We tear today no ropes, make a rest day in Sortland (10561 Inhabitants per 1/1/2023) and turn a short bike tour to the nearby ski resort Ånstadblåheia (Swiss German Idiot Hill) with its wind park.
Afterwards I dare a short hop into the cool sea, want to know how warm the water is - "ICE COLD" (8 °C) !
„Quod erat demonstrandum“ - yes, the sun does not fall below the horizon (time lapse between 24:00 and 02:00)
What a splendid day today. Bright sunshine accompanies us all day on the way from Sortland to Bø. On endless country roads, through increasingly sparse vegetation, the bike path winds its way around many fjords further north. If you love the sparse and archaic landscape, this is the right place for you. Those who prefer Ramba Zamba and Halli Galli are strongly advised not to come here. Or shouldn't these people be motivated to do so?
Hotel Marmelkroken is located in the beautiful village of Bø on the west coast of Andøya, far in the north of Nordland. The sea is the closest neighbor and you can't hear much other than the rumble of the ocean and the whistling of countless birds. Far away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is wonderful to relax.
For the first time on our tour we can enjoy dinner outside and even a short but heavy shower can not spoil the evening. That's just the weather on the Atlantic coast.
Significantly cooler than the previous day and with cloudy skies we start today's stage along the west coast of the island Andøya. To the left lies the sea, which fades gray in gray into the sky. The next mainland behind lies about 1400 km west on the east coast of Greenland. To the right of the road, rugged cliffs alternate with huge swamps. Fortunately there is a lull in traffic and we can use the road for ourselves at times. The density of motor homes is much lower than in the Lofoten, which we appreciate very much.
Also weather-wise the luck is good to us, we come nevertheless dry over the round.
Andenes, our destination, is located at the northern end of the island Andøya and has a lot of tourists. Besides the famous lighthouse Andenes fyr, which can also be climbed, there is a polar museum and the exhibition Hisnakul. But the most famous tourist attraction of Andenes is whale watching, which is offered daily from here in the summer and winter months. More about this will hopefully be in tomorrow's blog. The starting point for this is the Norwegian Whale Center (Hvalsenter) located near the lighthouse with exhibitions and lectures on the subject of whales.
In the immediate vicinity of the site is the rocket launch site Andøya and a geophysical observatory.
Today we turn to a completely different topic, whale watching.
First, we will have a guided tour in the whale museum of Andenes, where we will learn about the whale species and the life of the whales. Afterwards we will be well equipped with rubber dinghies and guided to the vicinity of pilot whale groups, which are in the waters off Andenes at this time of the year.
Pilot whales belong to the group of toothed whales and are found all over the world. There are two types of pilot whales, the short-finned pilot whales and the long-finned pilot whales. The long-finned pilot whales are found here and prefer cooler waters. The name long-finned pilot whale refers to the length of their pectoral fins. Adult male long-finned pilot whales can reach a size of up to 6.7 meters. Females are smaller, reaching a maximum length of 5.7 meters. They live in social groups and can be seen in large aggregations of up to 100 animals. Pilot whales can be recognized from a distance by their curved, black dorsal fin and by the number of animals that are together. Pilot whales tend to be very active at the surface, they are very curious and approach our boats. A very impressive nature experience!
Early morning wake up today in Andenes. We want to take the first ferry to Gryllefjord on the island of Senja. The clouds hang low today, the temperatures are also. The bike route is again a bit more hilly and the landscape shows a changed, more alpine picture. Only the dandelion, the chervil and the buttercup continue to stand espalier.
The ascent to the Skalandtunnel (8% gradient with 300 meters of altitude difference) is very exhausting. The descent in the tunnel with 5% gradient proves to be easier than expected. However, we are glad that we do not have to pass this tunnel in the opposite direction!
At the viewpoint on the Steinfjord we meet a crowd of young remaining Norwegians (women and men). They drive our today's tour exactly in the opposite direction and have the Skalandtunnel still before themselves. Better them than us! And no one rides an e-bike, all are on the road with bio-motors, chapeau!
The break coffee and cake is today in the village Skaland. For once, the restaurant has a good coffee machine, which guarantees a fine espresso.
Well strengthened, we go through the third and last tunnel of the day. In Mefjordvær we move into a large, old villa which we have booked for our night's lodging.
The same route as we did today is also ridden by a crazy man with his penny-farthing! So everyone has his own plan to get to Nordkapp. We just wonder how this man managed the steep climb and the tunnel passages.
Today I also realize with shock that the display of my camera has stopped working. So I photograph from this moment under slightly aggravated conditions like a completely blind chicken. At least it still shoots photos at all, that's the good news!
After yesterday's "gray-in-grey", today's motto is "blue-in-blue". With summer temperatures and lots of sunshine, Senja also shows its most beautiful side.
The route leads along the coast, then after a steep ascent through a high moor to Botnhamn. Here we board the ferry to Brensholmen.
To our great astonishment we meet again the Italian from yesterday with his penny-farthing. He is obviously about the same speed as we are with our more modern bikes. This time we can witness live how he elegantly swings himself onto his vehicle and pulls away.
In Sommarøy, our stage destination, a wonderful island world opens up almost like in the Caribbean. And the sandy beaches are not missing either! However, given the water temperature of around 10 degrees Celsius, we decided not to take a dip in the cool water.
