- There is a beautiful group of islands that is far from tropical.

In fact, it is north of the Arctic Circle.

It has a rich Viking heritage, a rich fishing heritage, and a rich oh so cute villages heritage.

Today we are getting curious about Lofoten, Norway.

(speaking Norwegian) (bright music) "Curious Traveler" is made possible by the following.

(gentle music) - [Announcer] At Regent Seven Seas Cruises we believe that personal space is essential to the luxury travel experience.

(gentle music) With no more than 732 guests, our ships allow you to explore the world and discover the freedom of having space at sea.

(gentle music) - [Narrator] Over 300 tours across all seven continents, over 40 years of serving travelers, you can experience effortless fun vacations and authentic experiences with GET, getours.com.

- [Announcer] Windstar Cruises, intimate private yacht-style cruises to the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Tahiti, and more.

We look forward to seeing you on board, windstarcruises.com.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] When you travel with us, you are not the typical tourist.

(gentle piano music) - The Lofoten Islands stretch about 110 miles long, just off the west coast of Norway, like an arm reaching out to the sea.

And among all those islands, there are snow capped mountains, volcanic rock, and some of those iconic Norwegian fjords.

(speaking Norwegian) Today we are getting curious about one of the most beautiful areas of natural beauty in the world.

(upbeat music) And let's cut right to the chase.

Lofoten is a bit remote and more than a bit chilly.

But don't fret, this climate makes the area all the more beautiful.

(upbeat music) Generations of rugged fishermen have braved its seas and wild winters.

And they're even harder forefathers, those mighty Vikings, lived and ruled and plotted their next conquest from these very shores.

(upbeat music) So here's what I'm curious about in Lofoten.

Who discovered the largest Viking longhouse in all of Norway?

What in the curious world are these giant wooden pyramid-looking things?

Where can you find the Devil Stairs and the Goats Horns?

Why did a 19th century impressionist painter devote his life's work to Lofoten?

When did a little fishy support an entire nation's economy?

How does this tiny little gullgubber tell the big history of a Viking chieftain?

Who, what, where, why, when, and how?

It's time to get curious about Lofoten, Norway.

There are a few larger main islands of Lofoten, with many smaller islands surrounding them.

and the best way to take it all in, is from high a top one of Lofoten█s many majestic mountains.

So we hike up Floya Mountain.

This path was first climbed in 1910.

In 2019, these steps called the Devils Stairs were added.

Just one climb and you'll see why devil is in the title.

If you make it to the top of the Svolvaergeita, or Svolvaer goat, you are more than welcome to jump across the goats horns.

It's only about five feet wide and 500 feet up.

So what's the big deal?

(upbeat music) The joke is that as you jump, you can see the Svolvaer church graveyard below.

(upbeat music) Convenient, right?

(upbeat music) (water splashing) Next we go from Svolvaer's devilish steps to the perfect example of a picturesque Norwegian fishing village.

There are many, but one in particular is more curious than the rest.

Henningsvaer is known as the Venice of Lofoten for obvious reasons.

It is full of those quintessential Norwegian colorful houses, some very important fishing boats, and a small but mighty population of about 500 residents.

Do they have room for 501?

With its wonderful little waterways, colorful harbor, all set against stunning mountains, Henningsvaer is like a little town stuck in time.

But when this rugged community isn't fishing or hiking, they might be playing soccer.

How do we know this?

Well, you guessed it.

This tiny village has its own soccer field that as you can see, is just about the same size as the island itself.

Hmm, I wonder who has to dive out into those arctic waters if a ball goes out of bounds?

(upbeat music) Back to the rest of the village.

Henningsvaer is the perfect example of Norwegian wooden house architecture.

And a little stroll around the harbor is the perfect way to take it all in.

Right away you'll see something in common with the rest of Norway.

Bright and beautiful, even on a gray or snowy day.

Here in Henningsvaer as well as in the rest of Norway, you will see many buildings decked out in these beautiful bright colors.

But did you know that these paint colors have a history?

It used to be that red paint was the least expensive paint, so that was used on the fisherman's cabins.

