Day 16 (July 7): Ballstadøya.

You’d think after getting back to the lodge after 130am that we would have both just slept for hours. Nope. I was wired from what we saw last night both on the golf course and on the way home.

We had another scheduled that morning with a guide at 10am so we needed to be up relatively early to eat some brekkie beforehand. As it turns out, we were paired with another couple from New Jersey. They were traveling Norway in between Springsteen concerts in Oslo and in Copenhagen. So that makes 3 different couples we have met going to concerts from the States in Europe. Good on them.

Since we hiked Mannen yesterday, our guide recommended a different hike close to Mannen with excellent views known as Offersøykammen. We all piled in the van and headed off. We hiked through a cloud layer to what were some fantastic 360 views. The going down the part was a bit sketch for me, but fortunately our guide, Adam, was patient through the sticky parts.

After the hike, we brought our lunches to Haukland Beach, where I jumped in the water yesterday. I stayed dry this time just appreciating the view and chatted with our hiking mates.

I’ll admit that while I have loved all of the hiking, kayaking, etc. on this trip that I will not be sorry to be on flat ground for the rest of this trip. My legs are spent so easy walking will be just fine with me going forward! [I also know that Marc agrees with all of this without even asking him - LOL!]

We returned to the lodge and crashed for a much needed nap. I booked us the private sauna for a couple of hours before dinner and that ended up being really nice. It has windows into the harbor and an outdoor balcony to walk outside to cool off a bit.

Dinner was at Fangst, which was at the lodge. We had lots of local specialties - whale tartare, seared reindeer, halibut and cod. Everything is purveyed from the Lofoten Islands.. It was lovely. The sommelier gave us some wonderful wine pairings.

Our hiking mates returned to the restaurant and joined us for some drinks. Many laughs later, we didn’t realize it was after midnight (it is SO EASY to lose track of time due to the daylight). Time for bed.

All in all, another gorgeous and fun day in Lofoten.