Lofoten

The Lofoten Islands: North Norway’s proud ‘seawall,’ 3 billion years old (not a typo). The jagged islands of the Lofoten are among the oldest mountains in the world. The Lofoten islands weren’t connected to the mainland by a bridge until 2007. But fishermen and hunters lived in the area centuries ago. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, the climate here is relatively mild and many birds can be found.

Rorbuer

Rorbuer
What perhaps characterizes the Lofoten most (aside from the mighty mountains) are the rorbuer, the typical red wooden houses and fisherman’s cabins. Next to the cabins, you’ll often see endless racks where cod is hung to dry. The rorbuer stand with their ‘legs’ in the water, making it easy for fishermen to pull up alongside in their boats to deliver their day’s catch to the cabin. The cod hangs on racks in the open air to dry all winter long. During our sailing trips along the Lofoten and Vesterålen, we’ll definitely see a number of rorbuer and various stockfish racks. Some rorbuer can be visited and are set up as a museum, cafe, or shop (or all three at once).