while walking the Faroes, an idea sprung to our minds - a long distance trek in Canada next year.
I'm getting quite chuffed at the idea and I've already thought out a basic training plan for, if I want to do a long distance trail, I need to put quite a few miles into my legs. so I thought this out: March and April I will need to start walking every week-end, at least one of the two days, and then, from May to July, I'll have to walk over the week-end, possibly both days, with the same load I'm carrying on my holiday. that should do it - this way I should reach August nice and fit for walking regularly a few miles each day.
first thing to do is looking for an inspiring l.d.t.
I'm really getting into the idea for I can see the progress I make from the short walks I did this year - if I have the proper constant training I'm sure I can walk wonders!
I'll keep posting ideas as they come along, and training sessions I'll do :-)
Sunday 11 September 2011
Faroes, a few considerations
a few things I noted about these islands...• they have flimsy plastic toilet seats
• there aren't many animals: sheep, mainly; birds, lots; some horses and a very few cows
• spectacular cliffs and views
• nice people, mostly smiling and helpful• overall, they're not very tourist-orientated: when trails are marked, they go on for a while then usually disappear; times of buses and museums are dodgy at best, sometimes a museum is marked as open and you find it closed; many things worth advertising for are not
• not very environment conscious -perhaps because there's so much environment: there's no differentiated collection for rubbish; litter is left about everywhere, even in places you thought nobody would reach.* * *
 |
| three cheers to the Faroe Islands!!! |
Bládypi Hostel
nice, clean, central, breakfast, cheap for Faroese standards. we think it misses out for not having a common area, except the kitchen, that helps with contacts among the guests. normally you always end up chatting with the others, exchanging tips and ideas. and meeting at breakfast is just not the same...
Friday 26 August 2011
holiday day 21 - the end
aug 26 fri
finally, we're on the last plane home. the night passed, just about, but I couldn't sleep (sort of) for more than 10-15 minutes altogether. Stansted is not very good to sleep at. we did find some palatable seats at the end of the building, after the last row of check-ins, but they're not really comfy - I believe it would have been better to use a sleeping mat on the foor, like some people did.
early "wake up" time and check-in at 4.00am - with the main luggage out of the way we had breakfast and then we passed customs control and passed to the next area. at the gate, the usual herd of Italian sheep started gathering at the door -forming a queue, I have to admit- way before the lady appeared at the boarding gate. all obviously complaining about something or other. what I ask myself is this -- if they don't like anything other than their fucking Italy, why don't they just stay there!
the plane left on time and we reached Torino on schedule, trumpets and all !!!
a sour consideration:
you forget all too quickly how these people behave, what you have to live with every day. after a couple of days away, they don't seem so bad. alas, everything comes back too quickly as soon as you approach any whatsoever gathering of them. I hate the fucking lot of them, and, yes, I'm a racist.
finally, we're on the last plane home. the night passed, just about, but I couldn't sleep (sort of) for more than 10-15 minutes altogether. Stansted is not very good to sleep at. we did find some palatable seats at the end of the building, after the last row of check-ins, but they're not really comfy - I believe it would have been better to use a sleeping mat on the foor, like some people did.
early "wake up" time and check-in at 4.00am - with the main luggage out of the way we had breakfast and then we passed customs control and passed to the next area. at the gate, the usual herd of Italian sheep started gathering at the door -forming a queue, I have to admit- way before the lady appeared at the boarding gate. all obviously complaining about something or other. what I ask myself is this -- if they don't like anything other than their fucking Italy, why don't they just stay there!
the plane left on time and we reached Torino on schedule, trumpets and all !!!
a sour consideration:
you forget all too quickly how these people behave, what you have to live with every day. after a couple of days away, they don't seem so bad. alas, everything comes back too quickly as soon as you approach any whatsoever gathering of them. I hate the fucking lot of them, and, yes, I'm a racist.
holidays day 20
aug 25 thu
we left Tórshavn on the first bus to the airport (6.00am) in the pouring rain, and reached the airport in good time to claim our tax refund - about 100 DKR. we spent all our remaining Danish cash on a selection of Faroese beer + cider cans from the duty free. the beer pack is over 4 kgs so we had to shift a few things from checked-in luggage to hand luggage before our next flight. the cider will not reach Italy... ;p
we spent the day at Stansted airport, as our flight is at 6.20 tomorrow morning, and we witnessed the coming and goings of a few hundred people.
