Lofoten Islands, NORWAY

I am on top of the world and basking in the midnite sun...or midnite drizzle... most of the time.

Greetings from the fishing village of Å (pronounced O), at the southern end of Moskenes island of the Lofoten Islands, about 500km north of the Arctic Circle, Norway.....4 hours by ferry from Bodø, northern Norway. While still a longish hike to the North Pole, there is not too much land between me and the North Pole and certainly the furthest north I have even been! It is summer, which means 24 hours of daylight and 25 hours of SUNlight....WHEN there are no clouds and rain and fog and drizzle. While this is their driest season, I am "blessed" with drizzle almost 20 hours per day with a temperature of about 8-15 Celsius. I am well prepared with this weather so I am staying warm and dry and having the time of my life!

Several small fishing villages are scattered around these islands (some abandoned since the 50's) living mainly on dried cod fish exports to Italy and Portugal. However, most land area are uninhabited due to the very high snow covered mountains, with literally thousands of waterfalls across the magnificent fjords cascading into the turquoise streams and rivers. Indeed a good time of the year to visit as the snow is melting in the warming sun (lots of snow on the mountains never melt). Most people on these islands are fishermen and live in small red painted Rorbu (Fisherman's Cabins) at the foot of the mountains. No less than 2.5 million nesting birds make Lofoten Islands a bird watcher's and photographer's paradise (ganettes, cormorants, puffins, sea eagles, etc).

I have done a lot of hiking and cycling around the lakes and mountains and truly enjoyed this PURE experience. Also took a boat trip around the Kjerk fjords north of the villages of Reine...absolutely breath taking!

I must return one day soon!