To the Arctic Circle

Yay we saw a moose on the road yesterday and managed to stop for a quick photo. He seemed very tame and just checked us out as we snapped away. I presume he is young and will soon be a sausage as he is much too trusting of humans.

hi chaps...nice to see you

Mo I Rana lived up to the reputation of most of the other Norwegian cities we have visited and was fairly unimpressive. It had a nice old town section but was split in two by a railway line with Its older section and marina on one side and the modern hideous bit on the other. The surrounding villages and fjords were stunningly beautiful as usual. We wanted to eat out at a restaurant called No 3 which has a good reputation for local cuisine but it was booked out so we ate at an Italian called Gusto which was run by a British woman and her Spanish husband who had left Tenerife due to the poor economic situation in Spain. The money is in Scandinavia so probably not a bad idea.

Anthony Gormley statue in the water at Mo I Rana

This morning we headed off to the Arctic Circle and were pleasantly surprised by the very friendly staff at the centre itself and the not too outrageous (relatively speaking of course) prices of the tourist tat. We purchased a troll for Dickie as they are meant to bring good luck. The landscape changed dramatically around that area ... Forests one minute then barren glacial landscape the next. Further on the forests returned and we made our way to Bodo, our stepping off point for the Lofoten Islands to go whale watching.

a kaftan for the Arctic occasion

modelling 101 - Arctic style

the dudes in the Circle

The ferry trip is four hours long and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous. We can't believe a country can be so stunning! The islands we are heading for are said to be the most beautiful in the world (as voted by the Lofoten island tourist office:)) they're looking pretty good so far. It's hard to believe this millpond-like sea is the same Atlantic Ocean that slams into the Cornwall Coast.

gorge sea

Chillin' on deck

We arrive at 9 pm so still have 24 hours of daylight to play with. We're looking forward to NOT seeing the sun dip below the horizon at all.