Hadsel, Norway: Trollfjord

Ask almost anyone what the highlight of our boat trip along the coast of Norway was, and they'll probably say Trollfjord. Seeing such a spectacular place, even for only several minutes, almost justified the effort to get there. It's magnificent. I'd like to meet the people who didn't give it five stars on Google, if only to suggest medical attention. 

Part of the fun is that it comes up somewhat unexpectedly. The ship had been moving southwest in the Raftsund Strait when it took a turn up another branch of the water to the north. Then there was a turn to the West down another inlet that stretches almost two miles. Happily, the turn revealed more and more of the fjord as the ship moved forward. The mountain walls quickly closed us in. Even more interesting was the fact that you could see the end of the fjord. It wasn't as if a big stream drained into it. The water just stopped at the shoreline. The captain of our ship had to make a nice, tight turn once he had gone as far as possible, but did so without incident. Better him then me. We headed back out the way we came to move on to further adventures. 

Oddly enough, this place was the location of a relatively famous dispute. The so-called Battle of Trollfjorden took place on March 6, 1890. There was a dispute by fishermen between those using steam-powered boats and the traditional ships. Eventually, Parliament ruled that seine nets could not be used to catch fish in the Lofoton area. 

I have several photos of the area, and it's hard to pick out the best one. But this one captures it as well as any. Still, a video is definitely the way to go.