31st – Return home

My flight home was at noon so I didn’t have to get up terribly early. The pickup service (taxi) was as usual there at the exact time I had booked it, and after picking up a few others along the way we drove to the airport without a hitch – not that any was expected. 

Due to Covid they only open up the arrival/departure hall up when there is a flight soon so there were a few waiting in the check-in area when I arrived. 10 minutes of hanging out we were let through security and into the departure area. A walk through the tax free (so much tempting chocolates and candy!) before I sat down and waited for the flight to depart. 

Boarding and departure was on schedule and in a clouded mess, but the closer we got to home the nicer the weather got, and on arrival the sky was almost completely clear. 

Roskilde.

Big thanks to Ditte and Hans for showing me around on the Faroe Islands. It’s such a beautiful place and I hope I get a chance to return. Faroe Islands – the place with stunning views regardless of the weather and location names that make the spell checker go crazy.

Full album can be seen here.

30th – Going high

I was picked up at 0900 by my new guide for the day and we immediately drove north to where the trail for the summit of Slættaratindur started. 

For the day I had gotten rid of all the heavy parts of my camera equipment as I didn’t plan on doing nay birding during the climb. Instead it was filled with snacks and an extra layer of clothing. A lighter bag also seemed like the right way to go as I had heard the path up to the top could get steep at times and footing wouldn’t always be completely stable. 

The weather looked promising; there were quite a lot of clouds and low-hanging at that, but with constant winds I expected that if we ended up in clouds on the summit we wouldn’t have to wait for long before the clouds would be spread and we’d be able to see the surrounding landscape again. 

We started walking around 1000 at around 400m and the beginning was easy zig-zagging up meadow and rocky/mossy ground which was easy through relatively steep. We got to the halfway point like this and with the wind in our backs the entire time. At this point the conditions got steeper and it changed to exposed rock. There were some narrow bits and places to scramble and parts that were covered in dirt and gravel making grip hard at times. But the worst part was me scrambling and supporting with my hands at multiple points, whereas my guide did the entire climb with his hands in his pockets. 

51 minutes after leaving the car we turned a sharp corner and ascended 5 rock steps and we found ourselves on the top at 880m. The summit itself was much bigger than it looked from below – a plateau almost square of at least 20m on each size. 

The summit. For a sense of size my guide is sitting down in the small stone alcove in the middle of the photo.

The views were as expected: beautiful. As long as the clouds weren’t in the way, that is. As expected at the beginning of the day that it might have been clouded, but waiting a few minutes you would have the winds moving the clouds out of the way revealing the stunning views. And looking away a few seconds you could be sure the clouds would sneak back. Apparently, during clear weather you would be able to see the entirety of the Faroes Islands, but obviously that wasn’t happening today. 

Eiðisvatn to the right.

Eiðisvatn and Eiði to the right of the lake.

After enjoying the views for half an hour we started descending. Instead of going the same way down we followed a non-existing path out along a ridge giving us a clearer view of Gjógv and Funningur before heading straight down to the car. The guide did take his hands out of his pockets at times going down for balance and support which was a clear hint to me to take extra care. It was significantly steeper going down on mostly grassy and mossy surface so you had to be careful where you put your feet so you wouldn’t slip. Coming down took around 1½ hours and the timing seemed pretty spot on as the clouds started at that point to dense up and getting lower, covering the summit completely. 

We got back into the car and returned to Torshavn where we ended the day early and I decided to take the rest of the day off and just lean back and relax. Even after 8+ hours of sleep last night waking up was not without issues so being lazy felt like the right thing to do. 

I went for dinner at Etika (again) as it was the last chance I had to take advantage of all that delicious salmon. The thing I don’t like about the place is that I can never eat as much as I want to.

29th – Going down south

My original booking with the travel company (and thereby by extension with my guide) was a 5-day tour Monday to Friday, but during the week we agreed on me booking her for an extra day so we could get to see Suðuroy, the southern-most Island of the Faroe Islands. 

So the day started with a 2-hour ferry out of Torshavn port. Luckily it was a 15 minutes’ walk from the hotel as the departure was at 0700. And having the alarm going off at 0530 I was happy the day would start easy as the wine and g&t from last night could still be felt. 

