Stranded in the fjord-day 3

The day that ended shortly after midnight was by far the most intense and demanding of the entire trip in the Lofoten Islands. More than 10 hours to reach Hermannsdalstinden (1029 m) and then down to the shore of Reinefjord, during which we felt amazement, weariness, serenity,pure joy and exhaustion. We met Ola and Mariusz with whom we were to spend the rest of our days in Norway. All in all, the effort was entirely worth it. From personal experience, all the effort, the sweat and sometimes miss-guided anger that might have been felt during a trip, are remembered with more understanding for the situation. Many times, this kind of experience has more meaning for us because the sacrifices that we make help us in building a strong and healthy character.
We went to sleep shortly after midnight. You couldn't tell the time because there was still plenty of light, as if the Sun had just hid behind the horizon. We would have wanted to spend more time photographing this midnight light but the weariness in our bodies was too great to fight. The following morning we were up quite early. The plan was to find a way to cross the shore of Reinefjord and reach the fishing village of Reine. It seemed easy enough and the impression was strengthened by the fact that we could see the village from where we camped. No more than 1 km was between us and the village. The day before we settled with Ola and Mariusz that we were to meet the next day in Reine at about 10 AM, reason why we packed our stuff fast and approached the shore.
Photo taken the previous day, close to the camp site. Reine was lying just at the fjord terminus.

The bad news was that it started raining quite heavily and by the time we realized that there was no way to cross the shore, we were already soaking wet. The water level was just too high to allow a safe crossing. We went back to the campsite and decided to call a person from a kayak agency to come pick us up. After calling the wrong guy we were finally able to speak to a man that told us that the only way of getting out of the fjord was to reach the other end and wait for a boat that ran twice per day. In the mean time, the rain was getting worse and it was impossible for us to go back up the mountain, on the track we came the previous day. Bad news were still coming because we saw the first boat reaching the other end of the fjord while we were going back. We called the captain and asked him if it's possible to wait for us. We were maybe half an hour away. "I'm sorry" he said, "I am on a schedule here!" Half an hour later we reached the docking place. It was still raining and there was literally no place to cover ourselves.
We waited 6 hours but the wait was not that bad. We had a small lunch and the coffee made on the spot was, without any exaggeration, the best we ever had. It was raining, yes, but the location was splendid. The fjord's walls were flanking a perfectly clear and greenish water and the low-lying clouds were dancing in an enchanting game of hide-and-seek with the mighty peaks.
The waiting place. A small hydro-power station.
The ferry showed up right on time, shortly after the rain stopped.
We will always remember what the person selling the tickets on the boat told us when first seeing us "Nice shoes!". Curiously, after such a long wait, our sense of humor was intact and we came up with a good reply "Why, thank you!" To be completely honest, we were both wearing trekking sandals when we hopped on-board and the temperature outside was not that high. It didn't matter much!
 The small boat made its way towards Reine, exiting the fjord and leaving behind a magnificent vista.

We arrived in Reine after about 25 minutes. A beautiful panorama was revealed, with high cloud-covered peaks, deep blue slopes and the highly contrasting fishing houses. A superb location which is world famous for its unique landscape and photogenic potential. Surprisingly, Ola and Mariusz arrived at the docking site without us telling them. After a short photo session with the amazing landscape, we jumped in the car, heading north. Our journey with the two Polish travelers was about to begin. 

A panorama showing the village of Reine and the surroundings

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