My favorite thing to do on a trip is find a site or restaurant that is truly off the beaten path.  I scour guidebooks, study TripAdvisor, and check out local suggestions.  It is fun to get away from the tourist buses and go where the locals go.

And today we did just that- to a little seafood house on an island owned by the local sailing club – just like our own Eastport Yacht Club back home.

I had read a mere mention of this place in a guidebook and sounded intriguing, so I looked up their website – all in Norwegian.  Undaunted, I copied it over to Google Translate.  And was hooked.

But the catch was – since the restaurant was located on an island, they had to pick you up by boat, which, from my Google Translate, appeared to be on the half-hour.  However, since the instructions were in Norwegian, I was a little unclear how this would work.

I told Frank, “Follow me – I have an idea.”

He did, but I’m sure was skeptical.

This is where the road led:

As we sat on the dock – all alone – I admit to being a little nervous this wasn’t going to work out either.

But sure enough, on the half-hour, a little boat pulled up.

And we hopped onboard.

And found the most charming place. It is a local yacht club – with the small boats an all – just like Eastport.

And they open their clubhouse to those who are lucky enough to find their way to the little island.

Although the front row is reserved for members.

We seriously had the best meal we’ve had in Norway at this little out-of-the-way spot – fish soup, grilled trout, and strawberry crumble.

Sometimes it pays to forge your own path!