Sailing to Suðuroy in the morning light.

The morning light was excellent and gave a nice view of the islands we passed west of us along the way. My guide met a trekking guide on the ship who gave a few recommendations on where to go, so when landing in Tvøroyri we drove up along some small roads that I felt you had to know existed to be able to locate them, hiding up behind the town’s hospital. We followed them to the end where we got out and walked – first across the meadow before reaching a narrow path following the rock face on the eastern side of the island. The weather was great – probably among the best of the week – and the views were equally stunning. Following the narrow barely existing path slowly descending all the way we arrived at the beautiful area of Hvannhagi and the small lake Hvannavatn shielded by surrounding rocks. From there we started returning but instead walked along the sea instead before ascending straight up back to the meadow and retuning to the car. The entire walk had lasted for about 4 hours and with the views and conditions it was most definitely worth it. 

Starting to walk and looking back at Tvøroyri.

From right to left Litla Dimun, Stora Dimun and Skúvoy. Behind Skúvoy is Sandoy.

Hvannavatn.

Hvannhagi was beautiful that day.

Returning to Tvøroyri at around 1400 we found a café to have lunch but wanted to have it to go as we were a bit pressed on time. Apparently we had hit the lunch rush so there would be a 30 minute wait before we would be able to get our food. So we decided to find a different café, here we had to wait 20 minutes for our food. Instead we went to the local supermarket to get some sandwiches but the staff informed us that they had run out. As a last option we went to a gas station; they didn’t have sandwiches, but they did have hotdogs. Success! But the hotdog machine had been turned off for some reason or another so it would be maybe 15 minutes they would be ready to make some. With yesterday’s large dinner I decided I would be able to cope for the rest of the day, my guide grabbed a few snacks for herself to make it through the day. 

From one of the many random stops along the way.

We headed north and right before the tunnel to Hvalba we stepped out and had a short walk around and took in yet another beautiful view of the island. From here we went all the way north to Sandvík where we got out and had a quick look around before returning to the car. At this point it was 1630 and the plan was to be back at the ferry at around 1800 for a departure at 1830. But we also wanted to reach the southern point before returning so off we went, and half an hour and a bit later we went through Sumba and arrived in Akraberg, the southern-most point of the Faroe Islands. Happy with the achievement we stayed for a few minutes before jumping back into the car and returning to Tvøroyri and the ferry. 

Akraberg lighthouse.

A few cars had already arrived when we got there, but as it was a normal ferry and not like the small one we were on yesterday it wasn’t a problem at all. On schedule we all boarded and the ferry soon departed north for Torshavn. On arrival, as this was the last day of the tour with her as a guide, we said our goodbyes and I deboarded with the pedestrians and she left with the drivers. 

Being almost 2100 when coming back I simply went to an easy and fast pizza for dinner.

28th – Seals are people, too

Today we were going to Kalsoy. While the number of places to visit today were limited we still had to leave relatively early to make it to Klaksvik and catch the ferry which on top of that had limited space. We got there a bit past 0900 in good time before departure at 1000 so we drove around to grab some lunch for later and soon after we returned to the docks for the 20-minutes crossing. 

Reaching the other side we drove heading north; 15km and 4 tunnels to Trøllanes. From here we followed a path, or rather a commonly-used direction over the fields, to Kallur, the northern-most point on the island. The already nice views slowly improved as the sun appeared behind the clouds that were slowly being blown away. And thus we were blown away by the view. 

Going out along the narrow ledge to get a view.

Met this local resident half-way out along the ledge.

Kallur lighthouse.

Returning to Trøllanes. Kunoy (front) and Vidoy (rear) can be seen in the distance.

Returning to the car we drove half-way back to the ferry, to Mikladalur, to see Kópakonan, a statue of a woman standing by the sea. Literally translated to “the seal woman” she is from a Faroese folktale of a seal that gets her seal skin stolen (as all seals come on to land every 13 days and take off their skins and enjoy themselves as humans) and forced into spending years with a Faroese man before she manages to escape. The weather had on our arrival cleared up made for (another) great view, though I think with the nature of the statue a bit of rough weather would probably have been more fitting. 

Kópakonan.

