Oslo airport

Still young enough to want to sleep in the airport during an overnight layover! Sure, we could have gone to a hotel for a couple of hours instead, but where’s the sense of adventure and cost effectiveness in that?

The Oslo airport was actually pretty friendly to airport sleepers. We were not the only ones with the idea. The airport was comfortable and fairly quiet.

Language barrier

There truly has not been a language barrier during this trip at all – not due to any efforts on my end, sadly. Everyone here knows English very well, whereas I know no Danish or Norwegian. When I was sat in the emergency exit row, I was the only one who didn’t know the language and the reason the directions were then given in English instead. I pretty much had the safety briefing memorized, but I figured that it was a good idea for everyone to know I didn’t know Norwegian in case of an actual emergency. Every time I travel, I am so grateful to know English, but also so inspired to learn more of other languages, because being multilingual is an amazing gift and skill.

Lofoten game plan

We decided to travel to the Harstad/Narvik Airport rather than the one in Tromsø for a more efficient and compact road trip. Also, gas is quite expensive at an average of $6.27/gallon. We want to maximize our time in Lofoten anyway.

We arrived on the first day of snow for the season!

It is beautiful but also causes considerations for which hikes are a bit dangerous and should be skipped. It will rain most of the week, but like the Norwegian saying, “There is no bad weather, only bad clothes!” Luckily we have all the appropriate layers and footwear, and we will not do any hikes that are deemed dangerous for the weather.

It’s past the end of Summer and now into Autumn, which gives us a variety of colorful trees! This is the beginning of the off season here which allows us the flexibility to do last minute bookings and always have a parking spot. However, some bakeries are now closed and some guided tours are finishing their final week of the season.

I’m excited for the adventures Lofoten has for us. We are starting at the nearest airport northeast of Svolvær and will drive south and west down the scenic Lofoten route all the way to the town Å.