It's not often that tears are shed on a Lindblad Expedition, and it wasn't the sight of the wild sheep carcass roasting on a spit that put us in such an emotional condition; it was the deeply moving music of Norwegian musician Gjermund Larsen. Larsen is one of his country's finest violinists, and his trio, which also features upright bassist Sondre Meisfjord and pianist Andreas Utnem, has earned multiple awards and accolades for their masterful blend of Norwegian folk music with classical, jazz, and modern sounds.
The concert, preceded by a feast of local delicacies (including the sheep, which until recently lived peacefully nearby), took place at a natural outdoor amphitheater on Stangholmen, an island just of the coast of Risør.
And that wasn't even the beginning of our day. Our adventuring started with a jump into a 10,000-year-old pothole, a stone pool shaped into a perfect circle by centuries of pounding waves. The largest pothole in northern Europe, approximately five meters across and six deep, it makes an excellent—but freezing—swimming hole.
As a group we completed the short, rocky hike to get there, and a few braved the waters. One daring passenger even jumped in five times! We had just a moment on the ship to rinse the salt out of our hair before catching zodiac rides to Stangholmen for our lunch and concert.
After our feast on Stangholmen, we still had almost five hours left to explore the lovely village. We spent our time wandering the quiet streets, poking our heads into various book and antique shops, and relaxing at a seaside café. Then it was back to the ship for recap, where we tested our palates with increasingly salty samples of Scandinavian licorice.
Before departing Risør, we were concerned about rough seas, but our captain found an alternate route that was more sheltered and scenic. The sun doesn't set here until after 10 pm this time of year, so we were able to enjoy the beautiful landscape. Its magnificent days like these that we don't write home about, for fear of making our families even more jealous than they already are.