After having enjoyed our lunches on the stairs down to the statue we returned to the ferry and as the 11th car in line we managed just to squeeze onboard as the last. We departed at 1510 – slightly delayed due to the strong currents halfway when crossing. Having raced to catch this departure the small delay in departure was convenient. Though there were 2 other departures one and two hours later it was still nice being able to catch the one that we aimed for. 

Back in Klaksvik we returned to Torshavn where we ended the day around 1730. 

I somehow managed to get a table for one at Áarstova, a pretty fancy restaurant in Torshavn where you normally would have to book a few weeks in advance. Delicious food that shows the variety of local foods, in a set 5-course dinner with a glass of wine for each. I left full and happy.

27th – Sunny puffins

Once again with a slight late start we headed towards Gjógv via Eiði on the scenic route there, and on the way we passed Slættaratindur, tallest point on the Faroe Islands at 882m. Having circled the summit we pulled over and had a short walk up where we had an amazing view of the sea east of us and Kalsoy. And the conditions for the walk were magnificent with above 15 degrees, light cloud cover and barely any wind. Very non-Faroese. Stunning all around. 

Eiðisvatn (Lake Eiði).

Funningur is hiding down below to the right. In the middle of the photo, in front of the large green rock face at the coast is Elduvík, and in the distance the island Kalsoy.

We continued from there and arrived at Gjógv where we had a quick lunch before going up to a viewpoint just outside of town. Halfway I realized there were plenty of birds, and especially puffins, so I rushed back to the car for the long lens (not expecting anything else I had just brought my landscape camera/lens). My guide was fine with me spending some time on photographing the birds while she just relaxed in the grass enjoying the weather. 

Gjógv.

Puffin.

Landing puffin.

Gjógv with surrounding landscape.

A bit later we continued upwards to the “main” viewpoint and my guide noted that the previous times she had been here it had been windy, and once so bad you couldn’t stay. Today there was no wind and plenty of sun. On the way down I got another hour to photograph before returning to the car, had a quick drive through town and pass by the harbour before continuing to Tjørnuvík. 

Tjørnuvík.

A town far away from everything but with stunning views the entire way there and back. Regular stops to take photos were obviously mandatory. Tjørnuvík had a nice-looking beach and was just being hit by the last rays of today’s sun before it disappeared behind the mountains (the sun, not the town). 

Returned back to Torshavn where we arrived a bit past 2000. Being late I decided to get something fast which brought me to the Irish Pub. Excellent fish & chips. The hot apple pie was pretty good too, though they had been a bit heavy-handed with the cinnamon.

26th – What a beach!

We started a bit earlier today with a pickup at 0830 as we had planned to catch a boat at 1000 from Vestmanna (where my guide also lives) to do a 2-hour tour down along the Vestmanna bird cliffs. 

The boat tour was fine and the weather kept relatively nice with only a slight drizzle at one point. The cliffs were up to 350-400m tall and despite being this late in the season there was still a fair bit activity. A large number of fulmars, gulls of various kinds, gannets, puffins and at least one tern. It was nice being out and the tour felt like it was over way too soon. A seal appeared shortly at some point, and returning to Vestmanna a pod of porpoises announced themselves around the boat. 

Looking towards Vágar on the boat.

The Vestmanna birdcliffs.

Porpoise.

After having lunch in Vestmanna (an amazing fish soup- and salad buffet) we went to Kvívík to have a short walk around the Viking ruins in the town, before we continued on to Leynar and Skælingur. Leynar has the best/only sand beach in the Faroe Islands which means that in the summer there are long queues of cars coming to the small town. I can’t imagine the water ever not being cold, but like everywhere else here the views are fantastic. 

Kvívík.

Leynar.

The day concluded early as my guide was participating in a festival so I was back at the hotel at around 1530. It was nice ending early for once as I felt I had been completely exhausted with views and impressions from the last couple of days. 

Having the day off early I was weird and went for a run. I managed knocking out a HM running north out of Torshavn, partly following the route from the half- and full marathons. 