notably:
# 1 - a group of Spanish kids wearing half of the content of their luggage to embark it on a Ryan Air flight... a carnival of clothes moving from here to there, and even a pair of shoes put in the inner pockets of a jacket! that brings a question to mind - why don't they just charge for the extra weight? or better still, mantaining the max dimentions allowed, why don't they just charge €1 per kilo, so it's fair to everyone - the more you carry, the more you pay. I mean, whether you WEAR the stuff you're embarking or you carry it in your hand luggage, the weight you put on the plane is just the same, so why all the fuss? they're really childish in these things. I'd write to them about it, but they carefully avoid any mail contact for complaints or suggestions, so... we'd just have to stop using them!
# 2 - a group of 2 or 3 Italian families are creating mayhem in the waiting lounge. with 2-3 children each, they keep going to and fro the check-in counters weighting their hand luggage (one at a time, mind) commenting loudly about exchanging items from one bag to another. in comparison, the previous group of Spanish teens were cloistered nuns...
late at night we try to get some sleep on Stansted not-so-comfortable seats...
we left Tórshavn on the first bus to the airport (6.00am) in the pouring rain, and reached the airport in good time to claim our tax refund - about 100 DKR. we spent all our remaining Danish cash on a selection of Faroese beer + cider cans from the duty free. the beer pack is over 4 kgs so we had to shift a few things from checked-in luggage to hand luggage before our next flight. the cider will not reach Italy... ;p
we spent the day at Stansted airport, as our flight is at 6.20 tomorrow morning, and we witnessed the coming and goings of a few hundred people.
notably:
# 1 - a group of Spanish kids wearing half of the content of their luggage to embark it on a Ryan Air flight... a carnival of clothes moving from here to there, and even a pair of shoes put in the inner pockets of a jacket! that brings a question to mind - why don't they just charge for the extra weight? or better still, mantaining the max dimentions allowed, why don't they just charge €1 per kilo, so it's fair to everyone - the more you carry, the more you pay. I mean, whether you WEAR the stuff you're embarking or you carry it in your hand luggage, the weight you put on the plane is just the same, so why all the fuss? they're really childish in these things. I'd write to them about it, but they carefully avoid any mail contact for complaints or suggestions, so... we'd just have to stop using them!
# 2 - a group of 2 or 3 Italian families are creating mayhem in the waiting lounge. with 2-3 children each, they keep going to and fro the check-in counters weighting their hand luggage (one at a time, mind) commenting loudly about exchanging items from one bag to another. in comparison, the previous group of Spanish teens were cloistered nuns...
late at night we try to get some sleep on Stansted not-so-comfortable seats...
Wednesday 24 August 2011
Faroe day 14
aug 24 wed
this morning we took the ferry back to Tórshavn. we had booked a helicopter flight but there was just room for one and they never called us to say otherwise, so we just went back the way we came. the day was dull and rainy anyway, so we thought it a waste of time going to the heliport hoping for a no-show and having to take the boat at 6.30pm. so we just got the 11.00am one and we reached Tórshavn in good time for another look in town. we went to the Nordic House Conference Centre and Meeting Hall, quite a distinctive structure made in cooperation with all Scandinavian countries. coming back towards Bládypi hostel we bought a cd of Faroese music and some breakfast for tomorrow, so we're set to go.
we had dinner at the Bistrot and a last pint of Nordic cider and strawberry cake at the Irish pub, and then off to bed as tomorrow we have an early rise: 5.00am to catch the 6.00am bus to the airport.for more photos of this holiday, please visit: http://bit.ly/pEtmEJ
Tuesday 23 August 2011
Faroe day 13
aug 23 tue
another nice day out, wandering around the northern part of Suduroy. the day has been mostly sunny so we could enjoy more spectacular views. our trip took us through a couple of road tunnels with no lights whatsoever and PASSING PLACES for only one car at a time could go through… a bit of a thrill there!
we went straight to Sandvík where we explored the surroundings and walked to some great cliffs. then we stopped in Hvalba on the way back, exploring practically every road there, including those leading to some old coal mines, and again discovering some nice and unspoilt spots. renting a car for these two days has proved a very good idea - we could really take a load of cliff views and move freely to places we'd never have reached.
tonight, one last celebration lasagna and tomorrow we're heading back to Tórshavn for our last day on the Faroe Islands!