And in fact, many fisherman's cabins today are still painted red.

Next we have yellow, and that was a little bit more expensive.

So it was businesses that used yellow.

And last but not least, white paint used to be the most expensive paint to make.

So that was reserved only for the wealthiest of homes.

Yep, color coded houses.

You will see these red, yellow, and white colors from Bergen to Lillehammer to our next stop, full of fishy history.

(upbeat music) Just across from Svolvaer, over the bridge, there's a tiny island full of cute red fishing cabins and little canals, all nestled within those soaring snow capped mountains.

This is Svinoya, a darling fishing village that came to be because of one family.

(upbeat music) In the early 19th century Svinoya only had about 60 residents.

But then the Berg family came along and decided to help the small fishing village grow.

They built the fisherman's cabins, a post office, a general store, and this, their manor house.

Over the next century or so, Svinoya grew and grew into the thriving fishing community it is today with beautiful residential homes and the modern version of those original fisherman's cabins that travelers can stay in.

Now you wanna guess how much all of this cost the Berg family back in the early 19th century?

Only about 1000 US dollars.

I'd say that's a bargain.

The Berg family had all these cabins built, even a post office and a general store.

All the modern conveniences of the 19th century.

(upbeat music) But there is something else here that dates back to the 9th century, or even earlier.

Are these frames for a hut, a pyramid, a cathedral?

What in the curious world are these?

Well, they're big, they're important, and they're odor, well, let's just say you have to be a Norwegian to appreciate it.

Svinoya Rorbuer manager and hardy Scandinavian Ragnar Paulson joins us to explain.

Okay, my friend, we've been all around the world.

We've seen all sort of temples and beautiful things.

I've not seen anything quite like this.

I know about the stock fish and I know how important it is as a part of Norwegian history.

I didn't know this is how it's made.

And I honestly can't even look at them.

They're kind of freaky.

Tell me a little bit about this drying technique and how did this come about?

- This is the technique that has been used since the Vikings.

- Since the Vikings?

- Yeah, the Vikings, because when the Vikings went out on their tours, they had to take food with them-- - To survive.

- To survive, yeah.

- [Christine] Oh, yes, those Vikings figured out this drying technique and survived on these fish during those long voyages.

In later centuries, this dried cod, called stock fish, was traded throughout the Hanseatic League, helping cities like Bergen thrive.

- First method of keeping food was drying fish.

So they started drying it.

And then this technique is called hesje.

And this is kind of we have two techniques.

Other one is there's flat ones.

And then this, these cathedrals, like this.

- Well, I said it's like a temple or a cathedral.

- And this has to do with the wind.

Because we want the fish to dry in the wind and in the sun.

- [Christine] So no preservatives, no lye, no salt, although the fish are naturally salty, is used to preserve these fish.

Just drying in the open Arctic air for a very, very long time.

- We hang the fish up from around 8th of March.

And it's hanging until around 20th of June, all depending on what-- - That long?

- Yeah.

- And the Vikings perfected that it was that amount of time and that time of year?

Or we don't really know?

- I really don't know.

Because that, like, they just took it when it was dry.

- Yeah, they were like, "Oh, it's dry, it's done."

- Yeah, now there is special techniques and there are people that are selecting the fish in different categories.

- Today there are more than 20 different categories from basic to highest quality.

The stock fish are shipped around the world.

This is a very lucrative business for Norway.

And all of that is fine and dandy, but there is one thing I just can't quite get over.

As a fisherman, as a captain, as a descendant of the Vikings, how does one get used to the freaky fish faces?

- No, you know, you maybe, eh, you maybe think this is kind of a smelly thing?

- No, the smell is fine.

It's their faces is they're-- - Oh, we like it, you know, we love this.

- Okay, once I finally got brave enough to look at their freaky little fish faces, I discovered that these fishies were faceless.

The heads are removed before they're attached to the racks for drying, lovely.

All right, let's go back to this temple kind of cathedral thing as we're walking along.

How many fish are we looking at here?

And is this a typical size?

- Yeah, this is a lot.