Dinner was had at a place called The Tavern near the harbour. I went for the salmon starter and the lamb fillet for the main course. The menu said the fillet would be 300g which sounded quite large coming from a lamb, but it turned out I actually got two fillets. And I am sure the total weight was a fair bit above 300g. You won’t hear me complain. And it was (obviously) delicious and very tender. Despite being more or less full you’re never too full for cheese cake for dessert.

25th – Tunnelling through the landscape

The day started a bit later than yesterday at 1000 with a small half an hour delay. We were immediately off northbound and reached Saksun, a small village far away from everything. It was nice and quiet and located in beautiful surroundings. According to a friend who is actually from there, there are 8 permanent residents. Apparently the most photographed hut in the Faroe Islands is located here, and its popularity is due to its location and near surroundings. Unfortunately to get there you have to go through a farmer’s private property which he is getting sick and tired of everyone doing so we stayed away at a respectful distance. The village is a popular destination for tourists (it is nice here!) which is getting on the locals’ nerves so there are plenty of fences and signs saying “no drones” and “stay off the grass” put up around here. 

Driving to Saksun.

Saksun.

From there we drove to Klaksvik, the 2nd largest city in the Faroe Islands. A bit outside we went on a short steep walk to a viewpoint by the name Klakkur which gave us a stunning view of the surroundings, including Kalsoy and Kunoy. The weather today was overcast and a bit colder than yesterday, but with the sun occasionally peeking through the clouds you got some amazing changing light on the landscape. 

View from Klakkur with Eysturoy far left (with Leirvik), Kalsoy, Kunoy (center) and Klaksvik down to the right.

Following the climb we had a late lunch in Klaksvik before continuing on a small detour to Norðoyri before crossing the bridge to Kunoy and visiting the town Kunoy. From here we continued on to Vidoy and the town Viðareiði where we once again could get some beautiful views of neighbouring islands (Fugloy, Bordoy and Kunoy) and generally just surrounding rocks and mountains. Going there we had to go through two tunnels, and if you’re not used to this kind they were quite unnerving. Long (1,5-2,1km) one-lane tunnels for both directions, and with regular intervals there are booths on one side for one direction to wait for the opposite traffic to pass. It required timing and a bit of patience if you got stuck waiting for a larger group of cars coming towards you. It doesn’t help that the tunnels are less than 3 meters wide and with no lighting. These are quite common around on the Faroe Islands due to the limited traffic, and they are after all quite a bit cheaper to drill than a full-fledged 2-lane road with all the bells and whistles. 

Kunoy (there are a few more buildings than seen in this photo, but not many).

Waterfront in Viðareiði.

Narrow tunnels.

From here we returned back to Torshavn where we arrived at app. 1930. I wanted a quick dinner and went to a nearby bistro – their carbonara was great but barely comparable with the large portion of fish and chips I had for lunch.

24th – High lakes and low populations

Having informed my guide last night that I was approved to leave from the morning she picked me up at the hotel at 0900 and after the usual formalities we quickly got down to business. We have 5 days with a flexible schedule: the overall plan is to visit locations on the islands Vágar, Streymoy, Eysturoy, Bordoy and Kalsoy, but the order will be set depending on the weather. 

We started off by heading towards Vágar, the island where among other the airport is located, but before long the guide pulled over at a viewpoint overlooking Norðradalur and Koltur, the island just off the coast. 

The first view of the trip. Norðradalur can just be seen nestled in near the water.

Driving through the deep tunnel to Vágar with 80m of water and 30m of rock above us we came up onto the island and headed towards the town of Sandavágur which we passed through, and on the other side we had a clear view of Trøllkonufingur (Troll wife’s/woman’s finger), a tall pointy rock just off of the coast’s rockface. 

Trøllkonufingur.

A short walk back to the car we continued on to Miðvágurt where we parked right outside of the town and walked the 3-4 km along Sørvágsvatn that brought us out to the coast. Sørvágsvatn is the small lake close to the airport that is known for being elevated above sea level and only separated by rock and a waterfall. The weather had improved throughout the morning so standing at the tall rocks at the sea and enjoying the views it was the perfect place to enjoy our sandwiches for lunch. I also didn’t hurt we were the only ones there. From here you could see Streymoy, Koltur, Hestur and Sandoy, and as visibility slowly improved while we were there we also managed to get a glimpse of Suðuroy. The birdlife out here was mostly various gulls and fulmars. 

