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Norway's Lofoten Islands in the Winter

by Neil Woodburn (RSS feed) on Feb 21st 2006 at 2:52PM

The Lofoton Islands are the prettiest little green islands rising out of the North Atlantic I’ve ever seen. Yes, I said the North Atlantic.

Well beyond the Arctic Circle in Norway, these gems are a great place to fish and relax and soak up the Scandinavian lifestyle—in summertime.

Thus, I was quite surprised to run across an article in the Independent (UK) about traveling to these islands in the dead of winter when they turn into “living ice sculptures.” Journalist Linda Cookson braves the cold weather to pen a marvelous piece about the stark white beauty of my favorite little green islands. Her piece is mesmerizing. She writes about the subtle shades of different colored snow, the eerie reds and greens of the aurora borealis, the “gorgeous silence” of the frozen landscape, and the 100 kilometer long barrier of ice called the Lofoten Wall.

Cookson spent, what I would assume to be some very cold nights, in a traditional rorbu—a wooden hut built upon stilts on the edge of the water. With steep snowy mountains behind her, and the North Atlantic in front, she aptly described her stay as being caught in a fairy tale.

While cold weather journeys such as this are not for everyone, the careful reader will note that Cookson doesn’t once mention anything about being cold in her article. I’m guessing she’s either part penguin, or works for the Norwegian Tourist Board. Nonetheless, she still makes me want to pay a visit to the Lofoton Islands in the off season, cold weather be damned!

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Norway