Up fairly sharpish this morning, but very sad to leave our fishing hut. We had even managed to switch on he heating on the previous evening so it was warm in the lounge for an early morning cup of tea.
First stop was the Lofotr Viking museum, where we were shown a replica Viking dwelling based on the finds made by a local farmer when ploughing. The hut was 83 m long and 12 m high, and included general living quarters, a feasting area, workshop and stables for the animals. Our guide told us how, in around 1000 ad the Vikings were united under a single king, but many of them were not happy to relinquish their authority to left to immigrate to Iceland. Around 20% of the population left, taking with them treasures, all possessions, animals and even sometimes the structure of their houses. There is a possibility that the remains found were related to a family known to have settled in Iceland on a large farm there. That farm is still in existence and being farmed by the same family, some 25 generations later. After the serious stuff they let us play with the helmets and swords!
We then had a longish drive to Andoy Friluftssentre for lunch. It was our coldest driving experience of the trip so far, and the hot peppery soup/reindeer stew served when we arrived was very welcome.
After lunch we drove up the outer coast to Andennes, past craggy mountains and a bleak shoreline. There was a large amount of flat land here between mountains and sea, and a large number of installations for tracking satellites, submarines and shipping. We believe much of it was established during the Second World War, but there is now a weather rocket launching station and a visitor space centre.
The sun came out on the last section of the drive, and we almost managed to sun bathe on the boat before departure.
A short drive from the ferry terminal took us to our overnight accommodation at Hamn i Senja, where we were assigned rooms in a wonderful complex of apartments overlooking the fjord. Everyone relaxed with drinks on the terraces before we went to the restaurant for our daily dose of fish. Today we had fish soup, followed by baked cod. Very nice!
Robert decided it was warm enough for a quick swim, a first north of the Arctic circle for him.
After dinner several people decided to stay up and see the midnight sun, but Mick and I disappeared off to bed! Apparently there too many clouds for a good view, but there was the sight of two whales playing in the sea to keep everyone happy.
Miles traveled: 238 on Wednesday (forgot to put it in Wednesday's blog), 188 today.
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