Arriving in Svolvaer

I’m amazed. I think that Svolvaer is a tourist town, and I certainly never expected that. Within a few minutes of getting off of the bus in the downtown area three out of the five people I passed on on the street were speaking English. To further emphasize, hotels lined the piers and there was even a little camera shop that seemed to thoroughly cater to tourists.

My first room at the Rica hotel had a magnificent view of the parking lot and surrounding drudgery. That didn’t last long. Luckily they had more rooms open and I’m currently residing in smallish room with a beautiful (this time I mean it) view of the harbor and beyond.

It looks like my main meal of the day is going to be breakfast, mainly because it comes with the hotel. Eating out, or even from the grocery store, is prohibitively expensive. At any local shop or restaurant, a bottle of water is $5. A candy bar or chocolate bar is $2-3, a small sandwich is also $5 (a larger is $12-15), a hot dog (with bread) is $5-7 in a gas station or on a street corner, and a ‘normal’ meal for dinner is upwards of $30 for one person. I managed to find a grocery store with somewhat cheaper prices but that means water for $2.50 instead of $5.

So, I eat a good hearty breakfast and snack on these granola things, all while trying to spend a reasonable amount on my meal for the day. It’s working out.