Wander & Wonder

continued…

ANDENES
In Andenes, we hiked Stave Trail which winds along the rugged coastline with beautiful views of the open sea. We also visited Bleik Beach, a long white sand beach that almost felt tropical (if you ignored the chilly wind and frigid water). Whale watching tours are very popular in this area, but we ended up not doing one…and after our fishing luck in Lofoten, we figured we’d probably be the only ones on the boat not to spot a whale anyway!

SENJA
Senja is such a beautiful island with so many different landscapes (in fact, it is often referrered to as “Norway in miniatrue”). In Senja, we swam at Ersfjord Beach, which had the warmest waters we found in all of our trip, surrounded by a picture-perfect mountain scenery. We also hiked Hesten, a trail that leads to one of the most iconic viewpoints on the island, overlooking Segla (an impressive mountain peak shaped like a giant sail rising sharply from the fjord).

TROMSØ
The city of Tromsø was the northernmost point of our trip and it really felt like a reward once we arrived. We visited the Arctic Cathedral, known for its striking triangular shape and massive stained glass windows, and went for a swim at Telegrafbukta Beach, a grassy park at the southern tip of the island perfect for a picnic and quick dip. One thing we hadn’t expected about Tromsø was how loud the seagulls are. They screamed at all hours of the day and night, making noises that sounded like barking dogs or crying babies. It was both shocking and impressive…in fact, our hotel even offered us earplugs at check-in! One of our favorite days from the entire trip was exploring the Sommarøy Islands, about an hour’s drive from Tromsø’s city center. These islands are described as the “Artic Caribbean”, with white sand beaches, crystal clear water, and quiet little coves. We swam from beach to beach with a floating waterproof bag for our belongings and spent the afternoon sunbathing and relaxing. We also hiked in the Lyngen Alps to reach Blåisvatnet, a glacial lake glowing with the brightest blue water we’ve ever seen. After a long walk through rocky terrain under the blazing sun, jumping into the lake felt like plunging into liquid nitrogen, by far the coldest water of the entire trip, but also the most refreshing.

The Way Back …
We took four days to make our way back to Trondheim, with longer drives of about 3-6 hours each day. We stopped for the night in Ballangen, Mo i Rana, and Grong.

Along the way, between Ballangen and Mo i Rana, we visited the Arctic Circle Center, which marks the official crossing of the Arctic Circle (an imaginary line of latitude where, at certain times of the year, the sun doesn’t set in the summer and doesn’t rise in the winter). The center itself is set in a remote and open landscape, with a large globe monument outside and a cozy café and gift shop inside.

On our way to Grong, we stopped at Laksforsen, a massive waterfall where we could actually see salmon leaping out of the water as they made their way upstream to spawn. In the town of Grong, we went swimming at Tømmeråsfossen, a river waterfall where we swam with salmon (we saw several of them jumping right out of the water around us)!

On the final stretch from Grong to Trondheim, we made one last stop at Steinvikholm Castle, where we swam at a small beach on the island. The beach had a a high dock that you can jump off of, which made it even more fun. Nearby, we passed a few farms and made some new cow friends.

This trip felt like something straight out of a travel catalogue, with each day offering something new and breathtaking. Takk, Norge!