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Fauske,
north of the Arctic Circle
Travel |
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It had been
a dream of mine to see the land north of the Arctic Circle. My ideas about
what it would look like were heavily influenced by photos I had seen of
the Antarctic.
I travelled north of the Arctic Circle to Fauske in Norway, in midsummer
1998,
and I found that my ideas about the landscape were completely erroneous! |
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| It was
a full day's train trip north from Trondheim to Fauske, a town with
a youth hostel, north of the Arctic Circle. The train trip itself
was a little like going "back in time" as there were spring-like
views of daffodils, apple blossoms, and little lambs. This train trip
was my favourite one in Norway, and I enjoyed it even more than the
famous Oslo-Bergen line, as we were so often near water. We often
saw the white water of waterfalls tumbling down, or caught sight of
a fjord or lake or river.
The guard on the train announced at 4.40pm
that we were about to cross the Arctic Circle.
It was marked by a large sculpture with a stone base, set in barren
land with patches of snow still lying around.
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The
YHA hostel in Fauske was very welcoming, and had beautiful lounges
to relax and talk to others in.
I went out walking in the evening sunshine, with my t-shirt on. My
surprises were certainly beginning. It was extremely green in the
vicinity of the hostel, with long grass and leafy trees. When I returned
to the hostel and expressed my amazement, locals explained to me that
it was the Gulf Stream that brought warmth to this northern part of
the coast of Norway.
It was still light at 11.30pm when I went
to sleep: and at 4am I woke as the sunshine was streaming in my
window, tricking me into thinking it was already 7.30am or so. Continuous
light. I reflected on how difficult it must be to live here in the
winter months with continuous dark.
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| Red farm
buildings on a walk near Fauske |
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| Looking
over the fjord near Fauske |
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This morning I headed out of the hostel along
the road in the direction of Bodo. I passed through
several small settlements and enjoyed
myself taking photos of houses, barns and the fjord
alongside me. With the brilliant blue sky, the vibrant green of
the grass and the red of the
large barns, the scenery was just asking to be photographed! In
a few places
I saw small buildings with grass growing on the roofs.
After five hours out walking on the road,
I returned to the hostel, where the man at reception
gave me a map, and showed me where to walk to find the forest walks.
Tired though my feet were, I set off again! It was well worth the
effort: the views from up higher were superb.
I could see on one side a lake filled with water, and on the other
side, a fjord where the tide was out.
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| Another view of
fjord near Fauske |
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| I saw several buildings
with grass roofs. |
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| Next
day, 22 June, I posted all my "Polar Circle" postcards from
Fauske, and headed south again for another train ride through the
long scenic postcard that is Norway. |
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