Go to Norway to visit the only island in the world with no time

For us, waking up to work when the sun rises and rest when the sun goes down is a very obvious thing. This is a habit formed by the time of day, it can be said that time is an indispensable concept in life. However, there is one island in Norway that does not follow this law, which is Sommaroy Island. This island has only about 350 inhabitants, living mainly by fishing and tourism. The inhabitants of this place have long forgotten the existence of time, they do not obey the time laws of the sun.

The reason is because Sommaroy Island is located inside the Arctic Circle. Due to the influence of the Earth’s rotation axis, this island has up to 69 days of the year as “polar days”. That means the sun will always appear in the sky for more than 2 months and there is no night. This phenomenon usually takes place in May every year.

From November to February, there are 100 days of “polar night” on the island. The sun did not come out for more than 3 months. Therefore, people on Sommaroy island cannot keep the habit of working and resting according to the rising and falling of the sun. They often have to adjust their living time to adapt to the effects of polar days and polar nights that last for many months.

The people of Sommaroy often have a very arbitrary schedule of activities. They can play football at 2 am, mow the lawn at 3 o’clock, paint houses, swim or spend the day at sea fishing, etc. The polar day period is summer here, so all activities. The action was very lively. People will rest when they feel tired or sleepy. Therefore, it can be said that time is completely meaningless here.

On the contrary, when the beginning of November, along with the appearance of the polar night, winter also comes here. The entire island is covered with darkness and snow, so activities during this time are less active than in summer. However, a special thing is that from September to March every year, in Sommaroy, the aurora often appears. If you’re lucky, you might see bands of green or even pink-violet light dancing across the pitch-black sky.

Also because of such erratic living times, in 2019 locals together signed a document to the Norwegian Parliament, requesting the abolition of the island time system. At the same time, they suggested that, depending on the actual situation, they can arrange the time to work, go to school, and rest accordingly. To show their determination and desire, many people simultaneously took off their watches and hung them on the bridge connecting the island to the mainland.

In addition to experiencing the feeling of “goodbye to time” when coming to the island, tourists can also enjoy the majestic scenery of nature here with deep blue bays, winding coastline, clear blue sky. The lush green grass and colorful small islands make this place like a space in fairy tales. Experiential travelers can also choose to go fishing with the locals or go whale watching on a fishing boat run by experienced fishermen.

For those who often have to face the hustle and bustle of life and have to adhere to a strict time schedule, perhaps spending a few days on this “no time” island will indeed be an extremely experience. relaxing and enjoyable.