“Don’t worry, this is normal,” said the Faroese fisherman sitting next to us. Even for seasoned flyers such as Scott and me, that didn’t seem like it could possibly be true. Turbulence is one thing, but when it’s happening during a rather steep descent towards an unseen island? I suddenly understood why we had been served so much free liquor on the relatively short flight. The post-landing applause was genuine and enthusiastic.
Weather in the Faroes, a small group of islands located somewhere between Scotland and Iceland, is dramatic and changeable. For our first 24 hours we got to see the stormy version of things. The seas were so rough that ferries couldn’t dock for much of the day. Waterfalls were falling up.
The roof of our hotel, like many buildings in the Faroes, was turf, which does a nice job of muting the sounds of a storm.
We spent much of the first day driving around a few of the islands, checking out the unusual landscapes and the tiny clusters of wooden houses that made up the far-flung towns.
Have you noticed the lack of trees? Trees don’t like the Faroese weather, so there are only a couple pockets of them to be found on the islands. It had the eerie, confusing, delightful effect of making me feel like I was at altitude while standing right next to the ocean.
The population of the Faroe Islands consists of roughly 49,000 people and 72,000 sheep. The biggest traffic problem on the Faroes happens in winter, when the sheep prefer to spend their time licking the salt off the roads. It wasn’t quite that cold when we were there.
More on our trip to the Faroes soon.
wow, cool on the waterfalls falling up! looks like an interesting place!
What gorgeous photos — it looks like an amazingly beautiful place to visit.
What a fascinating place! I admire the way you keep finding the new and interesting in and around Europe. Jealous, though we had our chance and did our best!
How incredible! I am definitely adding the Faroe Islands to my wish list of places to see!
Simply gorgeous. Reminds me a lot of Iceland (where the only trees growing were those imported from Alaska) and sheep have the right of way at all times (and use it). I’d love to see more pics, if you’ve got them.