Welcome to the Lofoten Islands leg of our trip! While getting to Leknes Airport was an unfortunate adventure in and of itself, I know we would both do it again.
I’ll spare you the details and say that the highlight of this travel day was laughing at the tire track art Rach made when we spent 20 minutes trying to find a parking spot for the night. Oh, and Rachel getting an email saying that her musical theater season would include a “dark revival” of Oklahoma…which would include serving chili to guests during intermission. Were we delirious or was it really that funny?
So, two flight delays, a broken suitcase wheel, a rental car pickup past operating hours, and an hour drive in pitch-black darkness later, we made it to our hotel - the famous red fisherman's cabins that appear in every top photo of Lofoten, Eliassen Rorbuer in Hamnøy.
Also, no Northern Lights yet.
All of this was remedied the next morning when we walked to the car and found a breathtaking view of Festhelltinden waiting for us. The visibility from the night drive was near none so we were absolutely stunned. Not only that, but the sky in this area of Norway was always a beautiful combination of pastel blues and pinks which gave all the landscapes a dreamy aura. If that doesn’t make you want to start planning your trip pronto, imagine that sky reflecting off the water surrounding you as well.
Our main destination for the day was a little village at the southernmost tip of the E10 highway, Å. Quick pro tip: when traveling in the winter, be prepared for things to be closed (commence flashback of the closed ‘Do-Re-Mi’ steps in Salzburg 2017), including the bakery that you planned on grabbing breakfast at. Luckily we had a Plan B!
Once we finished exploring Å, we decided to stop at a café called Bringen located in Reine. The best part about this stop is that we had actually pulled over on the way to Å to photograph this village from above because of how beautiful it looked! Bringen was a cute and quirky coffee shop that we 100% recommend. We got our oat milk lattes and decided to go with cake for breakfast because why not?
After we were done exploring Reine, we stopped for lunch at Anita’s Seafood where you can find the “best fish burger in the world” according to many travelers. I’ll admit, I was very impressed and seafood is my jam!
Our last two stops of the day were Rambergstranda and Flakstad. Rambergstranda is located on Jusnesvika Bay and is known for its azure water and majestic peaks which make for another stunning view. You may also have come upon it because of a little red hut which is famous on its own. As the sun began to set, we hurried to the village of Flakstad. There, we explored a little around the Flakstad Church which was built around 1780 making it the second oldest church on the Lofoten Islands. The church also has a framed handwritten list inside with the names of 147 fishermen that never returned from the sea between 1800 and 1950. The rest of the village was very picturesque so we pulled over in a couple of spots to snap a few photos before heading back for the night.
Looking back, we cut a lot of stops and plans out of this day but it is so much more relaxing and enjoyable to travel at your own pace and not feel rushed. If we ever go back to this area in the summertime, however, you can bet that you will see us hitting up all of the hiking trails!
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