Trollfjord

Someone on tonight's cruise of the Trollfjord said it was the most beautiful place she'd ever seen, and she wasn't kidding. Adjectives like "spectacular" and "magnificent" and "stunning" are tempting, but they miss the singular beauty of this place. So, let's have a look at some photos. But first, a brief introduction to Gunnar Berg. Berg (1863-93) was an artist from Svolvær. He came from a wealthy merchant family, but gravitated toward the arts at an early age--studying in Paris and developing a strong command for the delicate interplay of color and shadow and light. And form. Nordlandsbåts, the beautiful, high-ended, plumb-stemmed, straight-keeled traditional boat type of this region are one of his favorite subjects, it seems. His most famous work is called The Battle of Trollfjord. It depicts an 1890 incident in which wealthy steamship operators blocked access to the Trollfjord and the best cod fishing--and it depicts the waterborne skirmishes that resulted. Those skirmishes pitted Nordlandsbåt against steamship; click here to see a huge fleet of these boats, painted by the master, Gunnar Berg, when he was just 27. He died of pneumonia three years later.
    Okay. Enough with the art. Let's move on to nature. Our ferry tonight is called GAMLE LOFOTFERGA. She's a retired car ferry owned and run by Nina and Johnny Storvik (photo, right). Her sole purpose today is to take guests like us on fjord cruises. Here in Trollfjord you'll see thousand-foot vertical walls forming narrow halls of granite. If you're lucky, like we were, you'll pass within feet of the Hutigruten--the coastal steamer (above, left). Waterfalls (below, left) are a more reliable sight, but no less spectacular. And the food on board GAMLE LOFOTFERGA? Shrimp, lamb, Akvavit, potatos and... whale. That's right, whale. Norway has a six-week opening for minke whale, which is harvested based on scientific evidence that the population is sustainable. The meat is available in restaurants and grocery stores. There's a fair amount of pride surrounding this fishery—and a sort of bristling at the pressure of outsiders that the country should abandon such an ancient practice.
    You might wonder how I feel about it. I'm going to abstain from giving an opinion. I grew up with a conservation ethic, and certainly bring that bias to the issue. But I don't know enough about it to shout that it's wrong--though that's my impulse. And yes, I had a few bites. When in Rome, and all that. One preparation was smoked--to the point that the original flavor was gone. Might as well have been squirrel. Another was pan-seared, sprinkled with pepper. That was a lot like steak--with just a hint of fish. A third preparation was served raw--sushi style. I didn't have any of that one, but my compatriots did. They seemed to like it.

Comments

[Dave Tew]

Thank you for the introduction to Gunnar Berg's art. Fascinating.