Monday 22 August 2011
Faroe day 12
aug 22 mon
this
morning we rented the car for two days and we headed south… what a day
it has been! compared to these buses, the car gives you so much freedom
of movement, so we could go all the way down to Sumba and the lighthouse
at Akraberg by the mountain road. then we travelled back up towards
Vagur and took a road heading for the coast on the opposite side. we
actually took a wrong turn from the road on the map and we ended up at
these superb cliffs with a breathtaking view over the ocean and quite a
clear view on Mykines! there we met a chap who just bought an old farm
there and he's refurbishing the house part. we had a nice chat with him
and his dog, Prince, ended up walking to the clifftops with us. it was
really fantastic!
after
having lunch there we drove back for a bit, took the original road we
were meant to follow, and reached another clifftop with a drinking water
lake - we were glad we took the wrong turn though, for indeed the view
had been much better on the other cliff…
moving
further back north we took the detour to Fámjin on the other side of
the mountain and there we took another short walk to the top of the
hill above the village, where there was a lake forming a waterfall and
some more amazing views!
after waffle and coffee in the village we finally came back home where we're going to have a nice dinner.
the day was very full - we saw a lot of great sceneries and we could go to a number of places impossible to reach by bus. the sun was out most of the time, so we could take some really nice pictures!
this
morning we rented the car for two days and we headed south… what a day
it has been! compared to these buses, the car gives you so much freedom
of movement, so we could go all the way down to Sumba and the lighthouse
at Akraberg by the mountain road. then we travelled back up towards
Vagur and took a road heading for the coast on the opposite side. we
actually took a wrong turn from the road on the map and we ended up at
these superb cliffs with a breathtaking view over the ocean and quite a
clear view on Mykines! there we met a chap who just bought an old farm
there and he's refurbishing the house part. we had a nice chat with him
and his dog, Prince, ended up walking to the clifftops with us. it was
really fantastic!
after
having lunch there we drove back for a bit, took the original road we
were meant to follow, and reached another clifftop with a drinking water
lake - we were glad we took the wrong turn though, for indeed the view
had been much better on the other cliff…
moving
further back north we took the detour to Fámjin on the other side of
the mountain and there we took another short walk to the top of the
hill above the village, where there was a lake forming a waterfall and
some more amazing views!after waffle and coffee in the village we finally came back home where we're going to have a nice dinner.
the day was very full - we saw a lot of great sceneries and we could go to a number of places impossible to reach by bus. the sun was out most of the time, so we could take some really nice pictures!
Sunday 21 August 2011
Faroe day 11
aug 21 sun
we woke up to a drizzle again, but this time we didn't lay about. our co-guest left this morning so we now have the whole house to ourselves… the landlord asks us about renting a car every time he sees us -maybe he gets a tip from the garage- and I guess tomorrow we may just do that, so we can travel freely north and south of the island without having to wait or phone for the few buses - we'll just take walks from the various places we go to, without doing any longer treks. the weather forcast is not very promising anyway, so we'd probably never get up to anything much…
this morning we started towards the basalt columns just outside the village, but we took the high road instead of the low road, so we ended up meeting with a trail towards the top of the mountain. we took it although it wasn't on any maps and we couldn't see where it was heading for the fog. in between dry and drizzle, but always in the cloud, we evetually reached the top of the cliff and the view would have certainly been spectacular … had we seen it!
still, the walk has been very pleasant in spite of the dull weather.
coming back down we continued along the road reaching the top of the fiord, had a sandwich there, and returned by the low road passing in front of the spectacular basalt pillars we saw the other day from the helicopter landing.
