ANDOYA

 This morning we said goodbye to beautiful Senja & made our way via car ferry to the island of Andoya, which sits right up the top of the Lofoten Islands.

We were blessed with calm water as we motored on out over the Atlantic towards Andenes & rugged up as warmly as we could because we were determined to be present, out on deck, if any whales were spotted.  Our eyes strained with the looking, but not a glimpse was to be seen. We even tried calling to them in 'whale', as per Dory of 'Finding Nemo' fame, but they just weren't interested in making an appearance.

We did, however, see a few of our favourite little locals... puffins.  They were hardly more than black pin pricks bobbing on the waves, but we both recognised their flying technique & had further verification through the zoom lens!

We were very very COLD by the time we drove off the boat, so a stop in Andenes for fish & chips seemed like a good idea to help us thaw out.

Afterwards, our first port of call was the Andoya Space Centre. This centre is particularly focused on research into Aurora Borealis & Solar weather.  Just outside Andenes, it is ideally located to send rockets up into Auroras, & collect data before returning to earth.  After a couple of films about the Aurora phenomenon & the science behind their appearance, we had a job to do!

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We were being sent on a research mission.  This meant kitting ourselves out in space centre suits & being given specific tasks.

Jeff & I were assigned to 'Earth Control', so we had lots of work involving the opening & closing of magnetic lenses & capturing photos whenever an Aurora entered our magnetosphere.  It was full of action & great fun, especially when a solar storm messed with our navigational systems & shut everything down!!!!

There was a while there, where we were lost in space, but the young boys who were piloting our mission ship managed to bring us back safely! PHEW!
I was quite surprised that we weren't offered permanent positions on staff, because I think we did brilliantly!!
Needless to say it was an interesting, informative & laugh inducing visit!

Back on the road again, it was time to do another of these National Scenic Route drives, where architectural works were strategically  placed to compliment the chosen environment.
Our first stop was Kleivodden, which looked out over a curving bay to the small township of Bleik.
A large flat platform was scattered with irregular shaped marble slabs for sitting on.  Behind us were huge cliffs & the shapes of these seats were reflected in the stone rising up into the sky.
We didn't stay long, because the weather itself was bleak, but this would have been a wonderful place to stop & just enjoy the view if it had been less windy & more sunny!!

A few kilometres down the road & we came to a particularly impressive design.  These were public toilets & pathways that led out to a lighthouse, & around to a Samir sacred site.
The use of mirror was particularly enjoyable & provided interesting photo opportunities.

I was particularly proud of this one!!

Bukkekjerka is on a mountain ledge & is an old Sami place of sacrifice.  There wasn't any mention as to what type of sacrifice was performed here, but it was definitely a location full of danger.  We were amazed to hear that just around this rock face, a cave had been used as a Church in more recent times! Extraordinary. The rock itself was rich in texture with cracks running lines through it.  It had streaks of a salmon pink colour flecked through, which looked amazing up close.
In the marshy land below the rock face, small white flowers dotted the green & their leaves led us to wonder if these might be on their way to becoming cloudberries. It is a rugged landscape, overflowing with bird life & at the moment a lot of them are nesting... so we have to watch our step!