After a late landing near the land of the midnight sun yesterday evening, we continued our voyage to the north and actually crossed the magical Arctic Circle in the early morning. Several claimed they could feel a small "bump" as we went over, but who knows?
Today we have spent the whole day exploring the Lofoten islands. The scenery is unbelievable with high mountains and deep fjords. Small fishing villages are situated along the shoreline. In the morning we started with a Zodiac cruise to explore and discover the most isolated islands in the Lofoten archipelago. It is famous for the huge colonies with sea birds, mostly Puffins, but also nesting White-tailed Eagles. The eagle is closely related to the Bald Eagle in North America, but slightly larger. Norway is home to the majority of the population and there are estimated to be more than 1200 pairs in Norway alone.
The afternoon was spent in the small fishing village Reine. As we cruised into the village with the Zodiacs, we saw the Kittiwakes in nests on the buildings. Our hotel manager of course took the advantage to pursue some fresh cod. Cod fishing has been of major importance for hundreds of years in the Lofoten area, as the Atlantic cod comes into the fjord to spawn in February and March.
The day was very busy and during the recap our Viking theme continued. We now know that the famous helmets with horns is a much later invention and also that the English language is full of old Viking and Norse words. By the way today is Thursday, that is Thor's day and tomorrow will be Frey's day, "Friday."
