First Mini-Excursion to Sortland

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Yesterday Per Christian and I went to a place about an hour away and on another island (as well as county), called Sortland. We started off the day in the late morning and waited for the bus to take us there. We parted with his friend Kent-Inge, who had been staying with us since Sunday night; he was flying down south to visit his sister and friend. I also met another of Per Christian's co-workers, named Jøran. He reminded me of some character who belonged in The Great Gatsby. Anyway, back to Sortland...the scenery all the way there was amazing! Pine trees, too many to count, curved up long hills which gave way to rough, looming, stony mountains. The houses we spotted along the way were traditionally Norwegian: simple architecture, usually a dark red in color, and wooden. What really had me in awe the most was the fact that some of the large ponds we passed along the way were frozen - some of them solid, some of them beginning to break into sheets of ice. Being used to a milder climate, it was really strange to see ice and snow even creeping down to the grass.
Of course to get to Sortland driving, there had to be a bridge, and it looked a little intimidating because of its sheer height, but it was also easy on the eyes. No strange, foreign-looking contraptions supported it; it was just a plain, simple, efficient bridge.
When we arrived, we went to what they call the trafikkstasjon (traffic station) and Per Christian took his final written exam to get his driver's license. For those who don't know, getting your license at least in Europe is a long, strenuous process. The test was 45 questions and the time limit to take it was an hour. 18 minutes after he went into the examination room, he came out having passed the exam. Of course I'm totally proud of him for that - one step closer to leaving Lødingen every weekend and taking trips to see what this chain of islands, what the entire county here, has to offer.
After we left the traffic station, we just walked around the city and went down to the waterfront so I could take pictures. That path led to the tourist information center, where I cleaned out most of their free brochures and guides and picked up a few post cards to use in a scrapbook I'll make at the end of the summer. After we finished there, we just briskly took a lap around the ground floor of one of two malls in Sortland. We wrapped up the day by going to the Volvo and Renault car dealership and getting a ride home with another of Per Christian's friends, named Kent.
All in all it was a great day and I can't wait to go back to Sortland, especially to shop and take more pictures.
- Samantha

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