FAROE ISLANDS
Faroe Islands or “Sheep Islands”, as they mean in Danish are a group of islands in Northern Europe. Located between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, and approximately between Scotland and Iceland, the Faroe Islands are very sparsely populated having a population of only 49,000.
Along with Denmark proper and Greenland, the Faroes are a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Since 1380 the Faroes have been politically associated with Denmark and since 1948, they have been an autonomous province of Denmark.
When you are on the island, the ocean is never more than 5 km or 3 miles away from you.
Probably in the 7th century, the Irish monks were the first to come the remote and uninhabited Faroes in search of tranquility and this was followed by the colonization of the islands by the Norwegians.
GEOGRAPHY
Comprised of a group of 18 major islands, the Faroes cover an area of 1,399 kilometers. Out of the 18islands, one small one, Litla Dimum, is uninhabited. The rugged and rocky terrain has some low peaks and the coasts are mostly cliffs. Some of the areas of the islands are also below sea level.
CLIMATE
The islands have a maritime, unpredictable weather and it can take only moments for the weather to change bright and sunny to foggy, misty and rainy and back again.
There is snowfall in winters but not much and the winters are moderate. In the summers the weather is generally pleasant, so the best time to make a trip to the Faroes would be in the summer months between June and August.
GETTING TO THE FAROES
If you are a resident of EU, Australia, New Zealand or Canada, you wouldn’t require a visa to travel to the islands.
Flights from London and the Scandinavian countries are received at the sole airport in the country.
Frequent flights, connecting Faroe Island to the rest of Europe are operated by the following airlines:
Air Iceland
Faroe Jet
Atlantic Airways
CURRENCY AND ECONOMY
The Faroese Krona is the monetary unit of the Faroes.
The economy of the Faroes is almost entirely dependent on fishing, which makes it quite unstable. Also it is the major cause of the high unemployment rate in the country. The islands lean heavily on Denmark for economic aid.
CAPITAL CITY AND MAJOR TOWNS OF FAROE ISLANDS
Torshavn has been the capital of the Faroes since the time of the Viking settlement, about 1000 years ago. With as little as 15,000 inhabitants, this is perhaps the smallest capital in the world. In 1900, the town had only 100 inhabitants!
Owing to modern communication and infrastructure, is not at all as isolated from the rest of the world, as it used to be during the past centuries but it has yet retained its unique character, making it the most fascinating and different capital than any in the world.
Towns are a recent feature on the Faroe Islands; till as late as the 19th century, there were no towns and the entire population lived in villages and most of them spent their entire lives living in one village. The islands still has about one hundred villages, making it yet a largely rural population.
The metropolitan area comprises of Tórshavn, Kirkjubøur, Velabastaður, Nólsoy, Hestur, Koltur, Hoyvík, Argir, Kaldbak, Kaldbaksbotnur, Kollafjørður, Signabøur and Oyrareingir.
The main industrial town of the country is Klaksvik. Tvoroyri and Runavik are perhaps the largest towns in the country. Hoyvik has only recently turned into a suburb. One of the main cultural attractions is the cultural center at Fuglafjofoour.
PEOPLE and LANGUAGE
87% of the people of the Faroes are of Scandinavian descent and they speak Faroese, which is a language that has roots in the Old Norse language.
More than 80% of the population follows the established church, the Evangelical Lutheran and religion plays a vital role in the lives of the Faroe inhabitants, who take their religion very seriously.
SHOPPING AND EATING OUT ON THE ISLANDS
The harsh climate of the country dictates the cuisine of the country, which is mainly based on meat, either lamb or fish. If you are looking to try out the local cuisine, which will not be mostly found in any restaurant menu the world over, then you can sample some of the following dishes:
-Wild sea bird puffins, which are stuffed with cake and served with potatoes and wild berries.
-Dried mutton, called, Skerpikjøt, which hung and dried for a year and then eaten raw.
-Ræst kjøt, another kind of meat that is matured by hanging it for a couple of months and then cooked.
-A variety of dried fish called Turrur fiskur.
-Sample whale meat called Grind og spik.
Other than the local cuisine, there are restaurants in the capital city of Torshavn, though not very many and the quality and quantity of eating places is even more reduced in other towns and villages of the country. Burger King has arrived at Torshavn and you can find fast food restaurants at the shopping center SMS and additionally at the Town center you will find City Burger.
As far as drinking goes, you can try the local Faroese beer, although other alcoholic drinks are very expensive.
Nightlife
Torshavn has a couple of simple bars, the more popular out of which are Manhattan and Café Natúr, which play live music, usually in the form of a singer / guitarist, on most nights.
The nightclub Eclipse is popular among the younger generation.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
The chief tourist puller in the country is neither a monument nor site; it is the two-hour long boat trip to the Vestmanna Bird Cliffs. For the bird species like the
Fulmars, guillemots, kittiwakes and razorbills, the Vestmanna Bird Cliffs present a breeding ground.
During the summer season, which is also the tourist season in the country, the capital city, Torshavn, is bristling with excitement and activity. You can visit several of its art galleries including Focus Gallery, Foroya Fornminnissavn, Glarmiojan, Listasavn Foroya, and Lydersen, displaying both ancient and contemporary artifacts of Faroe Islands.
The largest island of the country, which also contains the capital city, is Streymoy Island. Some of the popular and interesting sights on this island include- the ruins of the unfinished cathedral of St Magnus, a 12th century church, St. Olaf and the village of Tjornuvik with fabulous views of sea stacks off the north of the neighboring island of Eysturoy.
The second largest island of the country, Eysturoy, has the highest mountain Slættaratindur having an altitude of 882 m. In case you have an adventurous bone in you, you could try climbing the mountain, though the summit of the mountain is often wrapped in fog.
Be a part of the vibrant Ovastevnu festival celebrated in the middle of August, held on the picturesque Nolsoy Island.
The idyllic lake of Toftavatn, with low rolling hills around it, has the widest stretches of heather on the islands and is an ideal place to picnic.
Rinkusteinar or the rocking stones at Oyndarfjørður are two very large boulders which permenantly stand rocking in the ocean shore and have been rocking as far back as anyone can tell.
ACCOMMODATION
There are in all about 20 hotels on the Faroes, so it is advisable to make advance bookings.
Some of the best hotels, about 5 or 6 of them, are located in the capital city of Torshavn. Outside the capital there a are of couple of other hotels that are reasonably good.
Other than hotels, the island has some guest houses and youth hostels. Owing to the small size of the island, the various youth hostels are in close proximity.
The Faroese Youth Hostels have neither dormitory accommodations nor a regular reception with daily opening hours, so you would need to make advance bookings and arrangements.
GETTING AROUND
The most common and best way to travel between the islands is by water. The islands have a good ferry service, car-ferry and sub-sea tunnel system. Be at the pier about 20 minutes before scheduled departure, if you are planning to use the car ferry because there are no advance bookings and on Friday and Saturday evenings it is advisable to be ahead of time if you want to secure a place for the car.
Up until 1916 there were no motor roads but only mountain paths. However, the country today has an excellent 600-km network of well maintained tarmaced roads and tunnels and the density of cars in the country is the highest in Europe.
Bus services are mostly run by private companies and are quite efficient. You would need to inform the driver in advance in case you are planning to change buses, so that he will ensure that the other bus waits for you.
Alternatively car rental is also available.
If you are willing to spend that little extra to make your holiday special, then you could visit all the faraway places in a helicopter!
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