!! My imagination doesn't usually stretch to that kind of fantasy, But, just maybe, I might have been on to one in this photo above, with its two large eyes, nose and cheeks and the pinkish teeth along the bottom.!!!!!
That evening as we sailed out we were treated to a beautiful rainbow.
Svolvaeageita is a 150 metre tall pinnacle of granite on the island of Austvagoya. Those of exceptional skill and fitness find ways to traverse from one rock to the other often involving a bike. These photos were taken from pictures in a Sports Shop window.
A delightful little flower plant at a shop entrance. It looked like a tiny orchard.
The town of Svolvaer, the Capital of the Lofoten Islands.
The Boy found 'his kind of shop' with a luxurious chair for those who are happy to wait while treating themselves to coffee and a sweet treat. Actually a very nice gesture. Wish there were more around.
A fish drying rack in Bronnoysund. The Norwegians use a lot of dried fish for various dishes. We tried it but its very salty and fishy.
The fish heads are used for stock.
The tiny town of Reine. We had a very beautiful sail in with the weather being very dark and misty. Only there for three hours and because it was raining we didn't get off the ship but enjoyed the view instead.
The view from our table in a restaurant in Bronnoysund where we watched the sun set behind the storm clouds. We have seen many beautiful sunsets in Norway.
This morning we visited the Fosen Ship Building Yard where the Ship we are travelling in was built. Many of the original workers who worked on the ship were there to greet us and provided us with a talk about the building of the vessel . Unfortunately there were no ships being built or refurbished there at present but they have other sea related projects being built including these huge salmon rearing tanks. They consist of almost 10,000 square feet of rounded wall panels with a smooth inside surface which help prevent bacteria and helps maintain the health of the fish while also protecting them from sea lice. The tanks will be towed out to the fjord and lowered into the sea. Each tank will hold around 500,000 salmon which is more than the total of wild salmon that go up the rivers to spawn in Norway.
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