Tour de Norway

Visit Norway’s CV-19 slogan has been; Dream now, visit later. 

To my international friends, when we can travel freely again, you’re in for a treat. To my fellow Norwegians, why, oh why did I wait so long to travel in Norway? And if your´re visiting North of Norway this summer, please go to some of these places. 

Norway went on lockdown March 12th. I returned from the US March 14th. After three weeks of quarantine and several weeks thereafter of wfh, I needed some air under my traveling wings. I talked to my sister about it, and told her about my plans to travel to Stokmarknes in the county of Nordland during the summer, to visit our cousin. She said; If we go before the kids school year ends, I´ll go with you. I quickly decided I might as well move my work day to a rolling office, so on June 10th, we left Grimstad en route to the North. 

First stop was set for Trondheim in Trøndelag county, a 10h drive. We arrived right before dinner time, checked into our hotel (very standard Comfort chain hotel) and had dinner at the Sunny Side (Solsiden). It was a very warm evening and I pretended that my spritz and pizza was enjoyed at an Italian piazza (where I was supposed to spend my summer). We happened to run into a colleague of mine, so that extra glass of wine with him, made the next day 8h drive and rolling office a tad more tiring than was supposed to.

The next day, after a quick stroll around Trondheim to look at the cathedral and the old town, we set out for our next target: Korgfjellet. We had some moose cakes for dinner, very traditional style and went for a walk. As we are by this point getting closer to the land of the midnight sun, the views continued to be breathtaking throughout the whole evening. It turned out we were the only guests, and even the staff left at night, so we were completely alone. If it hadn’t been for the fact that the sun is up all night, it would have been slightly creepy. The Blood Road traverse the mountain and is a tragic and horrible story I knew little about. If you are traveling in these parts on Norway, you can visit Nordlandsmuseet and learn more about the history. 

We were not aware of this museum when traveling, so the next day we continued our drive towards Stokmarknes. We drove across Saltfjellet and crossed the Polar Circle  with the sun shining all the way. We were in awe from the moment we left Korgfjellet until we arrived at our first ferry ride from Bognes to Lødingen. If we weren´t already in awe, the scenery opening up as we traversed the Ofotfjord left us speechless. The water was completely still and we were rewarded with our first glimpse of Lofoten. The drive towards Vesterålen kept the oohs and aahs rolling and I think this picture speaks for itself.

Arving in Stokmarknes we quickly showered and dressed an went to my cousin and her friends house to celebrate her 28th birthday. It was extremely hot, and not really what we had expected on our first trip to the North. The next day, we went hiking to Husbykollen, where you get 360 degrees of views of the entire Vesterålen. Coming down, the only sensible thing to do was to go for a swim. I cannot stress enough how lucky we were with the weather. Even though I’m a all year ocean swimmer, I had not expected to be able to swim and sunbathe on the wonderful beaches. At times we were not sure if we were on a secluded beach in Thailand….

In the evening, we visited the wonderful Kvitnes Gård, that you can read about here.  Sunday, Lofoten was our next stop. We left early afternoon and had a stopover in Svolvær to enjoy some excellent mussels at Bacalao. 

Oh, I forgot to mention that before we left Stokmarkes we went for a morning walk and the clear waters was so tempting that we just had to have a little dip in the ocean. The poor sheep grassing around the area was in for a treat, and I think a painter would have captured the moment in “The three Nudes”.

Sunday evening, we arrived at Sakrisøy Rorbuer, and again had the crazy experience of being all alone. It is with mixed feelings we got to experience this part of Norway with no other tourists. It was mid-June, and it should’ve been almost impossible to get reservations and a spot on the ferries etc., but we also enjoyed the experience. We had a quiet evening alone, went for a walk among the dry fish and I had to have a dip in the ocean again. Just a few steps outside the door to our cabin. 

The next morning, we left very early with the ferry from Moskenes to Bodø. In Bodø, we only made a quick stop at Berbusmel bakery to stock up on bread and other baked goods, and then we had timed our drive down Helgeland so not to miss any ferries. We spent one night at Havblikk and enjoyed a late dinner of fantastic local halibut. Unfortunately, our drive down the coast was very foggy, so to our surprise, the next day the fog had lifted so our drive towards Vega was yet another breathtaking experience. We even managed to have a quick stop to eat breakfast infront of the The Seven Sisters before we had to make it to the one and only ferry leaving for Vega that day. Again, we had a completely calm journey across the sea, and when we arrived at Vega, we were not disappointed. If we had known in advance that we should’ve booked two nights, we would have done so. So that is my recommendation. Stay at least two nights.

We had booked one night at Vega Havhotell, where a five course dinner by owner Aga was waiting for us in the evening. But first, we had to see a bit more of Vega, and drove to Vega World Heritage site to rent bikes. After an amazing fish soup (with freshly caught sea trout!!!!!) at the restaurant, we biked 20km to Eidem beach and had a swim in the ocean unlike any we have ever experienced. You should just go and see for yourselves. The 20km bike ride back left us sore and tired, but we managed to shower and change and sit down promptly for the nights five course dinner of locally sourced deliciousness. Halibut, more fresh sea trout, lamb and strawberries was on the menu. Content and happy we went to bed that night watching the midnight sun as it dipped gently into the ocean and played with the surface of the water. 

