By: Annie, Maddie, Otelia and Lena
The final destination on our journey north is the small town of Svolvær. It’s certainly different from Stavanger and Trondheim, but has been just as fun!
Because it’s such a small town, Svolvær doesn’t have many of the conveniences of a larger Norwegian city, like all of the nice corner stores in Trondheim. In order to even get into town, we have to go across a long bridge; most things — like the grocery stores — are at least a twenty minute walk! It’s also extremely icy getting from place to place. We’ve seen plenty of people wipe out, and are able to hear the beautiful sound of crampons wherever we go. Going into town is certainly worth the trek, though! Most of the grocery stores in Svolvær have the region’s signature Stockfish, and there are plenty of tourist shops with fun things to bring home.
Sauna culture in Norway is a big shift from the lack of saunas in the US. In Stavanger we had one just upstairs in the hotel, making it easy to ride the elevator to the 12th floor for a quick session before bed. In Trondheim there was no sauna in the hotel, which may come as a disappointment, but made way for the entire class to experience a sauna excursion together at Havet Sauna right on the harbor. Fast forward to Lofoten and we have the gift of an itty bitty in house sauna available at a moment’s notice (after an hour of pre heating). Following a long day and exciting adventures, we enjoy letting off some steam, literally, with a couple of rounds in the sauna. Normally we take our cold breaks outside, but we’ve dabbled in the occasional cold plunge or two! The adrenaline leaves no room for any thoughts, just the joy of some freezing fjords and the northern lights shining above us.
Being in cabins we have gotten the opportunity to prepare our own food for the past few days! This has included birthday breakfasts, group dinners, and late night snacks. Our cabin of seven got to celebrate two birthdays on the same day, so of course we had to celebrate by making a classic Norwegian waffle breakfast. Luckily the cabins came with a waffle maker! We have gotten creative with dinners and have made salmon with potatoes, chicken stir fry, and lots of roasted veggies. This required strategic grocery runs, where we also picked up our late night sweet treats. A highlight has been getting to fill a bag of loose candy for the cabin, when we all make sure to throw in our favorites. We also make sure to grab a few Kvikk Lunsj bars for our on the go lunches, and for a post sauna snack. Having the freedom to cook for ourselves has truly added to our experience of staying in Svolvær; it would be hard to imagine being here any other way!
Left to right: Otelia, Lena, Katherine, Maddie, Hallie and Lizzy
The shift from the double style living of Stavanger and Trondheim to the community style living of the Svinoya Rorbu provided a welcoming environment and change. We quickly figured out that living with more people and sharing a space meant for a larger community fostered a lot more interaction and time together. Immediately upon arrival at the cabin, we started planning group meals and activities and all went on a grocery adventure into town. We have since made many group journeys into town, whether to grab coffee, or more candy from Rema 1000. Aside from group trips, we have passed the time by playing cards, watching the movies for class, and all sitting at the kitchen table working on homework. The best testament to our found community is that every time we leave the cabin as a group, we shout out our numbers to make sure all 7 of us are present.