Arriving at Moskenes Port

I guess there are not enough words to describe this magical place called Reine.

Perched in between Lofoten’s majestic peaks and the neighboring Arctic Ocean, Reine is a fishing village situated on the island of Moskenesøy, on the western part of the Lofoten Islands. Glaciers and other forces of nature have sculpted the island’s landscape, the rocky mountains around Reine are Europe’s oldest – some 3 billion years old. Modern day Reine, as has been for thousands of years, is a village that lives by and from the sea. Here fresh fish is unloaded on the docks on a daily basis. Fishermen flock here in the winter for fishing, thanks to the annual migration of the cod from the Barrents Sea to spawn in the waters of Lofoten. This is what they call the annual Lofoten cod fishery. And every winter, the fish is hung and dried. When we got to Reine, we saw very little of the drying of stockfish as what’s left are grim rows of fish heads hung out to dry for later export to other countries.

That’s one of the characteristics of Reine, the smell of the fish and the sea permeate the air. None of that scent that makes you sick, but which only tells you of how it is to be living among a thriving fishing village. And also part of that experience is living in rorbuer, traditional fisherman shacks, which have been in existence for hundreds of years. We were lucky to have gotten our rorbu as it provided us with a fantastic view of the sea, the mountains with their jagged peaks, and the lights over Lofoten that constantly change. It was magical.

There are many memories Knut and I made in Reine. Like getting over the shock of having to walk more than an hour back and forth to buy groceries. Or almost getting attacked by a mother seagull when we walked into a nest while trying to get some shots. Or that day I conquered fear and rode on a bike as we crossed bridges and cycled to two other islands (Sakrisøy and Hamnøy) with nothing but the fjord and the peaks on our sides. Or that wonderful dinner we had during our last night in Lofoten where we feasted on the day’s catch at Gammelbua. I hope that one day I’ll get to visit Reine again. And if you’re lucky, I hope you’d find yourself here one day too.

Finally, Reine.

Thank you to Reine Rorbuer and Reine for the wonderful holiday!