Fresh Start in Skjervøy, Norway

Tromsø to Skjervøy Photos

Day 1 in Skjervøy Photos

Thursday, August 29, 2024
Skjervøy, Norway
Waning Crescent
55º 40% chance of light rain
7;51 AM. Interesting mix of boring and exciting yesterday! Had an easy and productive morning working, packing and preparing. Made a picnic lunch and a thermos of coffee with my leftovers preparing for an unknown day.
The bus and ferry tickets I bought expired! I guess I misunderstood something in the app, but I bought a single ticket to the main boat/bus station in hopes of finding someone to help me sort it out. 

I did. A darling young man at the tourist information desk showed me how to ask for a refund for the unused tickets. It will probably be honored as the app (now replaced) is very confusing and many people had this problem.
Bought the new ticket on the new app, but the ferry wasn’t schedule until 7:20, arriving in Skjervøy (pronounced Sheer-vy) at 9:30. Norbi, short for Norbert, picked me up and drove me around a little, even though it was mostly dark. There is SO much hiking and nature to see here! I can’t wait to see it in daylight. 

I wandered around Tromsø all afternoon. I found some candles, holders, and incense for ceremonies. Maybe I can find charcoal briquets and figure out how to use them with my herbs from Aofie. 

Parked myself on a bench at the harbor to have lunch and this amazing bird came right up to the bench. I thought he was going to hop up and help himself. I took some video of him and shared some of my chicken with him. Unfortunately, I couldn’t video and toss him treats at the same time, but he was so cool! He caught the pieces in midair with zero effort and hung around the whole time I was there.
A young woman with multi-colored hair and a giant backpack came to sit beside me. I figured out her name was Laura, but not where she was from or where she was going. It started to rain so I gave her the rest of my lunch and sought shelter in the bus station.
The rain didn’t stop and I didn’t want to just hang out inside all day so I ventured out and explored in the rain until I got tired of it. 

Got some pictures from a distance of the Arctic Cathedral. It’s lovely. 

The sun just came out! It’s going to be a lovely day!

I’m just going to hang out with my hosts today, shop for groceries, help them get ready if I can. They have a 3 year old daughter and I’m looking forward to meeting her. 

The cat is totally shy; I've only caught a glimpse of her so far. The chinchillas are adorable! I’m going to figure out what they love today. And memorize everyone’s names. 

They’re totally interesting! From Hungary. They work in the whale-watching industry. He captains the ship and she is a guide. So cool! 

Still not sure where I’m spending October 19-December 23….  I’ll work on that tomorrow. :-) 

Ready for a fantastic first day in Skjervøy! 

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0d7XvQYfCCMhdTn4MNM0B3-fA

Oh I almost forgot! On the ferry ride, there wasn’t a lot to see because of the mist and the darkness, but I saw the outlines of beautiful mountains. AND at one point, there were giant waves and we were FLYING! Literally airborne and I thought we might crash! Exciting! The other women on board were laughing hysterically and nervously, just like me. Fun! 

Friday, August 30, 2024
Skjervøy, Norway

Waning Crescent
Partly Cloudy 57º high today 63º
5:58 am. Went for two walks yesterday, one just down to the closest store, the second down to the harbor and the tiny town. 

https://share.icloud.com/photos/094yEVXt9wNIeIRXrQMuohZ5g
It’s SO beautiful here! Ocean and mountains, what could be better. 

My host drove me down and around town and to the grocery for “big” stuff. Not much. :-)
I learned all about chinchilla care, which is mostly about cleaning their cage. They get to come out to play for 45 minutes or so once a week. More if I like. I’ll do that this afternoon. Pretty busy day planned for today. Petsit interview at 5…. That’s all that’s on my calendar…  why do I think it’s busy? Oh, seeing my hosts off around 10, getting organized and settled in. I downloaded a GPS tracking app so I want to figure out the best points on the island for sunrise, sunset and Northern Lights. 

The forecast is looking a little promising for having Northern Lights on Monday for our ceremony. This weekend I’ll learn how to do virtual backgrounds. So if I can’t be there in person, I can at least show the sites around my location. We’ll see. 

Skjervøy is a lovely, sleepy little fishing village. I’ll go down tomorrow or Monday and get shrimp, cod and pollock fresh from the sea. So cool! Groceries are not cheap, I don’t think. $55 spent yesterday.