Squalls

(Photos of the diary entry can be found at the end of the text).

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A few kilometers after the center of the Arctic Circle, E6 descends into lower regions. Autumn colors slowly reappear and the golden-yellow, sometimes red trees line the edge of the road. After covering 300 kilometers today, we reach Bodø, the capital of the province of Nordland. It is located at a latitude of 67°17′. The polar night lasts from December 15 to 29 and the midnight sun can be seen from June 2 to July 10. With a population of 52,357, the city has more space than Berlin and will be one of the three European Capitals of Culture in 2024 alongside the Austrian city of Bad Ischl and the Estonian city of Tartu. From here we want to take the ferry to the Lofoten archipelago. When we reach the port to enquire about the ferry, heavy squalls are blowing across the parking lot. While Tanja finds out where to buy tickets, I sit in the Terra and wait. Again and again, the gusts race across the sea, whipping up waves into meter-high towers, tearing at their white crests so that the spray is carried away in shreds. When one of the gusts slams into the broadside of the Terra at up to 100 km/h, it sways alarmingly. Suddenly an empty shopping cart rolls across the square, thunders against the curb and falls over. A bicycle chained to a tree tips over on its side. Paper bags, dust, sand and small parts chase across the asphalt. “There’s no ferry today because of the storm. They’re thinking about whether there might be one tonight. But that depends on how the weather develops. If we want to wait, we can do it over there at the jetty. If not, we can take the ferry tomorrow in the late afternoon. The storm should have calmed down by then,” says Tanja as she climbs back into the Terra. “If we stand over there by the jetty, it’s not a good idea. The wind can really pick up there. We should make sure we find stable shelter behind something. Apart from that, I don’t want to take the ferry tonight. Firstly, we won’t be able to see anything of the impressive landscape at night and secondly, the waves won’t calm down any time soon, even after the storm,” I think. “Okay, let’s go then. Let’s get out of here,” says Tanja. As we can’t find a pitch for the night in Bodø, we leave the town. “What do you think of this place?” I ask Tanja a few kilometers further on, pointing to a spot behind some boat huts. “It’s right by the sea, isn’t it?” “Yes, but it’s protected by an earth wall.” “And what if the tide comes in?” “The tide won’t reach the boat huts. They don’t build houses to be flooded by the tide,” I argue. “Never mind, it’s private land and it doesn’t feel good to be so close to the water in this storm.” “Okay, if you say so, we’ll keep going.” In this way, we are moving further and further away from Bodø. “If we don’t find something soon, it’ll be dark,” I say, slightly annoyed. Then we discover a parking lot in front of a small supermarket that doesn’t charge a fee. “If we hide behind the trucks, we should be reasonably protected from the gusts,” I say. “Looks good,” Tanja agrees with the choice of seat, which is why I put the Terra behind the truck. “Phew, finally,” I say as I pull out the ignition key, glad to have brought the long day in this place to a positive end…