Lofoten Islands, Norway

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Arya

Settler
May 15, 2013
796
59
39
Norway
It was a good trip!
2 weeks just fly by.
Fishing was superb. It was fun to collect the mussels and limpets.

Mussel soup? I never had that! How fo you cook it?

Wow, you haven't had mussel soup before? You are in for a treat!
You can cook it different ways, depending on what you like, but my favourite is the creamy one with white wine and garlic.

You make a stock from mussels, garlic, onions and white wine. Fry the onion and garlic in some butter or neutral oil first, but don't burn them.
Drain the stock when the mussels have opened. Remove the shells if you want to.
Add cream, root vegetables (like f.ex carrots, selleri, fennel and leek), salt and pepper, a squeeze of lemon into the stock. Whatever you might like actually.
You can even make a spicy version too if you like, with cayenne or chili.
Cook until veggies are done, and add chosen herbs like f.ex chives, parsley or thyme.
before serving, add the mussels back into the soup, but don't let them boil! They'll become chewy if you do. Just let them heat up.

Serve with some nice bread and white wine, and enjoy!
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
A developed and civilized version of Moules Marinieres!
Delicious!

I will cook that, for sure.
I am back home, but we can buy fresh Canadian mussels here on Grand Cayman, almost as good as the Norwegian Sea ones!

You should try a French Rose wine called Whispering Angel.
You can buy it in the Tax Free area in Gardemoen.
The Alcohol shop in Leknes ( our closest one in Norway) does not stock it, maybe your local one does?
 
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Arya

Settler
May 15, 2013
796
59
39
Norway
Thank you for the tip! I'll keep that name in mind. Maybe I can order it if they don't sell it at the local liquor store.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Time again!
Thank the Gods it is the 777 we fly, and the rest are European made aircraft. The last one Made in Canada.

I do not know what we would do if one part of the trip got cancelled....
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
"Melissa's Mussels" (a simple supper for me.)
Sweat 2 tbs crushed garlic and 2 tbs butter in a large pot.
Add 1/2C each sliced onions, red & green peppers to sweat/soften.
Add 1C white wine and heat to boiling. Maybe 1/2 tsp each S&P.

Add mussels ( maybe 30-35/lb in the shells?) and cook for 8-10 minutes.
Eat with fresh breads and soft butter.
 
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Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
Yank a few off and have a chew. Take a lemon. I hope you crunk down on a pearl.

We have had, from Mexico north, a 2(?) year ban on the coast from Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning.
Just a week back, looks like some areas are clean again. Been an industry killer.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
I can take ‘small meat’ but am not happy about immersing my arms in sub zero water.
The nice ones in our secret place all grow below the low water mark.
I can not access the area at the lowest tide, I do not want to risk damaging the prop.
 
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Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
The last trip was a bit of a transportation disaster, fishing disaster, but relaxation and renovation wise - excellent.
Arrived at Oslo, checked into hotel. Opened Ipad, and saw that the next leg of the journey ( by Norwegian) had just been postponed by more than 27 hours, due to the Boeing aircraft fiasco. No way we would shorten our stay that much, spending precious time at a boring airport hotel.....
So we ran back to the terminal, and bought new tickets (with SAS) to Bodø. No refund of the Norwegian tickets.
Ran back to the hotel, checked out ( still had to pay for the stay) ran back. Fun running with a wornout knee. Thanks, Norwegian!
Got to Bodø, a few hours in a hotel, ( the excellent Thon Hotel) then in the early morning with Widerøe to Leknes. Milk visibility all the way, but it cleared up miraculously just when we aporoached Leknes airport.
A Hybrid rental car waited, plus a snowstorm.
It stormed on and off for the two weeks we were there, so I did not pick up my boat.

One storm was particularry bad, about 500km south of us there was an incident with a cruise ship. Lost all power, almost drifted on some cliffs.

Lots and lots of snow, close to 2 meters on our drive, so for the first time in 25 years I had to shovel!