coming back home we tried the local museum, which should have been open from 2 to 5.30, but of course it was closed… never mind - we had a very pleasant walk today, and tomorrow we're off to some sightseeing :)
we woke up to a drizzle again, but this time we didn't lay about. our co-guest left this morning so we now have the whole house to ourselves… the landlord asks us about renting a car every time he sees us -maybe he gets a tip from the garage- and I guess tomorrow we may just do that, so we can travel freely north and south of the island without having to wait or phone for the few buses - we'll just take walks from the various places we go to, without doing any longer treks. the weather forcast is not very promising anyway, so we'd probably never get up to anything much…
 |
| close encounters of the sheep kind |
still, the walk has been very pleasant in spite of the dull weather.
coming back down we continued along the road reaching the top of the fiord, had a sandwich there, and returned by the low road passing in front of the spectacular basalt pillars we saw the other day from the helicopter landing.
coming back home we tried the local museum, which should have been open from 2 to 5.30, but of course it was closed… never mind - we had a very pleasant walk today, and tomorrow we're off to some sightseeing :)
Saturday 20 August 2011
Faroe day 10
aug 20 sat
we had horrible weather today, raining on and off with heavy showers, so we decided to take a day off and rest at home, cooking, reading and watching tv. no use in walking around. we attempted a few paces outside this morning, only to get drenched… tomorrow the weather should get better so we may be able to walk across the fiord to the western coast…
we had horrible weather today, raining on and off with heavy showers, so we decided to take a day off and rest at home, cooking, reading and watching tv. no use in walking around. we attempted a few paces outside this morning, only to get drenched… tomorrow the weather should get better so we may be able to walk across the fiord to the western coast…
Faroe day 9
aug 19 fri
we moved south to the island of Suduroy - we took the ferry at 1.00pm and we reached Tvøroyri in a couple of hours. we managed to find a nice guesthouse, Guesthouse undir Heygnum, where we have a nice bright room overlooking the fiord. as it's got wi-fi and it's in the town centre, we thought of making it our base for the next few days. this is a new -or renovated- house actually, for the original house, for some reason is not available. it was in a real charming spot, just on the outskirts of the village and right on by the sea. actually, it didn't appear used when we got there, so perhaps they just kept it close for not enough customers…
here we met this girl from New York who's done more or less our same trip - from Giljanes to Bladypi to here :)
tonight we had a walk up to the helicopter landing, for we're trying to get a flight back to Tórshavn next wed - at the moment we have one place booked and another on the waiting list - if we can't get that we'll just both go back by boat.
my left knee has been giving me trouble in the past few days, so my right foot is really aching tonight… tomorrow the knee should get back to normal. my new hiking boots feel confortable at first, but at the end of the day they make it quite hard on the balls of the feet. I have to use them for a good while and see if they get better - it may just be that they're still quite new and "unbroken" …
we moved south to the island of Suduroy - we took the ferry at 1.00pm and we reached Tvøroyri in a couple of hours. we managed to find a nice guesthouse, Guesthouse undir Heygnum, where we have a nice bright room overlooking the fiord. as it's got wi-fi and it's in the town centre, we thought of making it our base for the next few days. this is a new -or renovated- house actually, for the original house, for some reason is not available. it was in a real charming spot, just on the outskirts of the village and right on by the sea. actually, it didn't appear used when we got there, so perhaps they just kept it close for not enough customers… here we met this girl from New York who's done more or less our same trip - from Giljanes to Bladypi to here :)
tonight we had a walk up to the helicopter landing, for we're trying to get a flight back to Tórshavn next wed - at the moment we have one place booked and another on the waiting list - if we can't get that we'll just both go back by boat.
 |
| our guesthouse |
my left knee has been giving me trouble in the past few days, so my right foot is really aching tonight… tomorrow the knee should get back to normal. my new hiking boots feel confortable at first, but at the end of the day they make it quite hard on the balls of the feet. I have to use them for a good while and see if they get better - it may just be that they're still quite new and "unbroken" …
Thursday 18 August 2011
Faroe day 8
aug 18 thu
today we thought of playing it easy -in part thanks to my left knee- so we rented a car and took a comprehensive tour of the eastern island, Esturoy, going up and down the coast looking for nice spots.
