Welcome to the Faroe Islands (part of the Kingdom of Denmark). We docked in Torshavn, the capital city (population 14,000). Torshavn translates to “Thor’s Harbour”. The islands rise above the North Atlantic waters halfway between Iceland and Norway. The Faroese people still speak their unique Old Norse language and Viking settlements here reach back to the 9th century.

We left for our tour and traveled through the windy and steep roads of the city. The houses are colorful and many with sod roofs (hotels and houses). We traveled along some fjords on our way to the Island of Vagar and through some long tunnels that went deep beneath the water. We saw beautiful waterfalls and tall, steep, green slopes with sheep, but no trees. Lack of trees had more to do with the harsh weather of the North Atlantic.

We saw fish farms in the fjords. Our guide explained that the ship located next to the fish farm was loaded with food. It would automatically feed the fish. On land, we could see a very large, green building that was the fish processing center.

We’re going to visit one large village and one small village in the Island of Vagar. Sandavagur, one of the large villages, has a population of 958. We went to visit the church where our guide attends. You could see how proud he was when he showed us inside. The interior had a baby blue ceiling, white walls, brass chandeliers, a painting of the nativity above the altar, wooden carvings of locals flowers and paintings that surrounded the sanctuary. He showed us two specific things that maybe we would question. One was a small ship hanging from the ceiling that signified ‘Always praying for their fisherman at sea’. The second was a large stone in the corner with strange lettering that looked worn off. The stone was found in 1917 and has a runic inscription dating back to around 1200. The exterior was white with black window frames and black decorative wood design in the peaks. The roof was red on the main building and the steeple that made it really stand out in the town. The door had some large metal, ornate hinges that were quite striking. It sat next to a gentle stream that flowed into the sea. The best part of the tour was when our guide sang a song in his native tongue. No doubt, a song of praise.

We made our way towards the village of Gásadalur (population of 16). We didn’t go into the village, just stopped to walk the trail to the magnificent Mulafossur waterfall. You could see the tiny village on the hill beyond the falls. Understandably, if people in this village wanted to fish, their boats had to be kept in another town. The village sits hundreds of feet above the ocean. As we rounded the corner, we spotted the waterfall. Stunning!

Do you see the village up above the falls? I was mesmerized by the falls and didn’t even notice the cute village.

Next, we went to the charming village of Bøur (population of 75). We drove along a steep slope, then turned sharply (looked like we were going over a cliff) to descend to the village. The old houses are bunched together with narrow lanes between them. The town is an ancient settlement dating back to 1350 AD. We walked down the lanes and took pictures of the impressive village. Our guides wife was serving us tea and cake in this charming house that belonged to her grandparents (photo of them on table). There were two levels so we went upstairs. How charming! We sat by the window so we could see Drangarnir.

The two dramatic rock formations are seen from this village. Together the two sea stacks form Drangarnir. One is an arch and the other a gigantic slope said to be the inspiration for the movie ‘How To Train Your Dragon’. If we had more time, they offer boat rides to some of these spectacular islands. One in particular has ‘the floating lake’ or the ‘lake above the sea’.

Time to head back to the port. As we traveled, our guide told us more about the islands. The many tunnels are interesting, but in particular, the Eysturoyar tunnel. It’s a two-lanes undersea tunnel that has three tubes which meet 238’ below the surface at the world’s first, and only, undersea roundabout! Aside the unique feature, the appearance looks like a giant jellyfish, illuminated with shifting aquamarine lighting.

We had a scenic ride back to the port. The clouds are very dramatic today. We saw windmills overlooking the city and our ship sitting in the port.

Arrived at the port and boarded our ship. Dropped off our jackets and backpack and proceeded to the Winter Garden for afternoon tea. We were hungry and the finger sandwiches hit the spot.

Faroe Islands were an unexpected gem with rugged, natural beauty. Photographers paradise. The people were very sweet and we thoroughly enjoyed our day.

Love some of their stamps (3 of the places we visited today).

Our adventure continues…..