Støtt

Støtt turned out to be a short stay but very pleasant spot. People actually live here. When we awoke we could hear a dog barking and a group of people were walking along a track off in the distance. Wow! Are we in Norway?

We went for a bit of a wander around the hamlet. The store was closed but we poked around the wharf and a few other spots. One building which we went into looked much like any of the others, but inside it was kitted out almost like a museum, with photos of cod fishing and processing of yesteryear complete with an explanation in Norwegian, bits of old boating paraphernalia hung from the ceiling or leaned against walls. In other rooms were a desk with ledgers from the late 1800s opened up to reveal catch figures, payments and what not or nets strung out as if to dry. In amongst all of this were tables set for meals, a bar and lots of alcohol. It was a restaurant. Behind the main bar a tradie was fixing a fridge and every now and again a young fellow came in from the kitchen. No one looked at us, no one spoke to us, so we just kept poking around. We went upstairs where there were more displays and more alcohol. All very interesting.

Downstairs we eventually accosted the kitchen hand and asked him if we could eat. He went back into the kitchen to ask if there was enough food for us as they were preparing the next day’s evening meal, not today’s lunch. Apparently there was and without telling us what was available he indicated a table and said that the meal would be ready in 15 minutes. No mention of what it might be. When it did arrive it was a delicious bacalao, big chunks of dried, salted cod with an olive oil, tomato, capsicum, onion and garlic sauce with bread and butter on the side. Delicious. Dessert (yes there was a dessert) was a chocolate mousse with wild berries, raspberry icecream . Delicious and a surprise.

Our waiter, who had been very formal and aloof during the meal, opened up a bit as we paid. It turns out that he was Estonian, and had been the winner and runner up in Estonia’s Best Waiter competition in the previous two years. His first prize prize was to come to work at this almost deserted island off the Norwegian coast. He had enjoyed it so much that he chose it as his second prize prize the following year. Next year he wanted to win again and go to Paris, but this year he was focusing on working in the kitchen so that he could learn about that side of the business. Power to you, laddie.

After lunch we took a walk along the track to the northern island of Støtt, watched the terns and oystercatchers, saw a seal, and either a mink or an otter. The houses here were from people who didn’t work for the trading post and seemed to be mostly inhabited. All very pleasant and with views across the sound to the towering cliffs of Mt Kunna on the mainland. In the entrance to the harbour a pair of eagles was causing great consternation amongst the gulls on a small island and along the headland cliffs.

We returned from our walk in the early evening and had dinner. By 2200 the wind from the north had dropped to a light breeze and so we packed up and left. We had a weather window of 36 hours of calm before gale force south-easterlies came rushing back into the waters between the Vestfjorden and the Lofoten. After that there would be days of gales. If we waited, we would be late for Mum and Dad. So off we went for our last leg!