Discovering Bodø, epicenter of the biggest party in the world

Six nautical miles south of Bodø, a port in the Norwegian Sea so far north that it is included within the Arctic Circle, the strongest whirlpool in the world shakes the eight passengers and two crew members of the zodiac-type boat that has entered the the strait that separates the islands of Straumen and Straumøya.

This marine safari contracted from the Explorers Salten agency (110 euros) is, perhaps, the most impressive nature experience among those that can be enjoyed in Bodø, a coastal city of 50,000 inhabitants and one of the three European cultural capitals in 2024;

the first within the Arctic Circle to hold this status.

Dressed in a thermal suit and equipped with a hat, glasses and gloves, we explored the coasts and cold waters of the Norwegian Sea during two hours of sailing between a small archipelago of snow-covered islands, escorted by beautiful pairs of white-tailed sea eagles. and with a background landscape made up of mountains that could be the scene of a Viking saga.

In fact, in these parts there are vestiges of a powerful clan of those indomitable warriors from the north who preferred suicidal death in combat against the largest army of Saint Olav, the king of Norway who Christianized the country, rather than changing their gods Thor and Odin for the doctrine of Christ.

Or so legend has it.

The boat jumps at full speed over good-sized waves until it is immersed in the

maelstrom

, a phenomenon that occurs when a strong sea current, in this case that of the Gulf of Mexico, penetrates a strait at both ends and is They form two branches that flow in opposite directions.

And when they collide, highly intense whirlpools are formed.

The Saltstraumen

maelstrom

is considered the strongest marine current on the globe and in these waters the writer Jules Verne located the disappearance of the submarine

Nautilus

in the final chapter of

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

More information

Europe vibrates with sport and culture: four travel events for 2024

Throughout this 2024 European capital, whose opening ceremony will be on February 3 in the port of Bodø, the capital of the Nordland region, some 1,000 events will be held in the city and in this northern region: music concerts classical, pop, jazz, rock and traditional music of the Sami people - settled in this area of ​​the country since their arrival from the current Asian territory of Russia about 3,500 years ago - and also fused with the current rhythms of

techno

, dance shows, theater , art exhibitions, gastronomic events, sports and outdoor activities.

“The Arctic dimension is an important concept that we wanted to reflect in the approach to culture in our program for this year of European capital,” says Marit Helene Thoresen, head of communications for Bodø 2024.

A zodiac in the 'maelstrom' of Saltstraumen.Tommy Andreassen

The agenda has been divided into five seasons that follow the journey of the sun in the Arctic year:

Here comes the sun, The optimism of spring, The madness of summer, The storms of autumn

and

The light of the arctic.

And among its most attractive events is the Sápmi Triennial, which between August 17 and October 6 will bring together Sami installations, works and artists (or Sapmis, as these people call themselves) from Norway, Sweden and Finland in a large-scale exhibition type;

the transformation of the Municipal Museum into the Sami Museum starting April 26, with an exhibition of 200 objects of this culture;

an amazing concert by saxophonist Håkon Skog Erlandsen from the Pluragrotta underwater cave, for which the 50 musicians, sound technicians, audience and journalists must have a diving certificate to be able to reach the cave from the depths of the sea on the night of 16 March (the concert will be broadcast to the global audience in

streaming

);

a controversial exhibition about Nobel Prize winner Knut Hamsun that will not ignore the tarnishing of his legacy by his sympathies with the Nazi invaders of Norway during World War II and his anti-Semitic statements;

or the Feeding Europe food festival, which tries to insert Arctic cuisine into the global culinary map and will be held throughout the year in various locations in Nordland, such as Mosjøen, as well as in the capital.

More than half a million travelers are expected to visit Bodø and Nordland for what event organizers call “the world's biggest party”, in terms of duration and also setting, as Nordland stretches 800 kilometers from north to south and activities and events will be held throughout 2024.

The mystique of cold and snow

In addition to attending this mega-festival of culture and leisure, Bodø itself offers a lot to the visitor.

The city, impregnated with the mystique of cold, snow, long winters with hardly any sunlight and, let's not forget the most wonderful thing, the northern lights or northern lights that dance with their colors in the skies of clear nights in a kind of a magical or psychedelic ceremony, it also boasts several original establishments that have sprung up in recent years in the center and that are worth visiting.

Here everything there is to see and all the recommendations we provide are just a few minutes walk away, in the port area or in the area adjacent to the center.

On cold autumn and winter afternoons it is advisable to stop by Craig Alibone's beautiful pastry and champagne shop, where Craig himself advises the customer on the different champagnes and cavas to have a glass to accompany a delicious mango and lime cake, coconut with chocolate, spiced apple... or one of their own chocolates made in-house using the best cocoas from different parts of the planet.

There is also the Studio EBN store, with bags, belts, wallets and accessories made from fish skin from fish farms, “which otherwise would have been thrown away,” says Elisabeth Benonisen, designer and owner of the store.

Craig Alibone in his eponymous pastry and champagne shop in Bodø, Norway.Karoline OA Pettersen (Norwegian Department of Tourism)

At lunch and dinner time - breakfast will always be a huge buffet in hotels with spectacular architecture, such as the Radisson Blu or the Comfort -, the scene has been renewed with local cuisine restaurants, such as Bryggerikaia, where you have to try the fish soup from northern Norway and Klassisk cod, or, if you opt for a more exotic meal, Ohma, Asian cuisine.

And to end the night in a lively

pub

, the Sportsbaren, with a good menu of beers, gins and spirits and where you can also have a hamburger, is a recommended option: very friendly service and very pleasant clientele.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by OHMA (@ohmaasian)

A tour of this beautiful Norwegian region of Nordland can have an exceptional ending if you jump on one of the ferries that connect Bodø with the beautiful Lofoten Islands in just a few hours, but that's another story…

Subscribe here to the

El Viajero newsletter

and find inspiration for your next trips on our

Facebook

,

X

and

Instagram accounts

.