Travels in Fire and Ice Day 8 - Hiking in the Faroe Islands

I have been intrigued by the Faroe Islands for a few years, so I was looking forward to this day. It was a long ride from southeast Iceland, so in the morning we were still arriving. The sea was foggy and I heard the ship’s horn blowing regularly.

I went to a yoga class and came back to a room service breakfast.  

The land came into view at this point as well.  The islands are as beautiful as depicted in travel websites.

I am relieved we arrived after the big annual pilot whale hunt. Some cruises received a nasty surprise on an excursion to the Faroe Islands a few weeks ago.

Temperatures were predicted to be as high as 57 F. A heat wave! During the morning announcements Roy the cruise director said there would be no  “gloooorious sunshine” (as he likes to say), but he was wrong. It was a beautiful day. The clouds burned off and it was our best weather day so far.

We met our guides in the mid afternoon and headed out of town. I learned that Faroe means sheep and there are more sheep than people in the Faroe Islands. In both Iceland and the Faroe Islands, farmers tag their sheep and let them roam free in the mountains during the summer and round them up in the fall, so you see them up and down the mountainsides.  I saw plenty of sheep by the roadside today. At one point the bus had to stop and let one cross.

Driving out we also saw some dolphins in the fjord. They popped up to say hello, but the little boogers wouldn’t pose for photos! Well, it’s as close to whale watching I have been able to do so far.

The hike started with a steep climb and leveled off. We still had to walk some narrow paths on steep hills and there was an occasional rock scramble. Whenever the trail became difficult I reminded myself I hiked Breakneck Ridge, which was inspiring because if you can do Breakneck Ridge, I think you can handle any non-technical hike.

At the end of the hike we went to some scenic overlooks for the fjord, one of the neighboring islands, and the city.

(Things I remember from college geology class:  This is a glacial valley and not a river valley because it is u-shaped rather than v-shaped). 

We returned to the ship and relaxed until dinner. 

We had a late dinner with Erik’s family.  Dad and Beth decided they wanted to eat earlier. We managed to get a table again at La Terraza.  This time I had more appetite so I indulged a bit more.

I started with the salumeria special.

My primo was pappardelle with duck ragu.

I had a steak after that.  It was cooked perfectly rare.

For dessert I has a hazelnut and chocolate cake and some limoncello. 

We went back to the Silver Note bar for a drink with Dad after dinner (total alcohol units: 7)I was starting to hit a wall and went to bed.