Winter Fairy Tale

Bergen

It is still the dead of night when we take off from Rome FCO on the KLM flight that will take us to Bergen via Amsterdam. The sky is so clear that the view of the Norwegian land from the window gives us an immediate heart-stopping moment. As soon as we land we pick up the car we hired from Italy and head into the city centre for hotel check-in. We chose the Radisson Blu in Bryggen, taking advantage of very low-season rates that allowed us to treat ourselves to accommodation that in summer would have been out of reach. Just enough time to add more thermal layers and we are already on the street with the sunlight rapidly fading. We visit Bryggen, the port and its fish market, and the entire city centre, braving the cold that is becoming ever more biting.

After a revitalising aperitif we keep walking looking for a restaurant for dinner...and here the choice becomes hard just looking at the displayed prices. Truly exorbitant for the dishes on offer. And so we fall back on a nice minimarket and organise a lovely little dinner in the warmth of our room.

Towards the Lofoten

It is early morning and still dark when we have breakfast and leave the hotel to return to the airport. This morning the Wideroe flight to Harstad/Narvik awaits us, with a stopover in Trondheim. We fly on an ATR-72 and the splendid day gives us breathtaking views of the snow-covered fjords below. We land at Trondheim in a completely frozen airport and our flight practically empties out...everyone gets off and few get on. We take off again with fewer than thirty people on board and after another stretch of breathtaking scenery the sky suddenly turns white and overcast. Half an hour from landing the pilot announces that the airport is temporarily closed due to a snowstorm and ice and that we will wait in flight for twenty minutes before knowing whether we will be diverted to Bodo. Panic.

Meanwhile we keep bouncing around in flight, secretly praying for good news...which fortunately arrives. We can land. And it wasn't the most beautiful landing ever, given that we touch down on a sheet of ice surrounded by the flashing service lights at the airport. We made it. It is 14:30 but the light seems to have already vanished. The airport is practically deserted and at the car rental desks there is only one man waiting for us to give us the keys and close everything up. So we find ourselves behind the wheel of our 4x4 under a blanket of snow with 166 km to drive to reach Svolvaer, gateway to the Lofoten Islands and where our rorbu awaits us for the night. A few kilometres in and it is pitch black, it is snowing lightly and even though there are few cars we are forced to drive really slowly.

After 3.30 h we are finally in Svolvaer, which welcomes us with its soft lights and its houses still decorated. We collect the key at the Svinoya Rorbuer reception and can finally open the door of our dream cottage, heated by a cast-iron wood stove. Traditional and beautiful. We enjoy a beer and have dinner at home, cooking with the supplies we brought along (Iceland teaches you that).

From Svolvaer to Nusfjord

Awakening muffled by the snow with hot coffee and breakfast in front of the stove. A feeling of peace. We say goodbye to our little house while it is still dark. We wander around the centre of Svolvaer and stop at the supermarket and at Vinmonopolet to stock up for the next few days. Today's programme includes about 130 kilometres with Nusfjord as the final destination. We take the E10 again and the first stop is Vagan church. We continue, taking the turn-off for Henningsvar and stopping at the many spectacular viewpoints along the road. The next stop is the village of Unstad, which appears almost uninhabited to us. And then Haukland beach. We have lunch on the road and drive the "Rainbow Road" towards Nusfjord in the middle of the "Blue Hour". It is 15:00 when we reach the reception of the Nusfjord Arctic Resort, where we will stay for two nights.

Nusfjord is one of the oldest, best-preserved and most picturesque fishing villages in all the Lofoten Islands. Nestled in a narrow and spectacular fjord protected by sheer rock walls, the village is a veritable open-air museum that tells centuries of history linked to cod fishing (skrei). In 1975, Nusfjord was chosen by UNESCO as a pilot project for the preservation of Norway's traditional wooden architecture. But, unless you stay at the resort, the visit is ticketed. The resort is practically the village itself and you stay in old rorbu perfectly restored, maintaining their style but with refinement and a touch of luxury. The prices are high, but in this season perfectly affordable. For two days we will be the only guests and when we take possession of our cabin a wave of happiness washes over us.

A little sitting room with exposed beams and a stove, a wooden bedroom with a window that looks like a painting, a wardrobe room and a bathroom in wood and stone worthy of a SPA. Once we have settled our things in, the village is ours. There is even a small SPA on the pier with a sauna and an outdoor hot pool that we can enjoy as much as we like. And so we spend a fairy-tale afternoon between warm baths, walks in the snow and relaxing in the warmth with a good book and a glass of wine. While outside it is still snowing.