And you actually never ask the people that own the dry fish how many much fish you have.

It's like asking the people that are doing reindeer up in north, "How many reindeer do you have?"

- Why is that?

Why don't you-- - I just don't wanna tell you.

- Is it like asking a lady how old she is?

- Yes.

- Ah, okay, okay.

(laughing) Vikings, commerce, headless fishies, all part of the unique heritage of Lofoten.

I feel like this is fantastic.

And I feel like I'm experiencing a bit of Viking heritage here.

And I think it's really, really fantastic.

And I've never seen anything like this.

And I think a lot of people maybe don't know that this is how it's done on this scale.

On this scale.

Scale, get it?

Fish, I'm so funny.

(playful music) Next, after all that fishing, where does a hardy Norwegian fisherman go to rest his weary head?

To a traditional fisherman's cabin, of course, called a rorbuer.

It's luxurious for one person, but how many people actually slept in here?

- Up to six to eight persons.

- Six to eight.

Okay, so that's some bunk beds here, obviously.

So 1, 2, 3, 4.

- No, it could be a four up here.

One and one, maybe two there.

- And these are grown men and big fishermen.

- Yeah, both grown men and younger men as well.

- Because they all had to work together on the boat all day, and then they would bunk out together at night.

- And it was often families as well, you know.

Not the wives and the children, but the son and the father, and maybe the grandfather.

- Oh, wow, so I hope they liked each other.

- Yeah, I hope so too.

- I hope they liked each other.

And they had all the comforts of home from their beds to a little dining table, often a little Bible or two.

And that all important coffee grinder for those early morning fishing voyages.

Seems like those hardworking fishermen had everything they could possibly need here.

Except one very important thing.

I remember you said something really interesting.

We can't see it here, but throughout history, some of the fishermen would either etch or kind of scratch in something on the ceilings there.

What was that?

- It was usually the name of their wives.

Because when they were going to bed and laying down, they had to have their minds at home.

Because there's no phone or there was no internet at that time.

- They weren't exactly doing FaceTime and texting each other.

But these days you can text and video chat to your heart's content in these updated rorbuer cabins.

Aren't they cute?

Such a fun way to experience Lofoten's fishing heritage without ever having to do any actual fishing or cutting of fish heads.

Just plenty of gazing out your window or front porch at that arctic landscape.

(upbeat music) Next, there is another way to immerse yourself in this unique and breathtakingly beautiful landscape and quaint fishing village.

And it's in a way you might not expect in such a rugged part of the world.

- It's just the gallery of Gunnar Berg.

- Whoa, so my first reaction, and don't take this the wrong way, is everything outside is very rustic and outdoorsy.

This is far from outdoorsy and rustic.

This is very elegant.

Do people expect something this elegant here?

- No, actually not.

Because a lot of the guests are outside all the time.

But often they want to see something else, and then they come to this gallery to actually see the history.

- And that history is beautiful.

Remember the Berg family?

The one who funded the growth of lovely little Svinoya?

Well, the son of that original couple, named Gunnar, was born here in 1863.

As the oldest of 12 children his destiny seemed to be to follow in his father's footsteps and run the fishing village.

But his artistic talent was discovered early on.

So he left Svinoya to study art in Paris and Berlin.

Then the lure of his heavenly Lofoten called him back.

And as you can see here, he found all the inspiration he needed here at home.

So are all of these only from Lofoten?

- Yes.

- I can recognize some of the images.

This one caught my eye.

Is this near where we're standing?

- Yeah, it's very near.

- That's amazing.

- It was like these old historical houses and the cabins.

And you see also how the boats were, you know, there were sailing boats, the fisherman's boats.

And it's our history is all about the fishery.

- You can see the influences of the 19th century impressionism movement in his works.

Just look at the brushstrokes of the snow on the rooftop of a cabin or the simple suggestion of a fisherman at work in his boat.

But the purpose of these paintings was not just for Gunnar to express himself and to use his talents, but of course to also preserve the past.

Gunnar Berg devoted his life to capturing the quiet moments and magic of his Lofoten home.

