We arrived in Andenes at the northernmost tip of Vesteralen Island around 1245, and were lucky enough to check into our hotel straight away. We then got back in the car and headed 20 minutes south for a hike, as our first day was the only one where it wasn’t supposed to rain (right!).
Our destination was Matind Viewpoint. The hike started out fairly easy.
But it quickly got steeper and steeper, until we were crawling over rocks. This wasn’t in the trail description! We’re getting too old to be rock scrambling! You can see the parking lot far below Kim.
The trail eventually plateaus for awhile, thankfully!
The total hike is just under 5 miles round trip, but I’ve gotta admit it felt a lot further! Here we are with just about a half mile to go, with the viewpoint in the distance.
We finally made it to the top….just as it started to rain. This is Norway, so you just have to get used to it!
The vistas from the viewpoint are incredible, with the ocean 1300 feet below us.
The reward at the end of the hike made the entire thing worth it, despite the rain.
This is the view looking south, where the rain has been coming from.
The next day we walked around the small town of Andenes. The lighthouse appears to be the main attraction here, but we opted out of climbing that after the hike the day prior. The calves are feeling it!
This is called Statue of Woman and Child. One thing you’ll discover is the Norwegians are very literal…no pussy footing around naming stuff! The statue represents the family of a fisherman waiting for his return.
This statue memorializes the fishermen from this community who have been lost at sea. We’ve seen several of these memorials during our travels along the Norwegian coast.
We liked the mural of the local seagulls, known as Black-Legged Kittiwake’s. These gulls were everywhere in Andenes, and they are VERY loud!
After two days in Andenes we headed south towards the Lofoten Islands, perhaps the most beautiful set of islands you’ll ever lay eyes on! I hope our upcoming photos do it justice!