Sørvágsvatn seen above the ocean.

Sørvágsvatn can just be seen to the right, with a waterfall (hidden from this angle by the rocks) into the sea.

A bit of wildlife showed itself, here the always beautiful gannet.

We continued to Gasadalur, a small town of now 11 all-year residents, where we met a guy who was working on bringing back and breeding the Faroese chicken. The chicken was gone from the Faroe Islands but as Iceland had their own chickens he went there and brought some back to the Faroe Islands. These chickens are known as Icelandic chickens, but as they are genetically identical with the former Faroese chicken – voila! Faroese chickens were back on the Faroe Islands! What separates the Faroese chickens from the ordinary ones are primarily that they are much hardier and handle life in a much more exposed environment that the Faroe Islands is. The waterfall seen outside town was the one that I spotted on my way to Mykines last year. The tunned that we had to go through to get to the town was built in 2006 – before that that had goods sailed to a small dock, and if you didn’t want to sail you could walk across the mountain instead. They had hoped building the tunnel would make people move into the town, but instead the population dropped from 17 to 11. There are still vacation houses here, though, so there are often more than just the 11 around. 

Gasadalur.

On the way back we stopped shortly in Bøur just on the other side of the tunnel before returning to Torshavn, ending the day. 

I must say, though, that we have had surprisingly good weather today, especially considering where we are. Sunny and a bit clouded and at times barely any wind. It was only at Sørvágsvatn we really had wind, but we were fairly exposed there. It was an amazing start of the tour. Dinner was had at Etika, Torshavn’s amazing sushi restaurant. That salmon… Yum!

22nd – 23rd of August – Departure

While my post announcing this tip notes it starts the 23rd, the time of departure meant it would be much easier for me to start on the 22nd by booking a room in a hotel room near the airport. In these times it meant that I could get a room at the hotel at the airport at a reasonable price so I wouldn’t have to get up before 5 to have a chance at getting to the airport in time. 

On checking in in the evening I was confronted with “I have upgraded you to a superior room, I hope you don’t mind”. Sigh – I guess I’ll just have to live with that. I went up to the room on the top floor of the hotel (on the 15th floor) but unfortunately it turned out to not have a view of the airport itself (definitely complaint-worthy!). 

Looking down in the center of the hotel. Symmetry!

The view from the top floor of the hotel. Completely unacceptable!

I was informed that the cold breakfast would be out from 0400 and the hot would be out from 0630. I was fine with that, but when coming down to the restaurant at around 0600 I realized that everything had already been put out! So I got to have a nice breakfast before checking out from the hotel and getting to the terminal and handing over my baggage. 

The flight was uneventful but arriving at Torshavn it was overcast and with slight rain, but in spite of the unstable weather we managed to arrive at 0900, 15 minutes earlier than scheduled. 

After receiving out bags we were led to a testing area where all were tested for Covid-19. A long q-tip was rubbed down our throat (also tests your gag reflex and yes, mine still works!) and we were asked to isolate ourselves until we receive the result of the test. Basically, they would get in touch with us as soon as possible but we could consider ourselves negative if we didn’t hear anything before noon tomorrow. 

I grabbed my booked taxi and went to my hotel. Arriving at 1000 I was there before the normal check-in time but I asked if it would be possible to get a room anyway. I was faced with the choice of checking in now and getting a double bed with two single mattresses, or wait a few hours and get another room with a double bed with a single mattress, so I decided to wait. 

I sat in their breakfast restaurant in the far corner and had a bit to drink. After a bit I considered going for a walk but at the same moment the receptionist came over and let me know that the room was ready for me. So, as I was asked at the airport I went to my room and stayed there for the day, watching TV to kill time. For everybody’s safety, obviously. It went well until reaching the evening when I was starting to get a bit hungry and I realized that I hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast at the hotel. Getting late I was considering trying to find a place that wouldn’t have much contact with others, and I was about to make up my mind when around 2100 I received a text informing me that neither I nor anyone else on the flight had been tested positive. 

So… Time for food! 

A quick pizza later I was back in the room and continued what I was doing so well: relaxing.

