In May 2000 I arrived in Bodø by train. From Bodø I took the ferry to Røst Island where I stayed three nights. I received a warm welcome from the owner of the hostel where I was staying and after that I was left alone to wonder around the island.

On the Island it was hard to find something interesting to do on a shoestring budget like I was apart from gazing at drying stockfish on racks and rocks. However, I was in Røst Island to see the 24 hours day light and that I could do for free.

And so, on the first day, the day came to dusk and stayed in dusk… at around 11pm rays of light still lingered.

Unfortunately the hostel was positioned on the east side of the island and it was quite hilly to get to the other side.

Adamant to see the exact position of the sun standing above the horizon line I walked along the main road (the only one) looking for a weak spot to bravely climb to the top and see the sunset.

Nature in Scandinavian is often breathtaking; and sweating and panting I eventually made it to the top. I was quite focused during my ascension, walking through nature so intense (do not confuse with dense) that I may have stumbled upon a Troll without noticing.

At the top I was lucky as nothing further was blocking my view. I am not going to write how beautiful the landscape was as I don’t want to sound corny, but it was indeed a good spot. The Norwegian Sea unfolded majestically in front of me.

I sat down. The sun was approaching the horizon line and I wondered if it would go below or stay above. The following sketch tries to capture the course of the sun as I came to see it at the wee hours of the day.

I think sometimes the impossible is possible. We are taught to believe life works around night and day and then suddenly I found myself in a place where it no longer holds true. The experience was disturbing. I spent the three nights in the island struggling to fall asleep and wondering what the heck Røst Island was.

I remember returning to Trondheim (where I was living at the time) and thinking Lofoten could well be the location for a science fiction book. These days I am grateful that Lofoten, in a subtle way, changed my perception of the world.

Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera with me when I visited Lofoten. I have found some amazing shots in this blog.

As I write this post I just noticed it is dark outside. The day came the dusk and then it was night. But not in Lofoten where life hinges about endless winter nights and endless summer days.