Lofoten and North cape

Hej there,

just came back from a ten days trip to Norway. First I went with Andrea, Juliane and Sarah to the Lofoten. We drove by car to Bodö and then by ferry to Sörvågen. We spent 4 nights on the Lofoten, unfortunately was the weather really bad during the first two days, but somehow the rain also created a special ambiance in the rough landscape. Ok, there isn't so much to do, when it is constantly raining but luckily the rain stopped and the sun came back on the third day. Time to see the midnight sun, impressing when the sun doesn't disappear at all. After four days we left the Lofoten and traveled northwards to the Vesterålen, after a night in Sortland we drove to Andenes on the top end of the islands to go to whale safari. We stayed two days there, but unfortunately the sea was too stormy, so the tour was cancelled on both days. It's really a pity that we couldn't see the spermwhales, but now we have still a reason to go there again.
After the Vesterålen our travel group split up. While the girls went southwards to the Lofoen again and took the Hurtigruten boat (the costal post ship) from Sortland to Svolvär, I drove northwards. I also took the hurtigruten boat from Harstad to Tromsö. These ships have a long tradition as mail and person transports along the coast, but nowadays they are more like cruising ships for elderly people. But the trip on the boat was interesting anyway.
From Tromsö, I drove up north, stayed overnight in Alta and then to the North cape. Nowadays the North cape is kind of a big tourist attraction, with restaurants, souvenir shops, museums, etc. You even have to pay entrance fee to the North cape, which is, with 190 NoK regular price or 105 NoK for students respectively, really expensive. In addition you have to pay street toll for the tunnel under the sea on the way to the North cape. So, the trip to the North cape is quite expensive and once there, you have to see that the whole thing is mainly a big tourist attraction. First I thought if it was worth to come there, but still this place has a kind of magic. The nature is rough and sparse, and the rocks of the cape stand steep against the arctic sea. Ok, I had also really good weather there, but the landscape has a special beauty. The other special aspect of being there is probably a more metaphoric; you are at the end of a journey. Sure the journey continues by driving back, but arrived at this point the only way to go is the way back.
That's somehow also the point where I stand now concerning my adventure of studying a year abroad; the semester is over, most of the people went home and I'll leave Umeå soon as well. The way left to go is the way back home, but it's part of the travel and the way back can be nice as well.
The way back from the North cape was quite, I stayed one more night in Kautokeino in Norway and then picked up the girls again on the railway station in Gällivare. On Friday night we arrived back in Umeå, which is nice and green now, but also quite empty since allmost everybody left the city.

I won't stay long as well, probably on thursday I'll leave Umeå for good and will travel to Finland. But I will probalby write more about my plans during this week.

Ha det bra