Returning north

Due to the pandemic travels are heavily restricted (with good reason) and not being able to go anywhere is starting to get on my nerves. With 8 trips originally planned this year it is starting to feel mighty empty by now, having reached August and only having gone in January. 

A few international destinations have started opening up but making a relatively impulsive decision I wanted something a bit easier to handle and less likely to get cancelled. Cue the Faeroe Islands putting out a PR video reminding us they are part of Denmark and therefore not under same restrictions as most countries. So the decision was almost made for me.

22nd of August

23rd of August

Only a few days after booking the flight on Saturday the 22nd I received a mail notifying me that they had cancelled my flight and instead moved me to the departure the following day. No issues there apart from while originally planned on leaving in the afternoon the departure time was now in the early morning. On arrival in Thorshavn you will be tested for Corona and asked to self-quarantine until you receive the test results (usually sent same evening) so I'm crossing my fingers I'll be able to check in early at the hotel - but considering the low number of tourists I'm thinking that it should be possible.

24th - 28th

I have booked a spot on a small group tour with a local professional photographer who will be bringing us around to see all the "right" places during 5 days. There is no set schedule as the weather forecast will decide where we will be going, but Vestmanna bird cliffs, Saksun, Klakkur, and Klaksvik will be just a few of the destinations we hopefully will be visiting.

29th - 31th

Nothing planned for my last three days so it'll either be relaxing walking around or trying to go somewhere that wasn't covered by the past week. I'll just see how things develop until I fly home on the 31st in the afternoon.

Of course, all these plans will fall through if it turns out I get a positive test result on arrival, but I see no reason for that (then again, you aren't necessarily symptomatic if you're infected, sooo...) so I am not expecting any issues on this trip. Most of all I am just looking forward to seeing the Faeroe Islands again and not least much more of it than what I got the chance to last time I visited. 

Update on Chicago marathon

Chicago marathon was planned to be in October but due to the pandemic it has been cancelled - not being postponed but just downright cancelled. With the current situation I can't blame them for that decision. As opposed to Boston, though, they let you defer your spot to one of the future runs in 2021, 2022 or 2023. No big issue, when signups open for a run you just sign up and refer to your application from 2020 and you are guaranteed a spot, so they say at least. Easy.

My plan is to sign up for next year (2020), but if this are still going significantly downhill with regards to the pandemic I am free to wait another year or two. The extra freedom seems smart in this situation.

No date has been formally announced, but they usually have the marathon some time in the middle of October. They don't even know when they'll open up for applications for next year's run so there is still quite a lot in the wind yet.

This year is turning out very anti-running.

Second update on Boston Marathon

The Boston marathon was, as previously mentioned, moved to September this year due to the pandemic. I also expressed my concern what would happen with my spot if the run was further postponed or cancelled. Needless to say, the run has now been cancelled and we have been informed that all spots would be refunded and there was no possibility of being transferred to a future run.

Well, that sucks.

I contacted the travel company that I had gotten the spot through, and they informed me that while BAA (Boston Athletic Association) refunded all tickets they would transfer all their participants for this year for the run next year. Of course we shouldn't miss out on this after waiting, just because of a pandemic.

Great success!

While no dates have been presented for the trip next year, the run is on April the 19th. 

With that aside and secured, BAA offered all of this year's participants a spot on a virtual marathon; if you run the marathon distance between the 7th and the 14th of September you'd be getting a goodie bag and medal. So I signed up for that, if for nothing else then to have something to aim for in the near future. The location of the run is where ever you want so it'll be easy setting up. Get dressed at home and start running. Couldn't be easier. Except for the running part, obviously.

Second update on the Superhalfs

With already one update to the Superhalfs' dates I was hoping that that would be it, but as we all know by now there is no sign of the pandemic slowing down and giving us a break. This means that all the planned runs have now moved their dates for next year. The runs are therefore now planned for the following dates next year:

Prague - March the 27th

Lisbon - May the 9th

Copenhagen - September the 19th

Cardiff - October the 3rd

Valencia - October the 24th

Here's to hoping that the dates won't change anymore, but I guess that just by writing that I've already jinxed it. On the plus side I am still able to do all of them in the first year the Superhalfs in going on but that is the only positive I can see from all this.