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| Faroe Island Flag |
Almost equally far away from Iceland, Norway, London and
Denmark, the Faroe Islands are a small archipelago situated in the North
Atlantic in the heart of the Gulf Stream– that lovely warm ocean current originating
in the Caribbean and keeping northern Europe and Faroe Islands in the North
Atlantic inhabitable all year round despite their proximity at 62 degrees north
to the North Pole. There are 18 Islands, many connected by undersea tunnels.
The whole archipelago is no more than 1400 square kilometers (545 square
miles), and no matter where on the Faroe Islands, one is never more than 5 km
away from the sea.
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| Equally distant from nearest land...Internet Photo |
Irish monks and hermits may have looked for peace and quiet
here during the 7th century.
About 100 years later, Vikings arrived establishing their own parliament
and local courts and using the Faroes as a central base for their
‘international dealings’. Christianity arrived in earnest around 1000 A.D.
Today 48,000 people call the Islands home. They speak Old
Norse, but understand other Scandinavian languages and English as well. They are proud of their status of being a
self-governing region of the Kingdom of Denmark. Their main industry is
fishing, followed by tourism (not intrusive yet) and production of designer
knit wear (gorgeous).
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| The old 'Folkboat' design? Inspiration for Sailboat design for Contessa 26? |
I looked at their public transportation system, and for a
little place with ‘Island Challenges’ they are doing an outstanding job – Gulf
Islands in BC take note. There are good roads, undersea tunnels all over, buses,
ferries, much of it free of charge and running often and on time. Island hopping on the Faroes seems a breeze. A small airport, and regular
ferry services keeps the Islands in commuting distance from Europe.
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| Torshavn waterfront |
We anchored off their ‘capital’ Torshavn, meaning Thor’s
Haven (Thor being the most important Nordic God). The harbour was protected enough to make
tendering to the town’s pier smooth and quick.
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| Ferry Terminal |
The heart of Torshavn is what is left of the Viking
settlement (also seat of Viking Parliament), a collection of grass roofed
houses, called ‘Tinganes’, lining helter skelter roughly cobbled crooked lanes.
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| Viking Storage Shed? |
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| Viking Condos? |
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| TV Antenna on grass roof... |
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| Whimsical house number |
Cheek to cheek with the traditional townscape, a few hotels, lots of
restaurants, schools, shops, residential areas, cultural edifices bring a
definite modern character to little Torshavn.
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| Viking version of picket fence... |
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| Tinganes part of town |
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| Torshavn Cathedral Tower |
Just a quick look around town – and the obligatory
information office – gave me an inkling why this little piece of heaven is
called the world’s most appealing destination. If one would want to create the
ideal little piece of terra firma, combining natural beauty, abundant animal
and bird life, culture, tradition dance and music, great food, tasteful
fashions, charming towns and villages where time stands still, a whole slew of
attractive architecture, welcoming inhabitants, fun and challenging activities
and a host of festivals…..I think the Faroe Islands would be tops in all of
these aspects.
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| Tinganes Alley |
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| The Prime Minister is out... |
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| The Prime Minister's Office door on the left... |
Having only one day (and a sunny one at that) to barely
touch what Torshaven and the tip of the main island have to offer, I opted for
quality instead of quantity of ‘attractions’. I wandered through the Viking
back streets, where the Prime Minister of the Faroes has his office. I climbed
a small hill, where Torshavn’s light house stands amid weathered stone walls of
an old fort.
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| Torshavn Fort with gun pointing at Prinsendam... |
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| Stone house in the Fort |
And then I headed ‘out’. Officially a hike across the
picturesque hills to a quaint little sea side settlement called Kirkjubour,
would only take two hours – one way . Hiking instructions read: if you start from the cross at Landavegur and
Velbastadvegur in Havnadalur, you find a bridge going over Sanda, and from
there it is easy to find the path and the first cairn. The pass skirts
Reynsmulalag, and is marked with many cairns that can be seen in the terrain.
You will have the most beautiful views of the islands to the west, and above
Kirkjubour you will find a veritable lunar landscape with idyllic lakes ....
Hmmm…marked only by cairns, without any signage….maybe
another day, when I don’t have to be back on a ship late afternoon.
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| Mainstreet in Kirkjubour |
But driving by….one really WANTS to be out there wandering
through these beautiful hills enjoying marvellous vistas….
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| Almost, but not quite washed away by the sea |
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| Story of Kirkjubour |
I covered the seven km by taxi. Kirkjubour is REALLY small,
really OLD, and absolutely irresistibly charming. Almost every house is grass
roofed, there is a dead end lane which is the ‘main’ thoroughfare, ruins of St
Magnus Cathedral (the size of a chapel) dating from the 13th
century. A smaller church was built in
the middle ages, still there, but the churchyard has succumbed to the ever
encroaching sea, and the little church stands right at the edge of the sea now.
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| Ruins of St Magnus Cathedral...Internet Photo |
The Roykstovan, a large grass roofed farm house, is built on
the stone basement of the former bishop’s ‘palace’, and has been the home of
Faroe Farmers since centuries. 17 generations of the same family have lived
there, and the present one still does. The split log timber of the walls is
said to have drifted over from Norway about 700 years ago.
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| Oldest Log House on Faroe Island, if not Europe |
I did not want to leave…. bucolic scenery, peace, silence,
aroma of sea weed, flowers bending to the breeze, a horse and sheep grazing
behind a stone fence, a hairy calf resting on the path, no one around, an
inviting trail leading to steep headlands, a few houses basking in the
afternoon sun…just warmth, glorious views, and a serene and peaceful jewel of a
village….happiness.
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| Peaceful surroundings |
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| Kirkjubour Pet |
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| Kirkjubour Garage |
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| Kirkjubour Picture Window |
The Faroes, a place undiscovered….still pristine….a
remainder and reminder of a bygone age, with a modern twist.
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| And into the bilge to coax the engine into life.... |
Back to the ship via tender. My tender had ‘slight technical difficulties’
with one of her diesel engines dying out halfway to the ship. A few deft
interventions by ship’s engineers (off duty and out of uniform) got the god
little boat running again, and we sidled up to Prinsendam to climb back aboard.
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| Adios Faroe Islands... |
The last good bye as seen from my cabin window (salt encrusted) was a wooden
sailboat, leisurely drifting on a calm sea under a late setting sun...lovely.
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| Faroe Island Scene - Internet Photo |
For anyone, who wants to experience a virtual visit….
Post Scriptum:
There is a less 'beautiful' aspect regarding the Faroe Island, it would be unfair not to mention it:
The Faroe Islanders hunt pilot whales for food. The slaughter of these animals is a contentious issue between the Islanders and conservation and animal rights activists. Information on this can be googled under 'Faroe Island Whale Wars'. It is quite similar to Canada's controversial seal hunt. Below a link to a Guardian article, about a stand off between Islanders and Sea Shepherd, Anti Whaling Ship.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/25/sea-shepherd-anti-whaling-ship-bob-barker-refused-entry-to-faroe-islands