And here in his most famous work, the Trollfjordslaget, you can see all his artistic passion and love for his Norwegian roots come alive in the sweeping scene of those iconic fjords.

(gentle piano music) You know what I think is wonderful is obviously he was so talented he could have gone off to Paris or you know, somewhere else and done it.

He chose to focus his body of work here in his hometown, and he's preserved all this history for everybody too.

- Yeah.

- That's amazing.

(classical piano music) Next, we travel even further back in time from a 19th century fishing village to the Iron Age and a Viking village.

The town of Borg has all of the typical beautiful elements we've been seeing all across Lofoten.

Like those brightly colored little wooden houses, those majestic mountains with snow on the top, and the spirit of the Arctic.

But there's something unique here too.

In fact, in the 1980s, an historian, an archeologist, and a farmer all crossed paths perhaps by fate to discover something a little bit on the big side.

Only the largest Viking building ever to have been discovered here in Norway.

Pretty impressive, huh?

This discovery told archeologists that Borg was a center of power in the late Iron Age.

And the size of this longhouse also told them that a Viking chieftain must have lived here.

It is believed that the oldest version of this house dates back to at least the 500's AD.

But before you get too excited about entering a real Viking longhouse, there is something you should know.

This is where the discovery was made.

The farmer was tilling his soil and found tiny little fragments of glass and ceramics.

He stopped working, alerted the experts, who in fact found that this was a 272 foot long Viking chieftains house.

You can see where the excavation happened and these posts are where the pillars once were.

Now after it was dug up, this replica behind me was built so that visitors could see how grand the chieftains house actually was.

We will explore that amazing recreation in a minute.

But first, there's a museum here as well with some of those bits of treasure found on site.

Over here, these pieces may not look like much.

They kind of just look like two little stones, right?

But actually, archeologists believe these could have been parts of a board game called hnefatafl.

Hnefa meaning king's piece and tafl loosely translates to table.

So a board game, and which board game?

Well, it is possible that this game was similar to chess.

We knew those Vikings were smart.

(upbeat music) The museum is full of all sorts of Viking treasures.

(upbeat music) My favorite piece though is so teeny tiny.

It's this little gold foil square and it's called a gullgubber.

Something as tiny as this was painstakingly etched out in special designs and then buried underground.

Why in the world would they bury something so tiny and delicate underground?

Well, it was used as an amulet or a votive under religious buildings as a blessing.

(upbeat music) To learn more about those little gullgubbers and the Vikings who once lived here, it's time to head over to that longhouse.

All right, much warmer inside here.

How long is the longhouse we're about to mosey our way through?

- It's about 270 feet.

- 270 feet, and lots of different rooms and areas.

And when one is getting a tour of a Viking chieftains house, one should have a Viking guide, like our new pal Christian Stuber who likes to dress the part.

The longhouse head space is for living.

This is where they would cook, eat, and there are those freaky, faceless fish again.

And even sleep on ingenious beds like these.

- [Christian] It's a sort of Viking Ikea.

- [Christine] Viking Ikea, I love it.

- [Christian] You can see these wooden dowels here, you can easily strike them out.

You can take it apart, then it's more easy to transport on board ship.

- [Christine] But there were also rooms for prayer and worship, which is where we find that gullgubber again.

Tell us the story or the mythology of the gullgubber.

- Well, gullgubber are small amulets and they have images embossed in them or they're cut out in profile images.

And the ones found here all have the motif of a man and a woman embracing.

And we think that might be a God and a goddess or giantess in a sacred marriage as the mythological ancestors of the chieftains clan.

Maybe the God Odin and the giantess Skadi.

- [Christine] And myths like these were often used to justify a Viking social status.

- They would believe in a sort of origin myth that at some point a God and a giantess or goddess had a child.

And that child is the start of the whole clan of that chieftain.

- That's like in Greek mythology too.

They always conveniently have some gods and goddesses as their great-great-great-great-great-g. - It always helps build authority.

- It always helps.

Like, "that's why I'm the chieftain.

Don't you know who my grandfather is?"

