Fjørdgasm: Norway on the half shell

You don't need a reason to visit Lofoten other than it's there . The jagged peaks shooting straight up out of the ocean and the bright red, white, and yellow fishing villages nestled along the crinkly shoreline speak for themselves. I do have a reason beside the mere existence islands themselves: My dad loved this place. Among the photos he left behind is a trove from the late sixties; he and my mom first spent time there in '66, I think, maybe on their honeymoon. Being a keen photographer — my dad didn't do anything half-assed once he decided to focus on it — the drama of the landscape and the changing weather appealed to him, as it does to photographers today. Lofoten isn't actually that far, and that different, from where he grew up, in Finnsnes. The archipelago, like its cousin islands Andøya and Senja to the north, is just more concentrated . It's the spriti of the northern Norwegian landscape, harsh and rugged, distilled. At the time, tourism

You may have noticed the Norwegian coastline is crinklier than a pine cone. That's why we have fjords, which is kind of the attraction in the first place, but that also means you'll frequently need to get across those things. That brings us to the subject of ferries , which will feature prominently in your plans. As we're about to embark on the mother of Norwegian ferry crossings, this is as good a time as any to step back and demystify the topic a bit. Recap: It's June 29, 2019, and we're about cross over to the Lofoten islands, fabled and, for me, saturated in memories and sentimental value. To get there coming from the south, you have three options — the long ferry crossing from Bodø to Moskenes , a shorter ferry crossing from Bognes to Lødingen , or simply driving. The islands are connected to the mainland and each other now, so unless you're sick of driving at this point you don't have to get on the water at all. I opted for the Bo