Again, you would want to stay one extra night at least at Vega, but we had to start our drive back down towards the South. Røros was to be our one overnight stop on the way. My sister had visited Røros when she was a little girl, this was my first time. We had booked a room at Vertshuset Røros, an utterly charming place! This was also the best breakfast of the trip, AND the best bed of the trip. The next day, and almost 3500km later, we were back to where we started in Grimstad.

It was truly an amazing trip even though I think my sister was a bit tired of my rolling office and endless calls. But in the end the only thing we remember was the food, the scenery, the refreshing dips in the ocean, the friendship and the endless midnight sun. 

If you dream of traveling Norway, I highly recommend it. We also had a quick stop in Mosjøen of 10 minutes that was really pretty, and a few other stop along the way we didn’t have time to explore - so we will be back for more. 

With a taste of Rolia

About “Kvitnes Gård”, Nordland, Norway

That heading will only make sense to a handful of people. 

In the 50s, my grandparents built a small cabin in the woods, and was a heaven for winter sports activities for my mum and her sisters including a myriad of cousins and their friends in their teens. The following generation are not superusers, but we go once a year. This is however, not a post about the cabin in the woods named Rolia, but about the culinary experience I had last week. But the interlink between the two will be revealed.

My sister and I have been on a roadtrip in Norway. More on that in the next article. During the Corona lockdown, we both came across an article in one of Norway´s largest newspaper about a place in the North of Norway where a man had moved back to his roots with his GF, to open a gourmet restaurant in his old family farm. Kvitnes Gård. (Kvitnes Farm). They had to close 1 month after their grand opening, and their future was in peril. Like many other business around the world in lieu of CV-19. 

We had to secure a table when they re-opened. Which we did. And then we drove 1654km to get there. 

Picture this. As you drive around the last bend in the road that takes you to Kvitnes, you are awarded with the sun welcoming you and showing off the farm buildings in a romantic glow. You park, and wander down the path towards the old main building where you’re met with a large grill where a chef is preparing something. The smell is already amazing. After signing in, you’re led behind the main building where you’re served a glass of sparkling wine and you sit down to look out on the fjord and enjoy the vistas. It´s dead quiet. Except for birds chirping and the occasional sheep trying to express something. The sun warms your face, and the sparkling wine warms your heart. At 7pm sharp the 25 lucky guests are ushered into the house. At the entrance you are instructed to remove your shoes, and offered thick wool socks. Because the house is old and drafty, and because you don’t want to ruin the newly painted floors. For some, the thing with the socks might seem a bit weird. But for us Norwegians, removing your shoes before entering someones house is quite normal. So you instantly feel right at home. 

The next room gives you a glimpse straight into the modern kitchen. You step on a hinge and are told that the wine cellar is right down below where you stand. To the right is a lovely sitting room, beautifully decorated with old Biedermeier sofas, modern and local art and a fantastic slate fire place. To the left of the kitchen, you enter a delicate dining room with a certain Scandinavian design vibe and the old walls are painted in a dark greige with a hint of yellow. 

And then you sit down, and the show starts.

Yes, I will refer to it as a show. Having personally travelled all over and eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world, you can call me a foodie, so I was as excited as a child on Christmas morning. 

Tiny pieces of art starte arriving at our table. Art in the form of beautifully presented food. I´ll reveal that we had between 20-25 different dishes and explaining each and everyone would take up at least two more articles. So you just need to go there and taste for your self.

What about the link to Rolia? Well, the third plate that arrived at our table showcased three small mushroom sandwiches between thin rye crisp bread standing up on a bed of moss shaped like mushrooms. Between them were three tiny sprigs of birch draped in reindeer speck. I picked up the little sprig and put it in my mouth. As the taste from the reindeer started to make it´s way to my brain, a sentence popped into my head; it tastes like Rolia. Voicing it out loud I looked at my sister and cousin who are part of the handful of people who will understand the reference, and they both smiled and nodded their approval. It tastes just like Rolia…

Perhaps it was the fact that it was the first trip and foodie experience I’ve had post cv-19. Maybe it was because I was there with people I love and not eating alone which I usually do on my travels. Maybe it was the fact that on my first trip to the North of Norway we had warm weather and the sun is up all day and night, or maybe just the fact that Halvor Ellingsen and his team has created a place and an experience that will leave all your senses satisfied with just the perfect amount of happiness. Hands down the best meal I’ve had in my whole life. (All produce used in the creations locally sources obviously.)

We drove back to the hotel around midnight and was awarded with the perfect midnight sun. Next time, I will stay at the farmhouse for full room and board and sit outside all night and drink the night away. 

This trip inspired me to reopen this blog, so stay tuned for many more articles from my summer in Norway. <3