As I am sitting in my office I get a notification from Facebook.

Sebastian arrived on the Lofoten.

I always wanted to go there in January or February. 

So I just booked a flight and here we go again.

For the readers interested in photography:

All of the images are shot using a Fuji X-T1.

Lenses used are XF 18-135, XF 55-200, XF 18, XF 56, XF 10-24.

Developed from RAW in Lightroom or Iridient Developer.

Sadly Natascha is not able to join, so is Frank.

My base camp will be again Anne Gerd's Lofoten Guesthouse - simply the best!

I will drive to Hamburg, fly to Oslo, then fly to Tromsö and from there take the Hurtigruten south to Stamsund.

What a wonderful trip...but a long one to finally get there.

Everything is fine until I reach Oslo. Because of a heavy storm many flights are canceled.

I am lucky and my flight isn't - so I am on time in Tromsö. 

Around midnight the Hurtigruten arrives and I really am happy to spend 20 hours on the Polarlys - my favorite ship.

The next day I am told that because of the storm it is not sure wether the ship will make it into Stamsund harbor. 

So I decide to leave the ship in Svolvaer - where Sebastian will fetch me with his car (thanks again!).

Well, I am not born to be on a ship. I get seasick so quick - but the passage from Tromsö to Stamsund normally is ok for me.

This time it's not. The last hour is horrible. I get seriously seasick.

And then there is the one hour drive from Svolvaer to Stamsund...on these little icy roads. What a start.

But finally it's done - I am back to this beautiful place, the Lofoten.

Enjoy some impressions from the first two days  and share!

Sun, snow, clouds, hikes, northern lights - we had it all within the first 48 hours

And finally I could really use my snow shoes!

Hiking together

I am back ... only 48 hours later ;-)

I had 2 wonderful days. 

In short I went on a hike guided by Svein-tore, a hike with Anne Gerd and Eva (snow shoes against ski - i lost ;-) ) and I used the third day just to drive around and trying to capture this magic landscape with my camera.

Well - that makes 72 hours, not 48 ... how fast time goes by... :-0

The weather changed from blue sky to dark grey and snowy and back again.

It got a little colder. So everything is covered by snow now. 

It's winter wonderland!

I got my rental car - a 217.000 Km Saab. Cheap but with good tires and spikes.

The roads here are a little tricky for us who are no more used to snow. They are full of snow and ice. So you better drive carefully!

The two hikes have been just unbelievable beautiful. 

The first one took us up to a mountain near Unstad. The sun was shining all day long. 

Some clouds made the scenery even more interesting. 

The next day I went out with Anne Gerd and Eva to Hagskaret. 

They went by ski and I took my snowshoes. 

What a wonderful hike and landscape. Quite exhausting when walking up.

Btw. - going down is much easier on ski than running on snow shoes!

I also had the opportunity to test the weather sealing of my camera. I fell down and the Fuji looked like a big piece of snow. It still works :-))

I know - this light looks not real. But believe me - it is!

Thanks a lot for showing me this wonderful place!

In the evening I am really tired but can't resist to go out to shoot again. This weather will not last forever I guess...

It is time to drive around a bit. Taking a day off from hiking and just going out to shoot whatever I think may be worth it.

I see some photogs driving around in a guided tour...i really should think about offering that too... 

The light is again with me!

Suddenly I realize being stalked by some locals...

After a while i get used to it and manage to concentrate on photography again ;-)

On my way down to Reine I see the ferry to Bunes beach...being happy not to be on it - I still remember my seasickness very well.

My last stop is Reine where I have a break in that little Café I always visit.

What a day again!

I wake up around 8:00 AM.

Wow - you totally get your head clear here...but it is not really relaxing for your body. The days are long - and in the evening sometimes (very rare) I find myself hoping for NO northern lights. 

Just come home around 5 PM, curate some photos, write the blog and just relax. 

Or even better - just do nothing...just relax.

The next day I just start driving around a little bit to have an overview what to expect from the weather today.

To the east there are quite some clouds, to the west weather just looks fine.

Not to bad - and I decide on a hike on top of Smoerdalskammen.

Reaching the peak the weather changes within minutes. Strong wind and no sight at all.

I barely can see anything and quickly go back down in my own footsteps - the only orientation i have besides going down.

This is why the mountains here can be so dangerous. The weather changes so quick that you might find yourself in a very uncomfortable situation.

Cloudy situations!

Smoerdalskammen normally is quite a gentle hike. If only the snow was not that deep.

Going up and down with many rests for photographing took me 4 hours.

But it's still time to drive to the beach again!

Here it comes. The most common prejudice.

Norway...Lofoten...cold, bad bad weather.

Also i got it the next day...for nearly 6 hours. 

But it is still not reason not to be outside for a nice fishing tour!

Time passes much to fast. Is it already the last day?

I had a wonderful time again. Big thanks to Anne Gerd, Sebastian, Svein-tore and all our Lofoten-friends who make each visit to something very special!