Kale, Lofoten
Home For The Week
After just one week on the Island of Manshausen, we were all given a week off. The managers of the island were going home to Copenhagen and we were invited to venture off for a little holiday of our own.
The volunteers who had already been living on the island for some weeks had been talking about visiting Lofoten: an iconic mountainous archipelago stretching out into the Norwegian sea, just two hours northwest by ferry. On a clear day you can see the archipelago from the island, and from the mainland village of Nordskot you can see the entire chain, 300 km of snow white mountains rising spectacularly out of the sea.
Our only hesitation was the price of accommodation for a week. It would be expensive despite the off season, even split between six people. That night at dinner we discussed this with our bosses (the managers) and as luck would have it, they knew of someone who might be willing to house us. A few text messages later and it was sorted, we could stay with these friends for the week in exchange for a few hours of work.
Two days later we walked onto the evening ferry from Nordskot to Svolær, knowing only that someone in a green van would pick us up from the ferry dock on the other side.
We got off the ferry and moments later a green van pulled up, driven by a Polish man named Peter. We took turns shaking Peter’s hand and then piled into the van. A short ride out of the city and we arrived at Kalle, settled on an ocean inlet surrounded once again by mountains. To my delight, being surrounded by mountains is a theme here in Northern Norway.
Centered around the restored Brygge or pier (photographed above), Kalle is a collection of red cabins and two traditional houses (one red and one white with green trim) restored and occupied by the family that runs the place. The Brygge, once an old trading post, is now the main house with dinning rooms, lounges, a bar, instruments for playing, books for reading and many views to enjoy. Quaint red cabins for rent are scattered around, two of which we would occupy for the week. We eventually learned that it was Polish Peter who was largely responsible for restoring the Brygge and building many of the sweet red cabins.
I had imagined us staying in a very basic dorm room, minimal perhaps even rustic. While the traditionally built walls of the cabin were pretty rustic, with moss tucked between logs for insulation, the cabins exceeded all expectations. They were beautifully cozy with two bedrooms in each, a full kitchen and a lovely living space centered around a wood burning stove. The dream.
One of the guys made Pancakes for breakfast on our second morning. I dressed mine with blueberry jam, orange & cinnamon.
One of my fondest memories of this trip was arriving back at the cabin each evening, sitting on the floor in front of the stove and building a fire.
Once burning, We would feed the fire for the rest of the evening until the last person went to bed. It is good for the soul to build and nurture a fire for warmth.
