Reine | Stay in a Rorbu | I am sitting at a window ledge table in the kitchen of an authentic rorbu, a fishing hut on stilts. 

It’s after midnight du

midnattsol - Fernwayer Travel Stories & Experiences

Norway

I am sitting at a window ledge table in the kitchen of an authentic rorbu, a fishing hut on stilts. 

It’s after midnight during Midnattsol, but it’s hard to tear myself away from the view. Yesterday was bright and sunny, but today is stormy and the sea is asserting itself. 

This rorbu is located at the very end of the peninsula so there’s no escaping the force of the wind and the water in any of its rooms. The landing area has been left untouched – fishermen used to haul in their catch here via massive doors opening out to the sea – the old floorboards have gaps and you can see the sea underneath and hear the waves lashing on to the rocks. 

Reine is a scenic fishing village with bright red wooden huts steeped in tradition, once housing the fishermen who made their winter pilgrimage to the world’s most fertile cod fishing grounds. 

In summer, all that remains are the empty fish drying racks between houses, a reminder that – despite the stunning beauty, it’s a very harsh life.

Stay in a Rorbu

United States

All my life, I called it |trom-sow|, but the locals insist on |troom-sa|. 

The drive through Andøya and Senja was so spectacular that we wanted to abandon our itinerary and stay on the islands overnight vs. driving into Tromsø. And then I would have missed a dramatic sunset/dawn. Everything - sky, sea, windows on buildings, Arctic Church, mountain tops - blazed fiery red for an hour before turning into several shades of blue, with bright pink thrown in for effect. It stayed like that all night long. 

The locals can’t seem to stop partying through Friday night all along Storgata, so the people-watching is riveting. We’ve got to sleep at some point, we kept telling each other.

Norway

Nordland

Stay in a Rorbu

Troms og Finnmark fylke

Midnattsol