After another „lively“ ferry trip I’ve reached Iceland today. My first place to stay and spend my quarantine days is in Eskifjördur. My host confirmed today that northern lights season has started in the east fjords already as well. So wish me luck in spotting them!
Stay tuned for new pictures coming soon hopefully, after 1 or 2 days of recovery I hope to be ready for new adventures and excursions. 🙂
Gásadalur (Goose valley) is a village located on the west side of Vágar island. It offers a magnificent view to the uninhabited islands Tindholmúr and Gásholmúr.
The boat landing site is very poor, because it is located somewhat higher than the seashore. So if the residents wanted to fish, they were obliged to keep their boats near Bour. In order to reach any of the other villages by land, residents had to take the strenuous route over mountains more than 400 metres high. This isolation explains why the village population had decreased. In 2002 there were only sixteen people living in Gásadalur, and several of the houses stand empty today. It had a population of 18 in 2012.
Nowadays, in 2004, a tunnel was built through the mountain and it is hoped that the population will raise again as it can now be reached by car.
While looking for my picnic spot I saw a few puffins, but unfortunately I left my zoom lens in the car, so they are very tiny in my picture. 😉 And then I was enjoying the view and silence while watching towards Múlafossur waterfall during my picnic.
Gjógv (Gorge) is a village located on the North-east tip of Eysturoy island. The village was named after a 200-metre long sea-filled gorge that runs north to the sea from the village and serves as a natural harbour.
Saksun is a village on the North-west coast of Streymoy island. It lies on the bottom of what used to be an inlet of the sea and is surrounded by mountains. The church was originally built in Tjørnuvík and you can also find a 17th century farmhouse called Dúvugarður. The farmhouse belongs to the Dúvugarður farm, which is still an active sheep farm.
Tjørnuvík is the northernmost village of Streymoy island and lies in the bottom of a creek on with a view towards the rocks ‘Risin og Kellingin’.
‘Risin og Kellingin’ means ‘the Giant and the Witch’ (or Hag). These are two sea stacks just off the northern coast of the island Eysturoy. Tradition says, once upon a time, the giants in Iceland were envious and decided that they wanted the Faroes. So the giant and the witch (his wife in some versions of the story) were sent down to the Faroe Islands to bring them back.
The giant stayed in the sea while the witch climbed up the mountain with a heavy rope to tie the islands together so that she could push them onto the giant’s back. However, when she attached the rope to the mountain and pulled, the northern part of the mountain split. Further attempts were also unsuccessful, and they struggled through the night, but the base of the mountain was firm and they could not move it.
If the sun shines on a giant or witch, it turns to stone. So it was that as they continued to struggle they didn’t notice time passing, and as dawn broke a shaft of sunlight put a stop to their efforts by turning them to stone on the spot. They have stood there ever since, staring longingly across the ocean towards Iceland.
As I’m still trying to be patient, so that my post-ferry trip-seasickness goes away (and I’m not good at all at being patient).
So I’ve done yesterday and today only a little trip out of Tórshavn. Tuesday I visited Kirkjubøur and today Kollafjördur.
Kirkjubøur is the southernmost village on Streymoy island. The village is the Faroes‘ most important historical site, with the ruins of the Magnus cathedral from around 1300, Saint Olav’s church (Olavskirkjan), from the 12th century and the old farmhouse of Kirkjubøargarður, the oldest still inhabited wooden house of the world from 11th century.
Kollafjørður is also located on Streymoy island and stretches 7-8 km along the fjord with the same name and with a typical Faroese wooden turf church from 1837.
…namely surviving the very „lively“ ferry trip from Danmark to the Faroer islands! 49 hours of being see-sick more or less the whole time. Cannot remember if I was drinking „Schnaps“ at the time back in January when I created the crazy idea taking the ferry – but, hey I survived.
The plan was to rest the first day here in Tórshavn, the capital of the Faroer islands, but I seemed being still high from all my travel drugs I was taking… 😉
…so, I did go for a short look and walk around Tórshavn today.
First I had a look around the Fort Skansin, a historic site dating back to the sixteenth century, and then I enjoyed all the cute little turf houses around Tinganes, the old part of the town, which is still made up of small wooden houses covered with turf roofs. The oldest house dates back 500 years. Ting means parliament and the main ting for the islands was convoked in Tórshavn in 825, in Tinganes.
Yesterday, finally, my Faroer-Iceland adventure started! I had a good drive up North to Flensburg where I spent a night and was so grateful for the A/C in my new car – good that I decided to get it back in January.
And now I’m more than excited [nervous 😉 ] for the next leg: driving to Hirtshals in the far North of Danmark and embarking the Norröna, ferry to Faroer islands! Stay tuned.
Leaving Berlin is coming closer and closer and most of my prepping is done.
I bought enough travel stuff last year for my summer trip and my „new“ car I got end of January – so I’m very well prepared for some more chasing of waterfalls (and hopefully Northern lights). 🙂
Time is really ticking now and most of the travel planning / itinerary is done.
As you all are very well aware, the C virus had caused major changes for my Faroer and Iceland adventure trip. But hey, time is ticking again and in 5 weeks and 2 days I should drive up north via Flensburg for embarking the MS Norröna on 22 August in Hirtshals-Danmark! So, keep all your fingers crossed and stay tuned!
