We had the opportunity to stay at Sakrisøy Rorbuer, just outside of Reine, Norway. The previous day we had a fantastic day touring Nusfjord, Flakstad, and Ramberg. It was a bit chilly in the evening so we fired up the woodstove. When we woke up the next day the weather was even better. The sky was a deep cerulean blue and there was not a breath of wind. The snow on the mountaintops was sparkling, and there was hardly a ripple on the sea.
After our morning cup of coffee we decided to climb the small hill on the other side of the bay. I had noticed that at the end of the road on this island, between the last two houses, a little trail led up the hill to a transmitter tower maybe 120 feet above the water, a ten minute hike at most. This must be the most rewarding hike I’ve ever done for the effort involved, because the scenery from the top was astounding.
Down below we could see our cabin, part of a series of cabins, lining the shore of the tiny little island. Behind the cabins are fishracks. Our tiny little island is one of a series of islets that form a chain of islands in front of the Reinefjord, and they are connected with a series of bridges. Behind the fjord, steep mountains rear up. They are not very tall in absolute terms, 600 to 900 m at most, but their sheer faces and the fact that they are capped with snow make them seem larger than they really are.
A fishing boat was sailing into the harbour, its wake a perfect V on the still, flat water. We could look up and down the coast, where the chain of mountains extend into the far distance, and we could look out to sea, where in the far distance we could see, backlit, the snow-capped mountains of the mainland. Below us, seagulls were nesting on ledges, and they cried out as they came and went. I found a gull nest with speckled eggs, as big as chicken eggs, at the edge of a cliff. The air was perfectly still, and it was warm in the sunshine. It was heartbreakingly beautiful, so much to take in at once.
