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Archive for ‘March 9th, 2025’

Northern Lights Tour Day 15

Day 15, Feb 12, 2025, To Oslo

Today we arise at 7:00 AM again and have breakfast. We organize our luggage for the airport as we will fly to Oslo this afternoon. The it is on the bus at 9:00 AM.

The drive today is very scenic with clouds, blue skies, mountains and fjords. Our cameras are happy once again! Mikael has Viktor make a few photo stops and a lunch stop. We see a couple of interesting logos on jackets at the lunch stop!

We arrive at the airport at 1:30. The plane is scheduled to leave at 3:40 and arrive Oslo at 5:30. The flight is uneventful. I get lucky and am the ‘Monkey-In-The-Middle’ between Elee and our new friend Di. It is a relatively short flight and I tolerate it well. It takes almost an hour to collect our luggage. After collecting the luggage, we drive to the hotel and get there about 7 PM.

We go looking for a simple dinner and can’t find it. I ask directions from a couple locals and they are very helpful. They suggest a restaurant, “BarCode Street Food Market”, only a couple blocks away. We find it and are impressed. There are a dozen or more different restaurants in an indoor venue, including a bar. We order from a noodle restaurant and get some wine at the bar. As we eat, a karaoke stage starts up and we are serenaded by very bad singing! But, hey, it’s entertainment, right?

We walk back to the hotel and turn in for the night. We actually find some show on TV to watch to fall asleep to.

I have been carrying a bottle of wine in my suitcase for several days now and pour a glass. All is good!

Northern Lights Tour Day 14

Day 14, Feb 11, 2025, Lofoten Islands

Today we board the bus without luggage as we will return here tonight. We are off to see more of the Lofoten Islands and possibly another WWII museum. It is raining lightly. We travel to “A” (yes, that’s the name!) at the end of the road after driving through another tunnel in the Lofoten Islands. We see bridges, islands and fish farms. The tunnel at the end opens to a parking lot. There is a Kafe here and rest rooms. We stop for pics and a comfort stop.

Then we drive back to Reine where we stop briefly for a photo stop at a large waterfall. Shortly after we stop for lunch at another Kafe. There is a marina here on the edge of this fjord. It is very picturesque and our cameras are happy! Fish and Chips and another local IPA and we’re good to go!

While we are stopped, a rock slide falls near the road we need to drive on. The road is closed. We are stuck. So everyone walks around the picturesque town with their cell phones, the only cameras that this group knows. Still a mystery to me that people travel around the world with only a cell phone camera. But we find some grass roofs!

The authorities send up drones to assess the damage. Apparently, the slide fell near the road but didn’t block it. Good News! One hour later the road opened. We drive away and shortly come to a surf beach where we stop for photos. Fun surf. There is a surf rental shop nearby. Not exactly a choice in the winter!

Viktor drives us back to the hotel. Some of the group goes to a (new to us) WWII Museum and then to a sauna. I opt to go back to the hotel, having learned enough at the last museum. Saunas are not my thing either. The rain obscures photo taking through the windows so we just watch the landscape in the rain.

We eat dinner in the closest restaurant tonight to avoid the rain and have duck and halibut.

We visit with new travel friends and turn in for the night.