Bodø

Bodø is a windy city on the coast of the Norwegian Sea and the administrative center of the Nordland region. Counting over 41 thousands inhabitants (data from January 2019), it is located just behind Tromsø when it comes to northern Norway (and it ranks fifth in the whole of Norway). The history of the city dates back to the Stone Age, when the first fishing settlements were established in the vicinity of Saltstraumen. The community, living mainly from fishing, obtained city rights in 1816, thanks to which it was possible to develop the fish trade, which until then had been monopolized by Bergen. Today, fishing is still a significant industry in the region.

As with the rest of the Nordland region, fjords and mountains dominate the city, with flat and cultivated areas all along the coast as well as in valleys formed by glaciers from the last ice age.

Half an hour from the city center, Saltstraumen is one of Bodø’s main attractions. It is the strongest tidal current in the world. Every six hours, 400 million cubic meters of water flows at a speed of 20 knots (37 km/h) under the Saltstraumen Bridge through a strait 150 meters wide and 3 kilometers long. The water creates whirlpools over 12 meters in diameter and 5 meters deep. The water level rises most rapidly during the full and new moons. The whirlpools can be observed from the bridge or from the shore.

In addition, Bodø boasts the world’s largest population of sea eagles.

So many interesting facts from Wikipedia. My interest in this city located above the Arctic Circle stems from old, unrealized plans to see the Northern Lights. For some time, you can get from Gdańsk to Bodø directly, without any transfers, at quite affordable ticket prices. This gave rise to an opportunity for a few days’ stay, which ended with seeing a green glow in the sky (see previous entry).

I found out that statistically January is the time of the strongest winds and storms in this area, after the tickets were paid for and the three-day stay was organized. All we had to do was hope that the weather would take pity on us and chase away the clouds from the sky for at least one night. Surprisingly, last night we managed to observe the northern lights and the next day (the day of our return to Poland), although still a bit windy, turned out to be extremely clear.