Daily Life on a Tiny Norwegian Island

Sunrise on the Beach in Skjervøy, Norway Photos

New! Video log of beautiful places.

Tuesday, September 3, 2024
Skjervøy, Norway
New Moon
Mostly sunny 57º
7:03 am. The ceremony last night was wonderful, even though we moved inside at the last minute because the wind and overall setup were just not working. Too cold, too windy, too public, too dark….  All the things. I have two weeks to find a location to camp on the Full moon and will hold that ceremony at sunset. It will have to be a place with shelter in case the weather doesn’t cooperate..  It's a worthy goal and a fun quest. I’ll start this afternoon if I get rested up from last night. 

No word back from the bike rental place. 

Wednesday, September 4, 2024
Skjervøy, Norway
Waxing Crescent
Mostly clear 60º (sunrise at the shore)
5:33 am. I was on the way to the beach to see the sunrise by 4:30, and I should have left a little earlier. The sunrise was spectacular! I’m here now, spending my morning on this darling, private little beach. The only sounds are the wind, the waves lapping on the shore, and the call of sea birds. So magical! It's the perfect way to start the day.
Yesterday was absolutely uneventful, just resting and snacking. (This is still a problem…  I do much better with real meals and long spaces between. 

Frøya slept part of the night with me! Yay! It took 4-5 days to make friends, not 3, but still less than a  week. :-)  Glad I didn’t bet money with Norbi. 

Next time I make this journey, I’ll bring more coffee. :-)
Despite all of the downtime yesterday, I still didn’t sleep great. Disrupting my day so drastically to try to catch the northern lights was, well, a disruption. That’s ok, I’ll get back on track.

I’m not giving up on finding a bike, figuring out how to hike to the tallest point on this island, and camping under the stars and the northern lights. 

Saturday, September 7, 2024
Skjervøy, Norway
Waxing Crescent
Cloudy, 54º

7:23 am. I rented a bike yesterday; what an adventure! The lovely girl who helped me spoke English, but when I broke the gears first thing, we needed another person to help who did NOT speak English. So between the bike expert with no English and the sweet non-cyclist with good English, we got the gears fixed, but I didn’t learn how to change gears. Hilarious and embarrassing! I came home and watched YouTube videos to figure it out. 

I wanted a nice, low-to-the-ground, slow bike with maybe a basket and a soft, cushy seat. But all they had were big fancy road bikes. My feet don’t touch the ground when seated, and it’s terrifying!  Lol! And the new gear shifters are beyond me. I pushed the bike up all the big hills on the way home as I didn’t want to break the gears again before I could learn how to shift properly. I mean to go for some long rides on the paths I know about that are virtually deserted so I can practice and get comfortable. I even wore a helmet, which sucks. The whole point of riding a bike is feeling the wind in your hair, right? If I get enough confidence, I may leave the helmet behind. We’ll see. 

That’s the extent of the excitement for the last few days. I have plenty of time to explore. 

I had a great talk with a man in Oxford who has a cocker named Charlie. Charlie is in the care of a psychologist and wearing a muzzle to train him not to snap randomly. I love how people love their dogs and will do anything for them.