When I was a kid my family lived in a village in eastern Canada, one of the maritime provinces. A place where the coastline was dotted with sandy beaches and fishing villages, wharfs lined with boats, crowded with buoys, nets, lobster traps, and salty men with weathered faces.
Sørvågen, Lofoten – view across the harbour from the Maren Anna Restaurant
Fast forward a decade and we had relocated to the opposite coastline. To a city that has turned the heads of an international audience attracted by a dramatic landscape of mountains, thick forests, and a lifestyle packed with leisure sports turning Mother Nature into a playground.
Old row boats carefully maintained.
The northern coastlands of Norway are a fusion of my favourite Canadian memories, a harmony of the weathered wooden houses and fishing communities of my early childhood and the awe-inspiring geography of my beloved west coast.
The view across Leira Bay, Vinje.
It was easy to sit here for two months. But, will I come back? Never say never, right?