Arctic Circle Expedition – Day 10 – Leknes/Lofoten Islands!

Sunday Aug 13, 2023

Hi All! Well today we are docked in the town of Leknes, on the island of Vestvagoy within the Lofoten Island chain. The day started out really cloudy and overcast and I thought, “shoot, did our good weather luck run out?”  But as soon as we got on the bus for our excursion and got about 5 miles away from the port, the clouds cleared, the sun came out and it was a beautiful day! The good weather streak continues!!

So we had a cool excursion today. We drove along one of the most scenic drives in all of Norway that connects some of the Lofoten islands. It’s called the Lofot Road and goes past craggy alpine peaks, breathtaking ocean views and cute little fishing hamlets. 

But our first stop was to a very unique place in the town of Svolvaer. It was called “Magic Ice” and it was an Ice Bar! Yep, an entire bar made of ice!! They gave us these heavy duty capes to keep us warm. It was a really fun and unique experience. And I had worn shorts so my legs were a bit chilly! Lol. 

Then we went to this picturesque, little fishing village named Henningsvaer. The light and beauty of the surrounding area has drawn generations of artists to this area. It is also a place that is still dedicated to cod fishing and there are large wooden cod drying racks all over town. Cod fishing season ended in June so the racks were all empty but they shared an interesting tidbit of what they do to keep all the birds away. For the first two weeks when the cod fish are fresh and drying in the racks they cover them with a heavy net so the birds can’t get to them. Then after two weeks the birds no longer care for the fish so they can take the nets off and let them dry fully. Crazy! 

We then came back and had a nice dinner. The food theme was Arabic and it was really good. We finished the night off listening to Chase on the piano. 

Tomorrow is a sea day but we cruise thru an area they call the “Inside Passage”. If it’s even half as pretty as Alaska’s Inside Passage we should be in for a real treat! Hope everyone had a great weekend!