As I could not fish, buy I had plenty of time to work on the house, service reels, sort out the other fishing equipment, and so on. House is close to being finished.
Did a new floor, new wall panels in the last bathroom, fitted shower cabinet, bathroom cabinets, and almost finished another bedrooms wall panelling.
Sort out some business with the council, enjoy time with friends.
Good stuff! Relaxation!

Being in winter and in the Northern Atlantic, this happens about once every three winters.
It is ok, I do not fish to make a living.

On the way home, when we checked ii for the Oslo to London flight in Oslo, we got the message that we had been bumped off on the London to Cayman.
World Traveller Plus, booked through BA, 4 months in advance, Silver membership, freqvent flyer, blah, blah, blah, nothing is worth anything.

Arriving at Heathrow, after a nervous sleep, we spent several hours at a desk dealing with this crap, we were 6 that were bumped off.
The two of us were first in queu ( stood there 5 AM when they opened) so we managed to get seats, furthest back in the cabin.
Hate those. Recline less, unless you book a Special Meal you get the food last, and usually the Cornish Ale they have ( few know this ale is on the flight) is finished.
But we got our Special Meals as ordered, very nice, loads of that gutrot wino so I was happy.


But at least we got around 2K back on the price difference, plus 300 as goodwill.

I have already booked for the next trip. Cayman Airways to Miami, Lufthansa to Frankfurt then Oslo, SAS to Bodø then Widerøe to Leknes.
Norwegian - never again, and if Lufthansa is nice, BA has lost three longtime customers.

Bushcrafting you ask?
Apart from a one hour snow wading ( one hour there, 15 minutes back in the same tracks, digging with bare hands and knife, cutting hard frozen wood) to get a specific piece of Arctic Birch I had scouted the previoys summer and working on it, nothing. Unless shovelling snow daily and fixing fishing equipment counts.

The heavily convoluted Birch trunk I took home to Cayman, will be the main part of a kitchen knife stand.
I must be redistered in the Security computers worldwide as the guy that transports the weirdest stuff around. Whalebone, wood, bits of old ship planks, bits of weird steel...
 
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Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
My main goal is to relax, get away from the environment where I am now, ’get my bearings’. Work on the house. That is a little hobby of mine, fixing houses up. Nice change from the fiddly 9-5 work.
The fishing is a bonus. A huge one, buy safety first.
One pro boat sank this year. Close to shore, they managed to swim to shore and survive.
They have to go out and harvest the fish. The season is short.

I used to get incredibly pi$$ed off when the flying crap happened. I fly to Reine twice or three times a year, each leg is 4 or 5 flights.
Problem ( missed flights because some delay with a previous flight) at least every 5 or 6 return flights.
As the goddamn companies I have used so far are in different organisations ( BA is in OneWorld, SAS and Widerøe in Star Alliance)
I always have to buy new tickets.
Infuriating.
But now I will try with another way. Lufthansa. Star Alliance except Cayman Airways.

It was an excellent stay.

Lots done, lots of preparations for my part time retirement there done.
 
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Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
I used to believe that the travel was a part of the adventure. That's enough to wee off a saint.
Just makes my toes curl to read of your delays and bumps. I get tired just imagining the fuss and bother.

That Boeing fiasco has had ripples across the world. Nobody I know want to ride in a lawn dart.

Discouraging to get up to find the snow up past your a$$, huh?
I've seen an overnight dump of approx 110 cm just once in the 18 years out here.

Got a spare prop for your boat? Best possible insurance you can carry.
What are the chances of buying fish and shellfish in any local market?
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Yes, spare Al prop I have polished off the sharp edges.
The engine I have now has a long propeller housing, and when it is vertical and to the side, closest to the rear of the boat, it is still a pig to replace. Did it once on this boat, just to practice, and cut my hand on the old prop. So I carefully rounded off the edges on the main prop, and on the spare.

I plan to get a spare small outboard engine, a 9.9 hp with a pull start and independent fuel tank.

Fish can be bought locally in the supermarket. Or from the factory during the season. Or, the cheapest way, from a fisherman.
Shrimp - supermarket.

I ave enough cod loin here in cayman to last me until the next season ( Jan - April 2020) plus I will fish for Halibut this summer.
Will try to get some Sea Trout too.
 

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