All right, this guy, everybody should know with his beautiful blue eyes and lots of teeth here.

Who do we have here?

- Oh, this is Thor.

- This is Thor.

- The God who made thunder and lightning.

He was a warrior's God.

He represented physical strength and combat.

And it was a protector.

He protected mankind against dangerous forces.

He protected children against diseases.

- Oh, we love that!

Why the two braids here?

Is this something that Vikings actually would've had?

Or is that attributed to Thor?

What's the significance of the beard with the braid?

- Well, this whole room here probably had a religious significance and would probably have been home to sacred statues of gods and goddesses.

We just do not know for sure what they look like.

- From Norse Gods to Viking ships and more artistry you might recognize.

I love these.

Now, I've seen these carvings on a lot of the different posts and pillars here.

Do they have any symbolism to them?

- This motif of interlaced animals is actually based on the carvings on the prow of the Oseberg Viking ship.

And interlaced patterns is something that one sees all through the Viking Age, before the Viking Age, and after the Viking Age in Scandinavia.

The Celts also were big on interlaced patterns.

We think both the Celts and the Nordic people got their inspiration for this by contact with the Roman Empire.

- And this is that Oseberg Viking ship, which we visited in Oslo.

Just look at those beautiful carvings.

Archeologists have dated the Oseberg ship to 834 AD, and it is one of the best preserved Viking ships in the world.

Vikings and Celts and Romans.

So much history preserved in this intricate art form.

(upbeat music) Now, as we exit the mythology area, we have kind of the good, the bad, and the kind of frightening part of life.

What do we have here surrounding the doorway?

- Well, the carvings that surround the doorway illustrate the Viking Age myths about the creation of the world.

And then the destruction of the world.

It all ends in the world being consumed by fire.

But out of the rubble and the ashes, a new green world will rise.

- I love it.

So we have the creation myth and then the destruction myth.

And apparently at the very worst, at the end, we get to play checkers.

Or actually, in the Viking world this was called?

- Hnefatafl.

- Hnefatafl.

Yep, remember those playing pieces back the museum?

They would've been used on a game board like this one called hnefatafl.

And a rousing game of hnefatafl with your very own Viking is the perfect way to wrap up our visit to the Viking Museum.

(speaking Norwegian) (upbeat music) So from a cute little red cabin that housed rugged fishermen...

I hope they liked each other.

- Yeah, I hope so.

- I hope they liked each other.

To a cute little gold symbol that told a big Viking history.

In a cute little island with a giant sports field to a, you'd never called them cute, little fishy that fueled an entire population.

On to a long, long, longhouse discovered by accident, to a mighty mountain with a horned peak.

Where you hopefully won't have an accident.

All surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty, friendly faces, and a rugged Norwegian spirit.

Get it, fish?

Oh, I'm so funny.

Captured by an artsy Norwegian who used his talents to share his beloved home with the world.

Lofoten, Norway has so much to be curious about.

(upbeat music) Thank you for joining us on our educational journey, and hopefully now you're even more curious about the who, what, where, why, when, and hows of curious Lofoten.

As they say here in Norway (speaks Norwegian).

(upbeat music) "Curious Traveler" is made possible by the following.

- [Narrator] At Regent Seven Seas Cruises, we believe that personal space is essential to the luxury travel experience.

With no more than 732 guests, our ships allow you to explore the world and discover the freedom of having space at sea.

(gentle music) - [Announcer] Over 300 tours across all seven continents, over 40 years of serving travelers, you can experience effortless fun vacations and authentic experiences with GET, getours.com.

- [Narrator] Windstar Cruises, intimate private yacht-style cruises to the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Tahiti, and more.

We look forward to seeing you on board, Windstarcruises.com.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] When you travel with us, you are not the typical tourist.

- [Christine] And closed captioning provided by TAP Air Portugal.

Still curious?

Go to curioustravelertv.com and follow us on Facebook @CuriousTravelerTV, on Twitter @CuriousTravTV, and on Instagram @CuriousTravelerTV.

(upbeat music) (bright music)