We awoke to the same sounds we had drifted off to in Nyksund. The sound of gentle waves rippling over the rocks below our bedroom window. It was the same amount of light that we fell asleep to and another cloudy day, had we only slept for one second? It was an unusual feeling but I knew it was time to get up because my stomach was begining to tremor. Breakfast is included in the deal and was hosted at a restaurant just on the otherside of the village, less than 1 minute walk away just to be clear. We hadn’t told them that we were vegan and there wasn’t too much food on the table for us to begin with. A short conversation later had the chef bring us out vegan mayonnaise and aioli, fresh tomato and cucumber and some pickled vegetables, some tofu and vegan cheese slices. Yep, vegan cheese slices out here in ghost town, amazing. The bread was fresh and warm and we had a hearty breakfast. Katie noticed a different salt on one of the tables next to us which she discovered was smoked salt and smelled beautiful. And then in Katie’s salt excitement, accidentally spilt some on the floor! So there you have it, a very nice morning filling up in delicious food to end our time in Nyksund.
Time to hit the road again for a 3 hour drive to a ferry which was departing at 1pm. The drive began to feel like part of a sci fi movie as we kept passing signs saying no photography and strange looking buildings, we ended up driving past a space station too. Toilet break! Not just any toilet either, an architectural landmark toilet. The outside was like a mirror but you could see in slightly if you were awkward enough to stare.
It was on the coastline and stunk really bad there. Perhaps they were letting the architectural toilet spread its wings a bit too far. Well we made it to the ferry and got comfortable at the front of the boat (big mistake) for the 1 hour 40 minute ride through open water. Well what can I say, I made it 10 minutes into the journey before I felt very bad in all of my chakras! It was a quick and zig zagged trip to the cold, windy outside air at the back of the boat. Only one other was out there in the harsh conditions. A young woman with a friendly dog named Toby. After a bit of talking and patting Toby I discovered that she worked at the Space Station we had passed on the way to the ferry. She’s an astrophysicist and told me that the best area was up in the mountains that had been clouded over. Up there was giant telescopes and satellites. As I imagined the sight in my mind I soon thought perhaps I knew too much now and didn’t like the thought of being fed to the fish!
Thankfully that 1 hour and 40 minutes was gone quickly and we were driving off on our way to the next stop at Skaland. This was another place with a small beach and seemed almost tropical. The water was shaded a beautiful turquoise blue and there was a pretty nice looking house / shack at the end of a pier. Again the only sounds were from gentle ocean water lapping against the rocks and tiny wooden boats. The house itself looked like it was set up for a wedding though no one was around. It felt like another ghost town but with a nicer vibe. There was some very large artistic structures around the back of the house that gave the impression this was also a place for festivities.
Matt had said he would go in the 8 degree water and had kept his promise. Before we even knew what he was doing, he had changed down to his underwater and was half way down the beach before jumping into the waves like it was a warm bath. He must have been in there for almost a minute splashing around. He ran out as fast as he ran in and I got a hairful of cold water on my back which still leaves a mental scar.
A short drive later had us stopping at the AirBnB for the night in a place called Mefjordvær. It was a fantastic 2 story place, very clean and like a little cottage. It had a really nice vibe too it and looked out to the ocean and mountains surrounding the village. We made some more nachos for dinner, and quesadillas. Some baked sweet potatoes were adding to the delicious aroma! It was a delicious and filling dinner. It was an easy choice to walk off our dinner by heading to a smaller mountain next to the ocean. The drive was very short though the difference in wind was drastic. I didn’t want to get out of the car because I was only wearing a thin jumper and flip flops. I almost questioned myself there but realised it was because my shoes were still wet. Katie stayed with me, what a nice gesture. Matt and Arne were already half way up because my adventure instinct kicked in and before we knew it, the sound of the car locking happened and we were off on our way up the mountain. What a fun and scenic climb. About half way up someone had set up a tent for the night. I cannot imagine how that tent would have held up. They had also set up a hammock which had an outlook over the village below. What a place of retire! If you don’t mind the wind of course.
The climb took about 10 minutes and led to an amazing summit. Our eyes absorbed beautiful light through clearing mist though I felt like my feet were beginning to de register with my brain so we had to go. Right now! For the short drive back, we were constantly looking out the windows and Katie spotted fresh rhubarb growing in someone’s garden. Katie wanted to stealth attack it but we are not thieves. She had been wanting rhubarb for days and kept seeing it in everyone’s gardens. Katie had Alpro Vanilla Custard with rhubarb on her mind. We eventually saw a lady gardening and asked if there was any wild rhubarb growing but we got the universal “in our dreams” speech.
So we went home and had our vanilla custard with jam instead! (Although we found some growing in our own garden! But it had just been planted and was quite young so we left it to grow another day).
Time for bed. What would Finland bring for us tomorrow?
