Bodø

Storyline: Scandinavia

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Mon, Jun 16

From our most northern point we now turn south. Since we don’t have unlimited time to roam in Norway, I’ve booked a flight with SAS to Bodø. First of two. After breakfast and packing we take a cab to Tromsø airport.

There is a bus, but with the tunnel closed for renovations its schedule wasn’t quite good. This also is one of the two cabs we’d take during this trip. A small airport. We go through all the security in no time and then wander around for a while.

The flight at 11:40 is about 55min. Weather is fantastic and flying over Tromsø reveals spectacular views.

The aircraft ascends north over the mountains and then turns south.

In the blink of an eye, we are in Bodø.

Bodø’s small airport is practically in the city. We walk out of the terminal and downhill to the water.

It is chilly here too. We are not in a hurry since it is not even 1PM yet. Our hotel is between the airport and the train station. We’ll take one of the most scenic railroads tomorrow morning. About a 10h train ride from Bodø to Trondheim.

Bodø is just 121km north of the arctic circle. It is the northernmost Norwegian train station. Although Narvik has a train station it only connects to the Swedish railways.  According to the tourist information there is a lot to do and see here. But we will be here for only a night, taking the train south in the morning. Can’t do it all after all. Yet in Bodø we had one of our many adventures (details below in the post), on this trip.

When we arrived at the hotel: they had our room ready. That was really nice. We have time to find the liquor store, buy some wine for the train and then come back for the Fika. The hotel is in the city centre. It didn’t take us long to find it all.

After locating everything and checking the opening times we decided to buy the wine today, so I can pack it and leave the sandwiches for tomorrow. We will definitely need sandwiches and probably croissants for the long ride tomorrow. Coffee/tea/water, apples and cookies are provided in the train.

Back to the hotel for Fika. And before the rain! Hotel Grand Bodø is one of the oldest in Northern Norway. It was established in 1850, and from a fisherman’s inn it was transformed to host all kinds of dignitaries. It was rebuilt after being heavily damaged during WWII. This information is pinned on a board in the elevator.

The hotel is nice, dining room spacious with different areas. But again, my understanding of Fika was different, from our experience. People didn’t mingle and sat together only if they knew each other. We found a table where we could see it all.

I had my coffee and cake and Alex had his tea and a few cake pieces. By the time we finish the small afternoon treats, the rain has stopped. We decide to locate the train station, and confirm that as everywhere else the station is not manned and no information is available nearby. I wanted to see if we could buy sandwiches from the train station or at a kiosk there. Nothing at all. Some greasy spoon place upstairs.

Bodø Station is the end point for the Bodø Trondheim line. Trondheim is some 700km away. There are two trains, a night one and a day one. There is also a commuter train to Rognan and Fauske. The railway is also used for freight. Although planned in 1923, due to WWII, this railway was not completed until 1961.

We poke around the shopping mall and the pedestrian street. Then back to the hotel for dinner. Dinner is nice, with lots of variety in the hot and cold buffet. I am happy they have soup too. As did the other hotels. Since the weather was cold and rainy (apparently Bodø is the only city inside the Arctic Circle with four-season temperatures), we took our time enjoying slow dinner, trying a bit of everything. Eh, almost.

When not flying, Alex’s medical lab, as I call all his immunotherapy equipment and vials of liquid serum goes in one of the carry-ons and the backpack holds the raincoats, food and wine. After all was organised for a long train ride, we were ready for bed. Since it was overcast, the curtains were enough to provide some darkness.

When I woke up at 1am there was no running water. I went back to sleep, but around 3am with still no water I tell Alex. He decided to go check with the reception.  The two young overnight receptionists tell him he is the third person asking. It is caused outside of the hotel. The city workers digging to install new services must have cut something.

Then they give him a bucket full 1/3 of water still dripping from their taps. Alex tells them that this won’t last. He brings the water to the room and then he goes back to suggest that the kids (literally, for our age they could be even grandkids) call their manager. No, they haven’t thought about it. So, they thank him.

They haven’t been trained for such a situation. Imagine when everyone wakes up and goes to complain. What about breakfast? Alex asks. It is not a problem because it is delivered, not cooked in the kitchen. Well, I learned something. I always thought they cook the breakfast in their kitchens.

7am, still no water. We are not in a real hurry since our train departs shortly after noon. But we better go get our breakfast because if the water comes later, we’ll get a chance to shower. So, we do. There is a note at the reception that due to city work outside the hotel the entire area is without water. We have our breakfast with some juices – but no coffee around 8am. Back in the room around 9 am and the water comes. There we go the city workers are as in Canada. They start work at 9am and someone obviously finds out that they forgot to turn the valve on or something. Well, the toilet and shower problem is solved before check out.

Oh, and one more thing, we finally asked at reception and learned, on day 14 of our travel. These little thermostats, usually by the bathroom door have nothing to do with air conditioning. It is not usually warm enough to warrant such in the north. They warm the bathroom floor! And I have been trying to turn them off to stop the cold, that apparently was naturally seeping through the windows.

See you in Trondheim.