The Faroe Islands is a land of waterfalls and sheep, both of which I sorely needed in my life but didn't know it until we arrived here. As I write this, we've only been back in Copenhagen for half a day, and I already miss my little bleating buddies. We watched them for upwards of an hour one night, overlooking Hoyvik with our hotel window wide open. You see, there were these baby sheep gleefully running to and from different rocks--playing what was very clearly some type of game. Then the game took a turn and one of them started to get bullied. We watched intently as that played out. I really felt for the little guy. Sheep watching, of course, was not in our itinerary, but that is the charm of the Faroes. Nature is captivating, and something as simple as watching sheep has already become one of the moments from our trip that I treasure most. There were countless moments of joy like that: approaching a cliff to find it covered with puffins; sitting on a bench taking in the Svartafoss Waterfall while the sun appeared and the wind took a break; trusting dirt path shortcuts to take us to our destinations; being driven around the world's only underwater traffic circle. It was all wonderful.
I mean that in a literal sense, too: full of wonder. How could you not be full of wonder in this country? In fact, I was so curious about the culture here that I did something I had never done before: I read Faroese literature. The book was The Old Man and His Sons. Written in 1940 and translated into English in 1970, it is considered the quintessential Faroese novel about life on these islands. It was voted their most popular book of the 20th century. I loved it (too bad it's out of print!), and I found myself making connections to it throughout our trip.
As much as we absolutely loved the Faroe Islands, this was most likely a one-time trip. I say that for a few reasons: 1.) Our trip was perfect. I can't imagine a return visit being any better, and we did everything we wanted to do. 2.) As time goes on, tourism here will increase, and it just won't be the same. 3.) There are other places with Arctic climates that we have yet to explore...
We recommend flying SAS to Copenhagen. From there, take Atlantic Airways to the Faroes. It won't be the cheapest option, but you will increase your chances of actually arriving and departing in the event of weather. The Faroese airline tends to get priority.
Thankfully we were not the ones driving, so we got to sit back and enjoy going around the world's only undersea traffic circle. (The voices you hear are some of the others in the van. There were seven of us on this group tour.)
Listen to the sound of running water, and notice how you really can't see it. Little streams like this run all over the country. This is why you must stay on the path!
We had been watching these baby sheep playing for probably 20 minutes before I thought to record them. They were running to and from different rocks, in what was clearly some type of game. This is the tail end of it.
As I said, the Faroe Islands is a land of waterfalls, and this is one of them.
Love it! Love it! Love it! Iceland is a gastronome's paradise! Just thinking about the food makes me want to book a trip there for next summer. But Iceland is about so much more than its food. It has a certain feel to it--it's not quite like Scandinavia, it's not quite like New England, nor is it like Alaska, but if you melded those together, it would be close. The people are mellow and friendly; the weather is anything but; and sometimes the landscape makes it feel like you're on another planet. I want to go back for sure!
First we flew on American Airlines from Chicago to Minneapolis. It was on this flight that we saw Andrew Zimmern, with whom we had a conversation about Iceland after deplaning. He was so friendly and approachable, and he gave us some personal restaurant recommendations for Reykjavík (see below).
From there, we flew on Icelandair through Reykjavík to Copehagen. The first half of our trip was in Copenhagen, Denmark. In the middle of our visit there, we took a train from Copenhagen to Malmö, Sweden. We flew back to Reykjavík on Icelandair and spent the second half of the trip in Iceland.
While the flight is fairly short to Iceland (six hours from Minneapolis), Icelandair does not give anything for free. They are the only carrier we have flown overseas that has charged for food. They also claimed on their website to have interactive games in each seat, but they did not. Unfortunately, it's the best way to get to Iceland from the U.S.
We were sitting on the plane in Tromsø, waiting to take off and return to Oslo. It would just be a little while longer while we waited for the Longyearbyen passengers to join us. One or two at a time, they began filing out of the terminal building and making their way across the tarmac with all of their various carry-ons. I watched them from my window seat. I couldn't help but notice a look on each person's face--a glow, even--as if to say, "I've just been to Svalbard, and I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to rejoin the real world." I know that look because a few days earlier I had that look. And I'm still not sure if I'm ready to rejoin the real world.
Svalbard is another world. The Arctic landscape--no grass, no trees, just endless snowy mountains--makes you feel like you could be on planet Hoth. The ever-changing weather is eerie: one minute a man sits shirtless on a couch outside his home to enjoy the warmth of the sun; a few hours later, the icy Arctic winds bring in dense clouds, and people bundle up in layers and head indoors. Then there's the town, Longyearbyen. It's the Wild West of the Arctic, with customs, quirks, and laws you might not expect. Did you know that it's illegal to give birth or to die there? Cats are not allowed. If you plan on venturing beyond the city limits, you are required to carry a rifle, in case of polar bears. But you obviously can't just kill polar bears, due to their vulnerable status, so there are laws protecting them, too. And contrary to what you might expect, it is a completely cashless community.
The infrastructure of the town is also unusual but makes perfect sense for the challenges they face. Utility pipes are all above ground, due to permafrost, making them a noticeable piece of the cultural landscape. There are deep ditches alongside many roads and buildings, and some buildings are raised on pillars. We were there in late May, so there was still a lot of snow, but much of it in town had melted. This revealed a landscape of rocks and mud, which in turn, creates a very dusty town. Any time a car drives by or a gust of wind sweeps through town, an unavoidable dust cloud overtakes the area. So given the dust, dirt, mud, and snow, there is a custom in Longyearbyen of taking your shoes off when entering hotels, restaurants, and museums. It actually dates back to the coal mining days and wanting to keep coal dust outside--but it still makes sense today. There's something nice about walking around a café in slippers.
Svalbard was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, although I find myself missing a lot of my favorite places there. More than once we've asked each other: what would it be like to live there for a year? I don't think we could. If anything, climate change will make Longyearbyen unsafe and unlivable long before we'd have a chance. Svalbard is heating up six times faster than the rest of the world. This shows just how much the entire world is impacted by the actions of everyone else. We alone can't fix this problem. This isn't about bringing a reusable bag to the grocery store or making sure you recycle--it's about holding politicians and world leaders accountable for making major changes to our systems and our industries. That's the only thing that will save this world. (Note: My husband said I should end this paragraph by stating that nothing can save this world and that we are, in fact, doomed...but that's not my style.)
It's not the easiest, that's for sure. It takes two flights just to get to Oslo. We chose to do our layover in Zurich and spend the morning in town. It was nice seeing Zurich briefly, but I would not fly Swiss again. The aircraft was dated, stuffy, and cramped. After getting to Oslo, it takes another two flights to get to Longyearbyen. We flew on Norwegian Airlines via Tromsø. The plane stops in Tromsø, all passengers disembark, and those continuing to Longyearbyen have to go through passport control to exit the Schengen Area. That's right--even though Norway is part of the Schengen Area, Svalbard (though controlled by Norway) is not. That's also how I justify giving Svalbard its own section here.
This is what dog-sledding huskies sound like when they are excited to go on a run. The main sounds to note are the barking and the sound of the biting Arctic winds.
This high-speed catamaran boat trip showed us some stunning mountain scenery, a walrus, a bearded seal, countless Arctic bird species and Svalbard reindeer, a glacier, and the Russian ghost town of Pyramiden (from a distance).
This moment was one of the highlights of the entire trip! We were walking back to Funken Lodge after having dinner at Vinterhagen, when we came across this reindeer just grazing right in the middle of town. We were told they aren't scared of people, and this is definitely true. The reindeer stayed right there, letting me take lots of pictures, before heading up into the mountain.