Around Nusfjord

Today we take it easy and enjoy a wonderful breakfast at the resort included in the price. We are alone but the buffet looks like it was prepared for an army. We take a few photos of the village in the first light of the morning and get in the car for our outing today, which involves visiting the little red church of Flakstad, Ramberg and its beach, Vikten, Ballstad and a stop in the town of Lefkes. We do it all, plus the unplanned extras that the nature of the Lofoten Islands offers at every turn. We return to the resort in the afternoon, repeating yesterday's experience in total relaxation.

On the road to A

We enjoy the last few hours and the last breakfast at Nusfjord before setting off again, destination A, the legendary village with the shortest name in the world, the finis terrae of the archipelago. Along the E10 we stop at Sund (with a small detour), at Reine and in all the little villages we come across until the legendary sign that welcomes us to A. After visiting the village and its most panoramic spots we retrace the road in the opposite direction, heading for our accommodation for the night. This time we have chosen to be part of another postcard, that of Hamnoy, and to stay overnight at the Eliassen Rorbuer. A few kilometres on it starts snowing again, and after the last stop for a photo of the yellow house at Sakrisoy, we are at check-in. This Rorbu is smaller and very modern, but its large living-room window overlooking the sea more than makes up for a maxi television.

And this is our place of the heart, two armchairs to fill our eyes with so much beauty. The snowfall grows ever more intense and, caught up in our enthusiasm, we go back to Reine, hoping to find a little place where we can spend a few hours...but apart from the soft lights beneath the thickly falling flakes there is nothing else and no one...so we return home, falling back on the blessed supplies that accompany us.

Another way to Kabelvag

When we wake up the white covers everything and the snow continues to fall heavily. We set off at first light and take the opportunity for some wonderful shots between Hamnoy and Reine. Today we start heading back and our destination is near Kabelvag, so we retrace the E10 as far as Lefkes, where we turn off towards Stamsund, a delightful little harbour to the south. From here we follow the entire 815 until we rejoin the E10 further north, all under an intense snowfall without ever meeting anyone and everything around us seems like a dream. We make another detour to return to Henningsvaer, in search of more and better shots given the beauty surrounding us. And we are not disappointed. We are alone, but we are in a fairy tale. When the light fades we drive the last kilometres that separate us from the Skarungen, where we have booked the last rorbu of our trip.

Here too there are no other guests and our "cabin" overlooking the sea is another little gem. We make the most of the darkness to also treat ourselves to a couple of hours at the property's SPA with a sauna with a view and an outdoor hot pool. We have dinner in the rorbu, drawing on the last of our supplies.

From the Lofoten to the Vesterålen

This morning nature decides to give us a wonderful gift. The snow gives way to a clear sky that allows us to enjoy breathtaking views directly from our cabin and the first light puts on a show. Today we leave the Lofoten Islands, it is our last day beyond the Arctic Circle and we are almost sorry to return to civilisation. We set off again with Evenes as our final destination, but the day's programme also includes exploring the Vesteralen as far as Sortland. We enjoy the road and everything that appears before us that on the way out had been hidden by darkness and bad weather. In Sortland we find life again, even a shopping centre, and we are almost disoriented at seeing people and cars again. We reach the Hotel Aiden Best Western by dinner time. It is comfortable and right opposite the airport. We enjoy a beer on the terrace to bid farewell to these islands that will stay with us.

Oslo

At dawn we reach the airport and depart on the Norwegian flight direct to Oslo. Here we pick up the car we booked and head into the city. First stop Vigeland Park, blanketed in snow, we make a stop at Bygdoy and then move on to Aker Brygge, where we park. The area gives us easy access to all the attractions of the centre, from the City Hall to the Opera House and the famous Karl Johans Gate, from which to admire the Royal Palace. We walk as far as the Cathedral and then return to Aker. By car we also reach the Opera House for a few souvenir photos. And finally the beautiful Damstredet. We say goodbye to Oslo and head back towards the airport for our last Norwegian night, which we spend at the Park Inn by Radisson Oslo Airport.

Back Home

Just enough time for breakfast and to return to the airport, where the Norwegian flight direct to Rome awaits us.