I had lunch when we returned to the ferry. Then we arrived
in Sortland, (4,600 populations), and is the main town of Vesteralen islands and
the headquarters of the north Norwegian coast guard. I did not see much of the
town. There was a bakery, bank, a big post office, and a big shopping mall. It
was a 30min stop. However, it was a good walk.
If you're a native of Sortland, in Norway's
Vesterålen region, you don't waste time writing nasty letters to the guidebook
publishers--instead, you use 50,000 litres of paint to create "The Blue
City" of the North.
Ellingsenbrygga old harbor harbour Sortland Norway
Hirtigruten coastal steamer, Northern
Cape The inspiration for The Blue City came from
Bjørn Elvenes, whose concept led to the formation of a private steering
committee in 1998. Elvenes, a local artist, had chosen blue as a symbol of
Sortland's maritime and fishing heritage. His idea was to paint all 17 blocks
of the inner city in various shades of blue, with judicious use of contrasting
colors to create a distinct identity and three-dimensional presence for each
building within an overall design motif.
The first buildings--mainly storehouses along the
waterfront--were painted in summer of 1999, and the project has continued over
several years
