Today is the Lofoten Islands. Probably the most beautiful part of the voyage, only glimpsed on the trip north as it was mostly at night.
The boat has drifted all day in calm water through narrow channels, both natural and human made - one 5km stretch is dredged annually to support local communities by ensuring the ongoing visit of the Hurtigruten boat daily. Apparently at its shallowest the boat only clears the bottom by one metre - hope the driver knows where she is going! The major decision to be made is which side of the boat to view from. And how long can I stand to be outside before a warming coffee is needed.
I’ve spent the day gazing out on tiny fishing communities, surrounded by snowy mountains and vast stretches of water. Its hard to imagine more isolated communities and indeed many are dependent on ferry links for transport of people and goods. At each small port, at which we dock, there is a rapid exchange of pallets of heavens knows what - from food stuffs, to building materials, all efficiently shifted by fork lift trucks zooming in and out of the boat and nearby warehouses, in choreographed efficiency.
OK, after yesterdays rambling I am going to let the pictures do the talking today. As ever hard to capture the beauty of the place on film, and if nothing else this has persuaded me that I need to go on a photography course to learn at least how to use a digital SLR to its full potential, but I have given it a go…
More on the Lofoten Gallery page, although I admit they can get a bit “samey”.
Must be beer o’clock!