We spent nine days in the area. Most of the stunning scenic areas start around Svolvær and progressively become more impressive as you go west towards the village of Å at the far southwestern end of the archipelago, with about 2.5 hours driving distance between them.

Some quick suggestions:

Getting there: Most will first fly into Oslo and then take a flight up to one of many regional airports such as Evenes (EVE, for rental car), Tromsø (TOS, for rental car), Bodø (BOO, for ferry), or even directly to Svolvaer (SVJ) or Leknes (LKN) on smaller airplanes with more limited / seasonal schedules.Good bases to stay in would be Reine / Hamnøy area, Leknes / Ballstad area, and Henningsvær/Kabelvåg area. These areas are central to many scenic spots and highlights. If you have the time, I would allocate 2-3 nights to each area so you can minimize driving time and explore each area in depth.Weather can be quite variable. We were there in late August and had many days of rain / cloud, but we still got to do hikes and outdoor activities every day as the rain would stop and the sun came out. Be prepared with good hiking shoes, ponchos/umbrellas and a flexible, open attitude!Costs: The most expensive prices are for rental cars at $125-150 per day (likely cheaper outside of peak summer season). Gas was NOK 20-25/liter (approx. US$7.50-9.00 per gallon). Restaurant entrees are US$35-45 at upscale places and $20-30 at moderate places (no additional tax / tip beyond menu prices). There are decent groceries in larger towns such as Leknes and Svolvaer where food prices are moderate and many rorbu hotels have kitchens or kitchenette. Hotel costs are in line with popular international tourist destinations at $250-500+ per night.Things to do:Stunning scenery everywhere you look. Nature lover and photographers’ dream. The two lane highway E10 that links the islands must be one of the most scenic drives in the world.

Outdoor activities— Hiking, with very high payoff vs effort ratio. Kayaking, fjord cruises, boating, and surfing / beach in good summer weather.

Culture and history, where you can learn about Lofoten fishermen way of life, colorful rorbu cabins, stockfish production and salmon farming, and even the Vikings (the museum is on the site of the largest Viking longhouse ever found)

Just an amazing, unique place in the world.

There’s a few small things I need to add to finish it off, but they’ll need to be picked up or custom made along the way. I figured I could show it off in the meantime!

The shop is called strawberry mania at Dotonburi. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 ounces prosciutto or speck

8 ounces mozzarella, ciliegine (the small mozzarella balls)

1 cantaloupe

10 small basil leaves

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic reduction, or pomegranate molasses, see note

salt, to taste (I used a black lava salt)

Instructions:

For the Mozzarella Skulls:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and set the silicon molds onto a rimmed baking sheet for stability. Lightly grease the interiors of the skull molds. Add a ball of mozzarella to each skull cavity. Bake for 6-8 minutes to soften the cheese - it will not melt but will become pliable. Use a folded paper napkin to press the softened cheese into the molds (the paper towel will absorb the liquid that is released from the mozzarella, which will be more than you think). Press the cheese well into the molds to get a good form, being careful not to burn yourself. Transfer the molds to the refrigerator and let chill for 8-10 minutes, then remove from the mold and repeat with remaining cheese until all the mozzarella is formed into skulls.

For the Prosciutto Crisps:

Lay the prosciutto on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350ºF along with the mozzarella skulls for 10-15 minutes, or until darkened in color and crisped (they will crisp up more as they cool). Drain on paper towels to cool and absorb excess grease.

To Assemble the Salad:

Using a melon baller, scoop balls of cantaloupe and arrange on a plate. Tuck mozzarella skulls in and on top of the melon and then break the prosciutto into pieces and place around and between the melon and cheese. Finally, garnish with basil, salt, and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic reduction. Serve immediately.

Note: To make either balsamic or pomegranate reduction, cook 1/4 cup balsamic (or pomegranate) plus 1-2 tablespoons allulose in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until reduced by half and the texture is syrupy. Set aside to cool. Can be made up to a week ahead and kept refrigerated.

You will only use about half the cantaloupe.

For the filling I used Cloudy Kitchen's lemon pie recipe and the pastry I used Erin McDowell's all butter pie dough. Personally I would just make the former unless you wanted to get fancy with pastry, that was written with a Graham Cracker base and it does sound lovely.

Made this for my son who is graduating with a CS degree

Delicious Italian style cheese pizza to christen the new home pizza oven

Yes, I recognize that there are outliers. I understand that the industry is saturated. I know that “mainstream” does not equate to quality. But good night…. Movies are not what they used to be. Now sure, I’ve aged, but I’m still in my early 30’s. Why is every movie putting me to sleep? They all feel unnecessarily long, the plots are ill contrived or just low effort, and nothing is iconic or memorable anymore. Is Hollywood in its end days? I’m of the impression that movies are going to die off in favor of TV and mini-series. Perhaps it’s our collective attention spans being diminished by social media, but honestly it feels more like Hollywood producers don’t care to create art anymore—just to profit off of mass produced garbage.

Maybe this isn’t an unpopular opinion. What do you think?

"But boneless wings aren't even wings, they're chicken nuggets!" Ok, fine. They are big ass chicken nuggets and chicken nuggets are awesome.

When I'm eating chicken wings, I want to pick up a chicken wing, put it in my mouth, and eat all of it. End of story. I paid for 100% of the food, and I eat 100% of the food. Its delicious and easy.

Traditional wings can't compete. It's a chore to find the actual meat among all of the cartilage, fat, and gristle. Any perceived enhanced flavor of the dark meat is immediately negated by the rest of the undesirable crap in there.

Finally, you end up eating like 40% what's on your plate. You're left with a gigantic pile of bones that is taken away from you at the end meal while you reach for a toothpick to remove all of the animal waste that is wedged between your teeth.