Melfjord is a beautiful fjord system in Nordland, the large central county of Norway. During the morning, we followed the curving waterway inland until turning north into a branch called Nordfjord. The skies cleared, the wind went still, and a magical morning of hikes and Zodiac cruising commenced. We explored the mossy understory of the birch forest and the intertidal zone of the long flat beach. Returning to the ship for an excellent lunch, our captain and the bridge team navigated to an immense waterfall in the main arm of Melfjord. During the afternoon, we cruised the islands on the seaward side of the fjord, dodging back and forth across the Arctic Circle at 66° 33’. After dinner, we docked alongside the island of Træna, one of the smallest municipalities in Norway with 452 residents. We visited the monument to the Arctic Circle, which runs through the island. The locals graciously opened their historic church and museum for us to enjoy, and the hotel team even met us in town with hot Nordic glögg, a Scandinavian spiced wine. A truly special way to bid farewell to the Subarctic and turn north.
5/31/2023
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Smøla and Veiholmen, Brattværet
Under the cover of low hanging clouds, we set out for our second day of adventure along the Norwegian coast. In the midst of a windmill park and only a short Zodiac ride from the ship, we were met by our local guides at the little dock on Smøla and on the small island of Brattværet. A bus ride along the shoreline took one group through the low, vegetated landscape to Veiholmen for a guided town walk. Born and raised locally, our guide shared his own story as well as the one of the little village as he took us through the narrow, charming streets of Veiholmen. Once a very active fishing town, most buildings in the village are now summer houses. We finished up the tour at a little fishing museum that featured, among other things, a hip-replacement as a fishing hook. We grabbed a coffee at the local grocery store, where we were met by a colorful selection of indoor plants and Norwegian chocolate. Meanwhile, on the island of Brattværet, local guides took us around the windblown terrain. We explored the sights and history of the small community, and we enjoyed the view from a little hill. We concluded our hike with a well-deserved, traditional morning tea – which, in Norwegian, translates to coffee and waffles. Back on board our beautiful ship, we enjoyed a delightful lunch followed by a presentation by Nick Cobbing. While sharing his story and blowing our minds with his incredible pictures, he let us in on the secret of how to become a National Geographic photographer. Following tea time, ornithologist Ciarán Cronin taught us everything about the grand migrations of species all over the planet – from the strenuous journey of the land turtles in the Galapagos to the humpback whales and Arctic terns that we hope to encounter on our voyage. We also learned how many birds are killed by outdoor cats and how swallows were once believed to turn into frogs in the winter. The sun peeked out and set just a bit later than yesterday. We continued our journey northward to the view of windmills amidst the fog.
