Land of the Midnight Sun

The sun never really sets - so lucky we have excellent black out curtains. Yesterday was spent exploring Reine in the Lofoten Islands. But before we left the ship I spent some time on the bridge as we arrived. It was then to shore and onto a bus for the trip to Nusfjord one of Norway's oldest and best-preserved fishing villages! On the way we passed the cod drying racks where thousands of cod are dried before being sold all around the world. Here it is called klippfisk, literally "cliff-fish". Traditionally it was dried outdoors by the wind and sun, often on cliffs and other bare rock-faces. The fish once dried can be stored for several years. Before it can be eaten, the cod must be rehydrated by soaking in cold water for one to three days, changing the water two to three times a day. The heads of the cod are also dried for export to Nigeria to be made into a casserole. The smell coming from the racks is like fertiliser. The cod's livers are also collected (each can weigh up to 1kg). These are processed into cod liver oil. Reine is also home to Norway's largest whaling fleet, but the good news is that the younger generation are not interested in killing whales and skippers are finding it difficult to crew the ships. Alice met a passenger who was complaining about the fact that he hadn't seen any whales yet and then in the same conversation mentioned that he had eaten whale in Bergen.... Go figure. BTW the red colour of the houses is a tradition - Kind of like our red brick houses. The paint used to be made from a mix of cod liver oil and cows blood. But today the paint comes in a tin from the hardware store.