we set off in this tiny Suzuki Alto to some well advertised waterfall that wasn't anything much different from other falls we saw - most probably it needs more water, for it has some sharp jumps. then we just strolled up and down fiords dodging between rain and sun…
we also went and look for a hot spring - after spotting the location and parking the car, we set off towards the supposedly right spot where the spring was. with my hopping downhill WITHOUT hiking boots, I soon ended up with both my feet drenched in the boggy soil. upon reaching a first cairn I gave up and let Rosie continue in search of the lost spring, Varmakelda, which she found, eventually. it just wasn't that hot, but lukewarm and not so easy to spot either. anyway she joined me back at the car where I got rid of my filthy socks and was waiting for her barefoot…
the next road took us right to the tip of the fiord to some windmills - a really impressive sight!
we also had a very nice surprise in Nes, where we found a very particular museum by pure chance. it was the house of the priests that took service in Nes from 1800 something to a few years ago. the keeper was a charming old fella who told us, in front of coffee and biscuits, that it was usually his wife there at the museum and he was just standing in for her who was away at a funeral. the house contains lots of old books and documents and the chat we had with the guy was very sweet. we totally enjoyed it, particularly because it was unexpected.
we had dinner in Saltangará then headed back to Tórshavn after 214 km round tour :)
it's been an enjoyable and relaxing day, and tomorrow we change scenery and take the ferry to Suduroy, where we'll stay until the 24th.
today we thought of playing it easy -in part thanks to my left knee- so we rented a car and took a comprehensive tour of the eastern island, Esturoy, going up and down the coast looking for nice spots.we set off in this tiny Suzuki Alto to some well advertised waterfall that wasn't anything much different from other falls we saw - most probably it needs more water, for it has some sharp jumps. then we just strolled up and down fiords dodging between rain and sun…
we also went and look for a hot spring - after spotting the location and parking the car, we set off towards the supposedly right spot where the spring was. with my hopping downhill WITHOUT hiking boots, I soon ended up with both my feet drenched in the boggy soil. upon reaching a first cairn I gave up and let Rosie continue in search of the lost spring, Varmakelda, which she found, eventually. it just wasn't that hot, but lukewarm and not so easy to spot either. anyway she joined me back at the car where I got rid of my filthy socks and was waiting for her barefoot…the next road took us right to the tip of the fiord to some windmills - a really impressive sight!
we also had a very nice surprise in Nes, where we found a very particular museum by pure chance. it was the house of the priests that took service in Nes from 1800 something to a few years ago. the keeper was a charming old fella who told us, in front of coffee and biscuits, that it was usually his wife there at the museum and he was just standing in for her who was away at a funeral. the house contains lots of old books and documents and the chat we had with the guy was very sweet. we totally enjoyed it, particularly because it was unexpected.
we had dinner in Saltangará then headed back to Tórshavn after 214 km round tour :)it's been an enjoyable and relaxing day, and tomorrow we change scenery and take the ferry to Suduroy, where we'll stay until the 24th.
Wednesday 17 August 2011
Faroe day 7
walk from Hvalvik to Vestmanna - 10 km
we set out nice and early this morning to catch the 7:55 bus into Hvalvik, where we paced up and down for an hour before finding the start of the trail. I guess in the end we actually invented it, but we managed to reach the actual trail after a while.
note to self: never save on maps! always get one that has the STARTING point of the path if it's the only interesting thing on it.
the rest of the trail was quite well marked with cairns that just about showed the direction, helped by the electricity line, as there wasn't an actual path as such. anyhow, we reached a nice point where to have lunch after about 3.5 hrs, and it then took us an extra hour to reach Vestmanna. we just used the road for this last bit as my left knee started giving me trouble, so we decides to end the walk the easy way :)the weather was ok, sunny in patches, but the clouds were high up, so no real problems there.
in Vestmanna we visited the Saga museum that told us, with the help of some very realistic characters, the story of the early settlers. we had earphones taking us through this journey through time and it was very nice. there was a café -hear hear- so we took advantage of some refreshments while waiting for the bus back to Tórshaven. we topped the day with dinner in the Irish pub, quite filling and good food. and, above all, NORDIC CIDER!!!
