The Lofoten Islands and Vesterålen. A wonderful "lost world" in the equally beautiful Norway. Even a cursory glance at the map reveals that this network of islands isn't a "passable part" of the country, something you can "drive through" while looking and absorbing from a window, as Route 17 seemed to me. After studying tons of stories, reports, and, of course, the Visit Norway portal, I've come to the disappointing conclusion that the Lofoten Islands, for a thoughtful contemplation, require not even days, but rather a separate 2-3-week trip. Therefore, lacking that kind of time, we'll leave it for "someday" in the future. For now, we need to cross the islands from south to north, from the town of Moskenes, where we arrived, to Andenes in northern Vesterålen, from where our ship departs tomorrow for a whale safari (more on that in a future post). Let's take a quick look at the views from the E10, R85 and R82.
I'm attaching a map for clarity.
The closer to the shore, the more beautiful and textured the outlines become.
Small villages are scattered along the coastline. They're all built on rocks, and there's not much vegetation here…
Stone giants rise into the sky.
The gorges contain cozy green valleys. Herds of cute sheep are probably grazing there.
We've docked, and it's time to go and enjoy the perfect beauty of a perfect country 🙂
Along the way, we stopped in the small village of Svolvær. Tons of yachts and boats, with people constantly sailing in and out. It's a cozy little spot...someday, when Natasha and I are old, I'd like to come here and learn to paint landscapes.
This is the filling 🙂
A quick photo stop. Even with my eyes blurred by the beauty, my jaw dropped. And nearby were pensioners from Holland, barbecuing. 🙂 A cartographic illustration for the next series of photos.
And now, in person. For some reason, this is the image I've come to associate with the islands.
The Chilean Andes in miniature 🙂
One more short stop to stretch my legs and click the shutter 🙂
This is what it looks like from above.
I've included photos from two short stops as examples. Even so, fleetingly, just a glimpse, Lofoten captured my heart. We'll definitely be back!
Source: travel.ru