Category Archives: Faroe Islands
Can You Say That in Faroese Please?
Can you say please in Faroese? With fewer than 80,000 people speaking Faroese worldwide, and a growing tourism market, folks from the Faroe Islands realise that not having their language included on Google Translate can be frustrating for visitors keen … Continue reading
Faroes and Away: My New Happy Place
Sometime between my trip to the Faroe Islands and writing up this series about the experience, I paid a visit to the dentist for a routine check up and cleaning. To say I’m not a fan of going to the dentist would be putting it mildly. Usually during a check up, I’ve got my eyes clinched tight and my hands clutching the arms of the chair with my lower legs and feet squirming around. In my mind, I’m concentrating as hard as I can on pleasant thoughts and such. This last time in the dentist’s chair, my mind went straight back to the Faroes. It’s my new ‘happy place’ I reckon and as scenic a mind’s eye destination as I could ever image. I was, for perhaps the first time during dental appointment, completely unfazed and all but unaware of the activity going on in my mouth. Continue reading
Faroes and Away: Shhh …
It may seem mundane and not terribly exciting, but one of the main reasons I loved my time in the Faroes was the peace and quiet found there. Folks say that silence is golden. But during one particularly placid morning at my hotel, it was mostly deep green and soft brown with tiny dots of wild flower yellow and a soothing blue ocean view. Continue reading
Faroes and Away: It’s Best by Boat!
With 18 islands, innumerable islets and rock formations, and more than 1,000k of craggy coast, the best way to experience the Faroe Islands is definitely by boat. Luckily during my brief stay, I managed to climb aboard a few different Faroese vessels. As I said in my first piece about the Faroes, you should just go! When you do you be sure to make every effort to spend as much time at sea as possible island hopping and taking in the views of this rugged and beautiful island nation. Here’s a look at some of the boats I set foot on and can happily recommend. Continue reading
Faroes and Away: The Ultimate Burger?
To be honest I didn’t intend to write about it – and in all sincerity (and a bit of naiveté?) I really didn’t think the topic actually would come up – but I was wrong. The issue of the long standing Faroese tradition of hunting pilot whales was something a number of Faroe Islanders wanted to discuss with me. Now back home and thinking about my time there, any account of my trip without mention of this part of Faroes Islands life would be remiss. Continue reading
Faroes and Away: A Bad Day Fishing …
My first full day in the Faroe Islands had me tagging along with local television personality and ace cook, Gutti Winther, on a fishing trip at what seemed to be the very edge of the world. The salmon weren’t biting, but the setting was breathtaking – and the clean sea air, majestic scenery, and Gutti’s ‘plan b’ lunch more than made up for any lack of catch. As the saying goes, “a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work,” and my scenic Faroese fishin’ expedition certainly proved that point. Continue reading
Faroes and Away: Just Go
Why the tiny (if staggeringly scenic) nation of the Faroe Islands wasn’t overrun with tourists during my visit in early August is beyond me – especially considering that my flight from Stansted was hardly more than two hours long and that I had never seen anywhere on earth quite as extraordinary or been anywhere quite as distinctive. That this archipelago of 18 islands jutting from the juncture of the North Atlantic and the Norwegian Sea is such an accessible yet sparsely populated and utterly gorgeous destination should be reason enough for you to stop whatever it is you’re doing right this instant and start making plans to see the Faroes for yourself. Continue reading