a very enjoyable day - yes, another one :)
Faroe day 6
aug 16 tue
today we experienced… "the cruisers"… on going to town this morning we saw a huge cruise ship in the harbour… soon there were scores of people crowding the streets, and the shops, and the cafes like crawling little ants - quite an experience! they come, hit and go like locusts… honestly I don't see myself travelling like that in a few years time, but much rather like the rambling couple we met yesterday on our way back from Kirkjubøur. anyway, we thought it a good idea to spend the daytime visiting some of the local museums. we booked a boat tour for later tonight, thst wasn't quite what we had in mind but the closest thing, since they're not doing the advertised tour to Gjógv as they don't have enough requests for it.
we went to the natural history museum, which was quite imteresting - with panels explaining the geology of the islands, and how the rock formations developed through the years. a section on the local flora and fauna completed the exhibition. tiny but very well done. after that we had some lunch in the garden and we attemped the aquarium for the third time - first it was yesterday, but, alas, it's closed mondays, then we tried it again this morning, but, oh look, it opens at 2.00pm - finally, we made it! this was also pretty small, but had quite a selection of local fish and shellfish. aquariums always leave me with a sad feeling, especially the not-so-big ones - it seems a shame that fish have to stay in tiny tanks [and these are rather tiny…]
as we still had a few hours before our boat trip, we also went to the local history museum, which consisted of two sections: one "open air" with a preserved large farm, turf roofs and all, and the other "indoors" with findings of ancient settlements, Viking and Scottish/Irish. archaeology is actually quite new on these islands as the first digs were made only in 1941. again, it was very intetesting: boats, pottery and artifacts from old age to our days, with some black'n'white photos of fishermen and life in days gone by.
*****
we've been waiting for our RIB62 boat to take us to Hestur grottos with no sign of it… at 7.00pm, our scheduled departure time, we called the company and they informed us they had some problems with the GPS so the tour had been cancelled… obviously our trip with RIB62 was just not meant to be!
never mind, we consoled ourselves with a nice meal and a couple of pints of Nordic Cider (recommended) at Café Natur - nice and cheap (for the place). a few more photos on the way back to the hostel and that was it - it's been quite a full day and tomorrow we're off to an early start to catch the bus to Hvalvik for our walk to Vestmanna.
today we experienced… "the cruisers"… on going to town this morning we saw a huge cruise ship in the harbour… soon there were scores of people crowding the streets, and the shops, and the cafes like crawling little ants - quite an experience! they come, hit and go like locusts… honestly I don't see myself travelling like that in a few years time, but much rather like the rambling couple we met yesterday on our way back from Kirkjubøur. anyway, we thought it a good idea to spend the daytime visiting some of the local museums. we booked a boat tour for later tonight, thst wasn't quite what we had in mind but the closest thing, since they're not doing the advertised tour to Gjógv as they don't have enough requests for it. we went to the natural history museum, which was quite imteresting - with panels explaining the geology of the islands, and how the rock formations developed through the years. a section on the local flora and fauna completed the exhibition. tiny but very well done. after that we had some lunch in the garden and we attemped the aquarium for the third time - first it was yesterday, but, alas, it's closed mondays, then we tried it again this morning, but, oh look, it opens at 2.00pm - finally, we made it! this was also pretty small, but had quite a selection of local fish and shellfish. aquariums always leave me with a sad feeling, especially the not-so-big ones - it seems a shame that fish have to stay in tiny tanks [and these are rather tiny…]
as we still had a few hours before our boat trip, we also went to the local history museum, which consisted of two sections: one "open air" with a preserved large farm, turf roofs and all, and the other "indoors" with findings of ancient settlements, Viking and Scottish/Irish. archaeology is actually quite new on these islands as the first digs were made only in 1941. again, it was very intetesting: boats, pottery and artifacts from old age to our days, with some black'n'white photos of fishermen and life in days gone by.
