Faroe Islands Photo Journal

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“The Faroe Islands. Some may have heard of them recently lately, perhaps because of their prime location this past March when they were one of two places to witness the total solar eclipse. Or some may have heard of them when they defeated Greece in the Euro qualifiers – twice!

Belonging officially to Denmark, they lie (roughly) between the Shetland Islands of Scotland and Iceland. They were settled by Viking colonizers in the 9th century AD and were first subject to the Norwegian crown, followed by the Danish crown. In more recent history, they were overseen by the United Kingdom during WWII as Denmark was occupied by the Nazis. Nevertheless, many Faroese wish to strike out on their own from Denmark to become a fully-fledged independent nation.

“The Gap” of Gyogv village on Eysturyoy, Faroe Islands
“The Gap” of Gyogv village on Eysturyoy, Faroe Islands

So why would you wish to go to the Faroe Islands? Where to begin? The landscape is dramatic, affording huge vistas across many of the scenic roads found throughout the islands. Many of the villages feature traditional turf houses and friendly locals. Bird spotting features highly on many a visitor’s lists with the potential to get up close and personal with puffins, gannets, and more. But what is palpable when you visit the Faroes is the sense of being at the edge of Europe and subject to the raw elements of the North Atlantic.”

Boat houses at Vestmanna, island of Streymoy, Faroe Islands
Boat houses at Vestmanna, island of Streymoy, Faroe Islands
The islands of Koltur and Hestur in the Bay of Vagafjordur, Faroe Islands
The islands of Koltur and Hestur in the Bay of Vagafjordur, Faroe Islands
A beautiful view on the “high” road from Torshavn, the Faroese capital, to Vestmanna village on the island of Streymoy, Faroe Islands
A beautiful view on the “high” road from Torshavn, the Faroese capital, to Vestmanna village on the island of Streymoy, Faroe Islands
Viking boat
A replica viking boat in the harbour of Torshavn (“Thor’s Harbour”)
Faroese women in traditional dress
Two Faroese women in traditional dress make their way to celebrations in Torshavn during the National Day of the Faroe Islands
A young Faroese girl
A young Faroese girl tries to stay amused as crowds gather in the central square of Torshavn to celebrate the National Day with songs and speeches
Public street parties in Torshavn
Festivities move from private quarters to the public street parties in Torshavn during the National Day celebrations, Faroe Islands
A Faroese man in traditional dress
A Faroese man in traditional dress (during the National Day celebrations) poses in the small village of Tjornuvik, Streymoy Island, Faroe Islands
Torshavn harbour
View of beautiful Torshavn harbour (literally “Thor’s harbour”)
Eiði Eysturoy
Beautiful landscape outside of Eiði, Eysturoy
Risin and Kellingin sea stacks
View of the remarkable Risin and Kellingin sea stacks off of the north end of Eysturoy island, Faroes

“As you can see, it is a remarkable place of breathtaking scenery and still reasonably free from high tourism numbers. Featured as a top destination in Lonely Planet for 2015, I would suggest planning your visit soon!”

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Jonathan Hodgson

Jonathan is an experienced international tour leader for Adventures Abroad, an outbound tour operator based out of Vancouver, Canada. Though he is mostly living out of a suitcase, he has called many places "home" over the years, including Scotland, Australia, Uzbekistan and many locations within Canada. He is now based out of Vernon, British Columbia, Canada with his wife and son.

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7 comments on “Faroe Islands Photo Journal”

  1. Whaling was banned in 1986 by 89 countries, including those in Europe, including DENMARK. FEROES Danish protectorate located between Greenland and Scotland proclaims not being EUROPEAN to avoid the BAN. However, they are impatiently waiting for subsidies from Europe through DENMARK !!! This "tradition" of the Danish of Feroes would have been understandable a long time ago when humans were few with limited means and only levied according to their vital needs. Today, it is unbearable because much more numerous, and especially they use Aircrafts, GPS, speedboats etc .. while the whales are both confident and so few. During their dive into the waters of the Faroe Islands, Sea Shepherd found a large mass grave of whale carcasses, so it was obviously not for human consumption. So, when the Danish of Feroes say of the Grind (massive and systematic killing of the whales in the Coves), that it is for their consumption, it is completely irreceivable. FEROES DENMARK show the dark face of humanity in terms of Cruelty, Sadism and Perversity towards innocent animals and who do not shun the human !!!, This with impunity protected by the Danish police !!!! Even one of their Faroese writers, Joan Paul Jensen, wrote that "Whether it is a sport or not, in the sense that it is generally understood, there is no doubt that Grind is a true source Excitement and an opportunity to unite in an otherwise monotonous existence. "The majority of the population of the Faroe Islands is no more in favor of GRIND and wishes to stop this custom of promoting tourism according to observation of Cetaceans, etc. For many environmental associations and cetaceans, grind has thus become a kind of entertainment under cultural cover, but without legitimacy in terms of food resources, because many carcasses are abandoned. This is a habit of atrocities, An extreme degree of violence to which the Danish associate their children at an early age, and so they are also torturING THE WHALES in a "traditional" way! REALLY AWFUL!

  2. Das ist doch nicht deren Ernst,nach allem was mit Sea Shepherd und ihrem Scheiss Grind passiert ist.Da soll man tatsächlich Urlaub auf deren Inseln machen,um dann verhaftet zu werden, weil man zufällig bei einem Grind anwesend ist, und keinen Wal abschlachtet? Shame on you.Ich werde garantiert keinen Urlaub auf dieser scheiss Insel machen. 3 grosse Kreuzfahrtunternehmen haben haben schon die färüer inseln aus ihrem Programm gestrichen,auf grund der Vorfälle des letzten grinds, und da trauen die sich noch Werbung zu machen.Aber wie immer traut sich ja keiner was zu sagen dazu,ihr seid ja alle Feige

  3. Nice article, but unfortunately some of the pictures do not show what you say they show.

    Picture 3: I'm not sure, but on this picture might be Hestur. If it is Hestur, than the island on the background ist Sandoy, Koltur is not on this picture.

    Picture 4: This picture does not show Vestmanna. It doesn't even show a village at all. The picture is taken on the way to Norðradalur and shows the island of Koltur.

    Picture 11: This is very, very outside of Eiði, as it shows the church of the village Saksun (located on another island than Eiði).

  4. The Faroe's is a barbaric island of murderers who bring their children to help murder harmless family-oriented pilot whale in a bloody frenzy where even the kids are knee deep in bloody water. The children play with the dead and dying whales and dismember and disrespect the fetuses of the pregnant whales who've been killed at their hands. What kind of ridiculous story telling is this. You're not a travel writer you're a liar and a strange pervert to promote such an evil place without even mention of what they indeed are most famous for - The Grind. The point of which is to kill marine mammals and ingest Mercury laden whale meat by both adults and children alike. Report or don't write. This is a mockery of real travel writing.

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