Brønnøysund - Norway’s Norfolk Broads

Would I recommend Svolvær? Most definitely. Sadly my hip decided it was going to remind me precisely why I’m poised for a replacement in a couple of week’s time, by absolutely playing up yesterday. There wasn’t a chance I could do any further walking after lunch, so we hunkered down. Which probably was just as well as the afternoon became rather overcast.

Last night we returned to Røst, the Arctic Fine Dining Experience. And what an experience it was again. We were actually in a better position than we were the other night. We had a perfect vista of the mountains and sea elegantly slipping away from us as we trundled regally away from Lofoten. It was like sailing through a painting. I lucked in rather better this time on the wine front as I negotiated with our server to not have any white wine. Evidently, there was a surfeit of dill on board as we had a dill butter with our sourdough bread and a dill mayonnaise with our deep-fried oysters. Neither of us particularly rates oysters. We’ve tried them a couple of times before and simply can’t see what all the fuss is about. I also don’t really see the point in wanging something back without giving it a jolly good taste and chew first. However, deep-fried oysters were rather pleasant and helped down with a lovely peachy-pink Garzón from Uruguay aided the experience further.

At this point, the Pearly King and Queen arrived with all heads turned in their direction. One of them was wearing a particularly elaborate jacket that Picasso would have been proud of and of course, the requisite diamanté cap. I felt positively dowdy in my leopard print frock.

Next up was a stunning smoked aubergine with three sauces comprising garlic, parsley and tomato and pepper. Personally, I could have had seconds and possibly thirds of this dish and called it a day. This was paired with a cold red Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel from California. I would never, in a month of Sundays have chosen this wine and yet, not only was it stunning, it rather became my downfall as it was so yummy. It went superbly with everything thereafter. The cheese course followed with two goats cheeses and for Nick, a Tokay. If I’m honest, neither of us can recall having a dessert. We probably just stuck to the drink knowing us. What we did notice though, was the staff dynamic in this restaurant. We were amused to see the two women were working non-stop throughout the evening, whereas the two blokes were simply swanning around doing diddly-doo-squat from what we could work out.

I think after all of that wine, it rather goes without saying that we were a tad slow this morning. However, once the first rush of folk had got off the ship, we went for a stroll around Brønnøysund. First impressions of the place weren’t exactly thrilling, but as you delved further into the town, it really grew on us and had a slight feel of the Norfolk Broads about it. What has struck me throughout this trip is the peace, quiet and calm of this country. This may have something to do with the Norwegian government’s stance on electric vehicles making the place less polluted as far as noise and smell is concerned.

The other thing we’ve noticed about Norway is the public amenities. There is no rubbish in the street, no graffiti on walls, and few disused buildings. Stunning flower boxes rest at path level (as opposed to street lamp level where they can’t be vandalised) and adorn the towns with an abundance of flowers. We commented about the automatic machines cutting the lawns within the town. In the UK some bright spark would have either attempted to ride it or nick it (or both). We visited the local church which was spacious, but very simple. No gaudiness, which can often accompany some churches.

It rather felt like a Sunday as, bearing in mind this is full-on Summer holiday season for the Norwegians, the place seemed deserted, other than fellow Hurtigruten guests. To aid the economy we had our statutory Mocha. The place seemed a little upmarket, so we checked we were ok to just have a drink. Of course, came the reply, we don’t force our guests to eat. It took a little while to get to us, not because the cafe was busy, but because the manager went off to get some oat milk for us. Such service.

It was with a certain amount of reluctance that we got back on the ship and sat in silence watching as Brønnøysund slipped away. Whilst having our lunch, the ship carried out what I can best describe as a handbrake turn. We soon realised the cause of interest as we slowed down to appreciate the granite dome of Torghatten. Roughly translated, this means square hat and when you see the picture, you can understand why. It is known for its characteristic hole, or natural tunnel, through its centre.

The Nordics love a legend and apparently, the hole was made by the troll Hestmannen while he was chasing the beautiful girl Lekamøya. As the troll realised he wouldn’t get the girl, he released an arrow to kill her, but the troll-king of Sømna threw his hat into the arrow’s path to save her. The hat turned into the mountain with a hole in the middle. However, the true story is that the 160 metres (520 ft) long, 20 metres (66 ft) wide, and 35 metres (115 ft) high tunnel was formed during the Scandinavian ice age. Ice and water eroded the looser rocks, while the harder ones in the mountain top have resisted erosion. How boring is that!?