*****
we've been waiting for our RIB62 boat to take us to Hestur grottos with no sign of it… at 7.00pm, our scheduled departure time, we called the company and they informed us they had some problems with the GPS so the tour had been cancelled… obviously our trip with RIB62 was just not meant to be!
never mind, we consoled ourselves with a nice meal and a couple of pints of Nordic Cider (recommended) at Café Natur - nice and cheap (for the place). a few more photos on the way back to the hostel and that was it - it's been quite a full day and tomorrow we're off to an early start to catch the bus to Hvalvik for our walk to Vestmanna.
Monday 15 August 2011
Faroe day 5
aug 15 mon
this morning we took a nice two hour walk across the "mountain" to Kirkjubøur. the path was well marked with cairns and with bright orange poles towards the end, on the way down to the village. the weather was misty but quite dry, which added to the scenery but it wasn't so good for taking photos. the walk itself was easy and we reached this village of a few houses, a church and the remains of St. Magnus cathedral from the late 13th century, now being repaired.
after lunch we walked some more towards the tip of the bay and then we returned to Tórshavn on one of the free town buses. I was a bit disappointed that the bus only took some 5 minutes to get to the point we started from - I thought our walk had taken us further out…
back to town we took a walk through one of the parks and bought us some grilled vegs to cook at the hostel for dinner. one of the advantages of hostels is a fully funcional kitchen - saves you eating out every day spending a fortune :)
back to town we took a walk through one of the parks and bought us some grilled vegs to cook at the hostel for dinner. one of the advantages of hostels is a fully funcional kitchen - saves you eating out every day spending a fortune :)
Sunday 14 August 2011
Faroe day 4
aug 14 sun
it's just 4 days we're here and it feels a fortnight… we took the bus to Tórshavn at 8.00 this morning and found our hostel to check in. we're staying at the Bládypi, very nice and in the heart of town, with a pub just down the road -always useful- :) the cost is DKR 650 for a twin room, including breakfast and bed linen and towels. nearly a hotel setting.
we had a tour of the town and it looks really nice, a busy port and well windswept. almost everything is closed, being sunday, but restaurants will open tonight, so we'll be trying some local specialities. later on we will make a plan on how to go about these next 10 days to see if it's better to have our base here and move around or if we should move on to another part of the islands.
it's just 4 days we're here and it feels a fortnight… we took the bus to Tórshavn at 8.00 this morning and found our hostel to check in. we're staying at the Bládypi, very nice and in the heart of town, with a pub just down the road -always useful- :) the cost is DKR 650 for a twin room, including breakfast and bed linen and towels. nearly a hotel setting.
we had a tour of the town and it looks really nice, a busy port and well windswept. almost everything is closed, being sunday, but restaurants will open tonight, so we'll be trying some local specialities. later on we will make a plan on how to go about these next 10 days to see if it's better to have our base here and move around or if we should move on to another part of the islands.
Saturday 13 August 2011
A Giljanesi Hostel
this hostel is nice, confy beds, large kitchen and common area. the price is quite cheap compared to the average of the country. the owner is a pleasant chap and he has been quite helpful with info. we are in a twin room and I think it could do with some shelves to put your stuff on. although there's no room for a table, a couple of shelves in the gap between the bed and the end of the room could do nicely. I don't like the overall smell of the place -probably some sort of cleaning agent they use- but it doesn't bother my wife, so it's probably just me…
Faroe day 3
aug 13 sat
today we decided to do the walk to Bødalafossur waterfall, so we set out in the misty morning to Midvágur where the trail starts. all along the lake it's very similar to the Scottish Highlands and the misty scenery added up to the magic atmosphere.
the path was good but it got a bit marshy towards the end - the heather gives your feet quite a steady grip, though. at the end of the trail we reached the cliffs with a bit of a scramble and that was it - the lake cascading into the sea some 30m below. in front of you just the Atlantic ocean and the dramatic cliffs of the island. the waterfall drop is a bit hidden from this side but it was too difficult to cross the river. note to self: always carry crap sandals on the trek.
after coming back to Midvágur we visited the local WWII museum, where the caretaker talked us through some history of the islands. the museum is quite small but there's a lot of documents of the time - we really enjoyed it!
