The Fisherman's Daughter [II] | andrejrusskovskij.com

Waking up under several layers of warm blankets with the metallic sound of the rain hitting the rorbu’s roof and the smell of the coffee. The forcasts were not lying after all. That sound would have become the familiar white noise of the whole journey.

Luckily the wind blows relentlessly in the Lofoten, which means, that the dark grey heavy clouds are continuously blown away to give way to huge breathtaking rainbows, which, after some time, give way to other storms and so on… This means that, once you get accustomed with the timings of this circle, you can actually enjoy a quick hike without getting soaking wet.

On our second day on the Lofoten Islands we kept hunting for quitessential spots. In Vestvågøy we found more deserted fishing villages with their rotten wooden decks and stale fish smell, mossy and rusty fishermen cabins, faded fishing nets and flocks of creepy seagulls. But at the same time more dramatic mountains, untouched lands, fairytale-like villages, pasturing sheeps and white crystal water beaches.

The Kalvika Beach hike, in Moskenesøy, kept us busy on our third day. As already mentioned, me and Isa didn’t bring any techical gear with us (we don’t actually own any…). Let’s say that hiking on top of a mountain pass under the drizzle and climbing down a steep slope made of slippery rocks while a glacial wind is trying to blow you away, is not ideal in your London outfit. Polly and Jacopo rightfully gave up on us and, after wishing us good luck, they disappeared from our sight!

Quite a few hours later, when we finally made it to the car where our friends were waiting for us, we left the Lofoten behind and drove North to reach Vesterålen, an archipelago in the Norland county. A big farmhouse by the Norwegian sea was waiting for us. The warmth and cosiness of the fireplace soon made me and Polly forget about the funny vibes that we perceived when we first walked through the main door (the number of empty silent rooms, the utter darkness in the basement and the strong winds blowing on the walls didn’t help to be really fair…). That night, while we were chilling out on the couch, we spotted a green light in the sky. We immediately rushed out to witness the Northern lights dancing all around us.

After a day spent indoors due to heavy showers, we finally took the chance to explore Vesterålen and visited two spectral fishing villages: Nyksund and Andenes. The former is a reborn artists community at the end of an uneven road which boldly borders a scenic shoreline (Kudos to Polly who did her best to keep it cool while at the wheel). It was abandoned in the seventies and left in a state of neglect for decades. The latter is a main base for whale-watching in the summer. Even though the off peak season was just getting started, the desolation and moodiness made those villages look like they had fallen silent for years.