28/09/2023

Northern Norway Inside-Out

Auroras, Fjords, Whales, and Ice Palaces

Our leaders at Nansen Polar Expeditions ran a new itinerary that included everything that Northern Norway has to offer, and it is much more than the Northern Lights. From the moment we set sail from Tromsø into the snowy evening, it was clear this would be an expedition to remember for years to come.

Onboard Together

Anticipation grew as our group gathered aboard MV Villa—a little expeditionary ship with a big soul that warmly embraced us. Soon, all of us onboard felt like one big adventurous family. Whether it was the magic of the Northern Lights that conveniently showed up dancing above the fjord to our stern or just the enchantment of Villa, who can say? But here we were on the deck under starry skies invigorated by frosty wind as we pointed everything from iPhones to heavy Nikon lenses into the sky. Above us, the Northern Lights started the midnight show, transporting us to a place of sheer joy. As the aurora spiraled overhead in bands of green and gold, gasps were audible. For those who doubted we’d even get to see the Northern Lights, the thrill was palpable. It would only get better every night as we’d head further and further into more remote northern terrain aboard our spunky MV Villa. We learned that the Aurora Borealis is caused by solar flares of ions colliding with the earth’s outer atmosphere, emanating multi-colored undulating lights. 

 As Villa sailed through the fjords, the decision was made to head directly for Reine in the Lofoten Islands, an iconic place that has been visually seducing landscape photographers and nature lovers for generations. Reine is a fishing village that often can be overcrowded during the summer months, but in winter or early spring it is an enchanted town with barely a parka clad local afoot. Luckily, we arrived at the best time to embrace the pure beauty of the place undisturbed. 

Our small group climbed on the towering snowy mountains, and then some slid down the steep cliffs, Shackleton style, on their rear ends, then trundled into town to Anita’s Place for a hot cocoa dusted with chili pepper. This trendy hot chocolate was not the only wonder of the place. Above our heads hung dried and salted cod chandeliers, an amusing novel display comprised of several dozen fish. Outside, the picturesque red and yellow houses on stilted pilings looked like a movie set especially with the bright turquoise and green melt waters that rippled around them. Note to self: Bring ice cleats next time ashore.

Our Days on Villa

Our days on Villa were masterfully fitted into a chain of memorable highlights by our leaders Audun Lie Dahl and Martin Enckell. With Nansen Polar Expeditions, you have a case when the company owners are also the best and most experienced Polar Expedition Leaders. Landing in Senja gave us an opportunity to get acquainted with fishermen showing off their catch of the day and to have a relaxing stroll on the beach at Ersfjord.  Senja appeared to us as a vision of pyramid shaped mountains that served as a foreground to the ubiquitous, bright auroras often witnessed there at night. Later, a visit to the iconic Troll Fjord recalled scenes from Ibsen’s Peer Gynt and thumping, mischievous sounds of Edvard Grieg’s Hall of the Mountain King. Troll Fjord was so narrow and had such spectacular scenery that it was hard to know where to look first because everything appeared like a landscape from a century’s old fairytale. 

Our Adventure Continues

One afternoon as the waves whipped up and the fog rolled in, we launched our cod fishing extravaganza. Surprisingly, shipboard guests lined the railings like they were on a fishing boat and not on an expedition ship, game to see what treasures they could reel in. A few large cod were hauled up onto the deck and would be made into Chef Manfred’s next gourmet concoction of fresh fish ceviche and broiled crispy cod crowned with his signature secret spices. 

The next morning, a visit to Aurora, the world’s northernmost distillery in Lyngseidet, enabled us to learn how whisky and gin is made. We sampled their products, discovering that one recent bottle introduced to the market went to auction and sold for over $6000.00. 

A late afternoon in Lyngstrom Fjord was replete with alpenglow and wildlife. A White-tailed eagle soared nearby while Orcas on the hunt took time out to cruise by our Zodiacs just to let us know they were aware of our existence but had bigger fish on their horizon. Still, they seemed to be joyfully toying around with a bunch of parka-clad humans wielding iPhones and long lenses. One couldn’t help but notice that whenever Expedition Leader Martin Enckell pilots his Zodiac, all wildlife comes to greet him, especially whales. Hint: Try to have your camera pointed at Martin’s boat if you are not riding in it. 

“OUTSIDE, THE PICTURESQUE RED AND YELLOW HOUSES ON STILTED PILINGS LOOKED LIKE A MOVIE SET ESPECIALLY WITH THE BRIGHT TURQUOISE AND GREEN MELT WATERS THAT RIPPLED AROUND THEM.“

Perhaps the pièce de résistance came from our last days in Northern Norway. Disembarkation from Villa was bittersweet, but ahead of us would be even more adventure at Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel and adjacent Arctic Wilderness Lodge. Once there, we gazed upon an igloo far longer than a football field made entirely out of ice, an architectural marvel befitting the court of the Snow Queen. This ice palace melts down every spring and miraculously comes back to existence in full glory every winter. Rite of passage into the ice palace on this day required taking a 4-hour snowmobile trip to see “The Grand Canyon of Norway” as our guide Jørgen put it. It was hard to believe that every single one of us managed to drive a snowmobile like a Harley and went not just over hill and vale but across broad frozen lakes, up hairpin turns, into the deep forests. Finally, we made it to the look-out which did bear an uncanny resemblance to the Grand Canyon. Albeit dusted with snow, the metamorphic rock layers showed off their deep blue majesty as we dashed to the edge and looked down.  

This part of Northern Norway is Lapland territory where Sami people live. We were fortunate to be invited to lunch at a Sami house, a crossroads of local hospitality and culture.  For our lunch with the Sami people, we gathered around a big table.  A woman in full costume regaled us with tales of Sami jokes, large weddings of thousands and all kinds of wonderful folklore. With great relish, we sampled traditional hot reindeer stew after our long ride. The Sami and their culture is important to the diversity of Norway. it is clear they now have the respect and appreciation they deserve.

Final Points

Later in the afternoon, with windblown faces and happy hearts, we were guided into the fantastical hotel by the CEO of Sorrisniva, the charismatic and charming Caroline Laurhammer. Our close-knit shipmates trundled over to the bar made of crystalline ice bricks. Once there we toasted in cube-like cups made of ice, perfect vessels for sipping down the bright glacier blue liquor fondly known as the “Sorrisniva Special.”

Everywhere you looked, ice sculptures celebrated the theme of the year– Africa. The region has been a favorite place for one of the artists and owners of the hotel, so to honor him, many African animals were sculpted to decorate the ice palace where we’d be sleeping. Our rooms were crystal caverns accessed through long hallways of shining pillars comprised from igloo style bricks of glittering ice. Sorrisniva is popular with newlyweds, as legend has it that it is good luck for children to be conceived while the Northern Lights glow.  Following dinner in the Lodge, we boarded reindeer sleighs and were guided by a Sami elder to his Lavvu, a teepee styled gathering place where a fire burns brightly and legends are spoken. That night we got our share of eerie and funny ghost stories. 

At the end of the day, while drifting into sweet dreams atop our icy palette swathed in reindeer hides, one realized that this enchanting land of Norway underneath the Northern Lights is a place to experience the full measure of natural beauty and the promise of good luck to come.