so, in spite of the on-and-off drizzle, it's been a very enjoyable day out although my feet are killing me… tomorrow we're moving to Tórshavn so I should be able to wear trainers and give them a break from hiking boots…
today we decided to do the walk to Bødalafossur waterfall, so we set out in the misty morning to Midvágur where the trail starts. all along the lake it's very similar to the Scottish Highlands and the misty scenery added up to the magic atmosphere.
after coming back to Midvágur we visited the local WWII museum, where the caretaker talked us through some history of the islands. the museum is quite small but there's a lot of documents of the time - we really enjoyed it!
so, in spite of the on-and-off drizzle, it's been a very enjoyable day out although my feet are killing me… tomorrow we're moving to Tórshavn so I should be able to wear trainers and give them a break from hiking boots…
Friday 12 August 2011
Faroe day 2
aug 12 fri
went on a boat trip to the small island of Mykines, hosting one of the largest colony of PUFFINS in Europe. the scenery here is really grand and everywhere is really puffin galore, we managed to go quite close to them and I took some very nice pictures. we took a walk up to the westernmost point in Faroe, where there is a lighthouse and more puffins. I can never grow tired of them.
sad note: here they hunt them for food… :(
and, talking of food, we had some nice waffles while waiting for the boat to take us back.
it's been a pleasant day out, including the walk back to the hostel, as the last bus goes 20 minutes before the arrival of the boat back to Sørvágur. will write to the Faroese tourist board about that - it's quite silly that there's no bus connected to the boat that carries quite a number of people. anyhow we set out on the road back to the hostel and after about an hour walk we managed to hitch a ride for the rest of the way. thank you to the nice chap who picked us up.
note - a French couple who where with us on the island, passed us with their car but didn't stop. them being French I'm not surprised - yet another confirmation about the general belief.
back at the hostel the kitchen is full (8.30pm) so we'll wait a bit before having our supper - tonight: tomato soup.
the day has been very enjoyable and fulfilling.
went on a boat trip to the small island of Mykines, hosting one of the largest colony of PUFFINS in Europe. the scenery here is really grand and everywhere is really puffin galore, we managed to go quite close to them and I took some very nice pictures. we took a walk up to the westernmost point in Faroe, where there is a lighthouse and more puffins. I can never grow tired of them.
sad note: here they hunt them for food… :(
and, talking of food, we had some nice waffles while waiting for the boat to take us back.
it's been a pleasant day out, including the walk back to the hostel, as the last bus goes 20 minutes before the arrival of the boat back to Sørvágur. will write to the Faroese tourist board about that - it's quite silly that there's no bus connected to the boat that carries quite a number of people. anyhow we set out on the road back to the hostel and after about an hour walk we managed to hitch a ride for the rest of the way. thank you to the nice chap who picked us up.
note - a French couple who where with us on the island, passed us with their car but didn't stop. them being French I'm not surprised - yet another confirmation about the general belief.
back at the hostel the kitchen is full (8.30pm) so we'll wait a bit before having our supper - tonight: tomato soup.
the day has been very enjoyable and fulfilling.
Thursday 11 August 2011
Faroe day 1
aug 11 thu
after not so good a night at Dublin airport -thanks Starbucks for the comfy sofas anyway- we got on the plane to Stansted -30 mins delay- and from there we flew with Atlantic Airways, a decent company at last, to the Faroe islands.
the weather is good and the temperatures a bit chilly but very nice overall. we already managed to take a walk to some spectacular cliffs nearby. the scenery is really breathtaking and it's all very quiet.
the people smile at you for no reason and you can see they take it easy over here. the hostel we're staying at the moment is quite nice, overlooking the bay and close enough to the village shop where we got some food supplies for the next couple of days. there's also free wi-fi so we don't have to spend extra for connecting. apparently there's no 3g service, so wi-fi is the only way to get on the web. we plan to stay here for a couple of days seeing what's around and then we move to the capital Tórshavn and we'll move around from there. the first impression of the place is very good.
after not so good a night at Dublin airport -thanks Starbucks for the comfy sofas anyway- we got on the plane to Stansted -30 mins delay- and from there we flew with Atlantic Airways, a decent company at last, to the Faroe islands.
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