Happy New Year!!

After being knocked down by fever for four days in a row I was outside a few minutes just to see the fireworks.

Ballstadøya in my heart

One can discern Skottinden back there.

Empty wooden racks.

Fishing boat.

Sunken fishing boat...

My place from another view.

Colorful flags.

Reinforcement before fishing season.

My jetty.

After work I went home and THE WORLD IS SO BEAUTIFUL. I had to take a walk around my neighbourhood. There is a sunken fishing boat and the fish receiving place lies deserted. Wooden racks are empty but in approximately one month the fishing season starts and there will be more life here in Hattvika. Today when Andreas told me he was going for a late christmas breakfast with his family, then I thought about mine and I miss them a little bit today...probably since I know that almost everyone else is with their families and loved ones. But I did have a skype session with Rebecca over in New York. So I'm good.

Svolvær

We had breakfast and watched Olav while Øystein drove Marianne to work and we waited for the shops to open. I bought new gaiters and a pair of new climbing shoes since my old ones are really worn by now. We also had to get some samples of the new local beer from the micro brewery. Andreas also had some gifts to buy for christmas and then we stopped by his parents and they offered lunch so we stayed a while. Then we went to the neighbours (friends of Andreas) and we had some coffee and norwegian white christmas cookies. I didn't know it at first but their dad was Kjell Ove Storvik, photographer which has a lot of experience from polar expeditions so he showed some pictures and we had a look at his rifle, the kind you need for protection against polar bears. He said it was a light one but I thought it was heavy (but then I never held a firearm in my entire life). That was interesting but finally we headed home to Vestvågøy because tomorrow is work day!

Svolvær.

Svolvær.

Andreas and Marianne.

The taste of raw nature.

Blåtind in Vågan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Some pictures taken by A Christiansen.)

We found an interesting snow chute and headed up to the summit of Blåtind. When we came down we went home to Andreas sister, Øystein and little Olav. We made dinner and stayed the night.

Today is winter solstice - the darkest day of the year (or shortest if you prefer). 
The solstice is an astronomical event, caused by Earth's tilt on it's axis, and it's motion in orbit around the sun. For us on the northern part of Earth, the shortest day comes at the solstice. After the winter solstice, the days get longer, and the nights shorter. It's a seasonal shift that nearly everyone notices.

Grunnfør

We left the tent and headed further into the valley. Me made a stop at the meditation place. We got some heavy snowfall and visibility was not god. We decided to turn due to several facts. Lack of visibility, short period of light, unknown terrain that would be steeper soon etc. So we went back and instead looking for the glasshouse in Grunnfør. It was hard to find because there were no signs, even though it is part of the national tourist route.

Cycle parking with a view? Absolutely. Grunnfør offers you precisely this. The alternative cycle route on the outer side of Austvågøya is long and it is a considerable distance between service areas. For that reason a building was constructed for cyclists in the north of the Lofoten islands. Here you can seek shelter from wind an weather and rest your weary limbs while enjoying the view of both the mountains and the ocean. The architect chose a spot near the edge of the ocean, with an open view of the sea and the peaks in Vesterålen. From the floor above, visitors can enjoy a 360 degree panorama of the majestic scenery. 

Løbergsdalen.

Beginners terrain?

The meditation spot.

Short rest here.

Time for a hot cup of tea.

Windshed at Grunnfør.

Rolf's bar even has a guitar...

Signing the guestbook.

Mixing milk needs concentration.

Next morning.

It's a lovely place, I want to come here in the summer as well.
(Some pictures by A Christiansen)

Vesterålen

I took friday off and I borrowed skis from Gyda. We decided for a trip to Vesterålen and we got away pretty late. Waxing the skis before we head into Løbergsdalen and after 3 hours we set camp in the valley. It was really cold actually below 14 degrees. I'm a beginner at this so I was a bit nervous but it was nothing more than that I fell a couple of times.

Photo: Andreas

Photo: Andreas

Waxing.

Photo: Andreas

Vestlofoten klatreklubb

Today we were socializing, climbing and then we had pizza and beer!

 

 

Looking for the path...

...to Hermannsdalen. But we don't have time to go there today because we have to catch M/S Fjordskyss in the afternoon. At night we woke up by the strong wind raging outside and it was snowing quite a lot so we packed inside and then we took down the tent and put all the stuff in the waiting room which is a bit more luxurious here than in Kjerkfjorden.

Pink morning.

Bisplua. Photo: Andreas

Heading up.

Looking down at Bunesfjord.

Heading down. Photo: Andreas

Mad dog guarding in Bunes.