This beautiful morning we woke up to incredible scenery at the very end of Lonkanfjorden. Here the crystal clear water is as shallow as 27 m. There is no road access and only a few very secluded picturesque summer houses on green lush vegetation, always with a running waterfall close by. Surrounding us, we had a stunning view of grey granite mountain peaks with snow still on top. This is the perfect spot to explore. And we did so by hiking, kayaking and on Zodiac cruises.
The water was so clear we could see the sea urchins, the moon jellyfish, the algae’s, the barnacles, and clams all on a very diverse intertidal ecosystem. We even got a visit from the umbrella Zodiac to freshen us up. Our galley team got us some great fruit juice and strawberry margaritas.
After lunch we had a special moment. We navigated through the very narrow Troll Fjord. As per tradition the youngest of our group should pick up a leaf directly from the bow of the ship. She must do so, so she can be free from the evil troll and marry a sailor. Lila, our young explorer, saved us from the ugly troll and we sailed away in these fascinating surroundings.
The day was not over yet, we still had one more stop: Skrova! A lovely, small summer house villa that is still active in cod fish industry. As we arrived, the local fisherman were taking out the last stock fish of the season. The fish head is cut off, they take out the guts and soak the fish body in salt water. Afterwords it is put to dry on the racks. This activity happens from January to early June, before the flies start to show up. The stock fish catches go mostly to Italy and the heads to Nigeria. Another very well know technique to preserve fish is by salting and drying. This kind of cod becomes the famous bacalau. And the biggest consumers for this type of cod fish in the world are the Portuguese.
This small villa is just a true art inspiration. They converted a tunnel to a photographic gallery with an exhibition about the local inhabitants and the traditional fisheries. On our way up to the center there was another exhibit about Myanmar, as well as many other spread around the villa. At the end we were treated to waffles with brown cheese, as per Norwegian tradition, and a great cake. What a day!
