Siri in Lofoten

Tuesday, September 19 Look at that sun, we can't wait to start our day! The baby birds are up too, clamoring for food from their harried mothers. We get into the car and drive past the last little town, Å, through a long tunnel to a parking lot, from which we can walk down to the tip of the island, with unbelievably beautiful views all around, and so quiet - just the sounds of nature. The ground is a mixture of mossy grass and rocks. Turns out that the innocent looking swaying grass hides swampy wet spots, and soon our feet are soaked through to the socks.  But who cares - this is so special and amazing - looking north west as well as southeast and then back across those swampy traps After a quick visit back at the house, less than 10 minutes away, to change shoes and socks, we drive into the town of Å, the center of which is a cluster of pretty red Rorbuer lining a sheltered harbor We walk out on the pier and try to get near a seabird just sittin...

Monday, September 18 We wake up to the most gorgeous day  - our view has changed dramatically. We hurry through breakfast and go for a brisk walk along the boardwalk, where upscale hotels and apartments vie with sea-faring equipment stores and tour companies. We admire the beautiful red and ochre colors chosen for the "Rorbuer" - the fisherman's cottages offered as tourist dwellings throughout the islands - excited that we're headed for one to spend the next two nights, in Tind, at the very tip of the Lofoten islands. Meanwhile we observe a single red man-of war slowly moving through the clear harbor water. They sting like hell, but are admirable nonetheless. Oswaldo, sensitive to these things, seem to sense my affinity to this location, and takes another nice shot of a very happy "Panther/camper."  My cousin Tor has insisted that we stop at certain very special locations and one is Eggum, off the E10 - the main highway through the i...

Sunday, September 17 It is raining hard when we wake up, and puffy clouds are hanging low on the mountains.   The square below is wet and empty. The hotel restaurant, however, is warm and bustling with Sunday brunch guests moving through an impressive array of options, catering to meat-eaters and vegans alike. A waif-like child-woman is playing the piano and I ask the server how old she is. "Oh, she's old," she says. "More than 20." Dodging the rain we skip around the corner to the Svolvær Krigsminnemuseet – the World War II Memorial Museum – several rooms filled with uniforms, photos, and war memorabilia, which tell the stories of acts of courage and terrible loss of life during the intense battles, which took place in this region. By 1944 the Germans had 370.000 soldiers here. There is even an enigma machine, captured in Lofoten by the British during a raid in 1941 and also the headgear from a concentration camp. The museum has an incrediby st...