Verrafjord and Grip, Norway
We spent the morning in Verrafjord, a scenic area full of rolling hills and small farms. It was a great place to go ashore for easy walking on an old logging road and we spent some time in the beautiful forest. It was a different landscape than what we have been experiencing with lichens coating the pines and breech trees. Carpets of sphagnum mosses covered the forest floor, and we saw the last remaining wildflowers. There were blueberries, raspberries and cranberries everywhere for snacking on along the way. A bit later in the morning it was the last opportunity for kayaking and Zodiac cruises. White-tailed sea eagles were soaring along the cliff edges.
In the afternoon we visited the island of Grip. We wandered through the village admiring the charming houses. Grip is one of Norway’s most isolated offshore islands. There were year-round residents, mainly fisherman, until the 1970’s. Today most of the houses are summer-only homes, but some people still fish for cod, crabs and lobsters using Grip as their base out to the fishing grounds. There was a beautiful lighthouse on one of the other rock outcroppings which was occupied by Germans during World War II. On the island there is a legend which tells of the island being haunted by the spirits of sailors whose ships ran aground. It was a wonderfully relaxing day in a charming part of Norway.
