Monday 12 July 1999
It has been windy during the night, but we can’t complain over a bit of a swing. Actually it has been a really nice trip in all 33 hours. At 6:00 a.m. we are standing at the harbor in “Tórshavn”, facing low-lying clouds, windy rain and 11° C.
The Tourist information office is open! - And friendly warmth is pouring towards us. Here, the personnel are prepared for helping us the best they can. We park our backpacks at the office and find the harbor coffee house, which unfortunately has not opened yet. Wait, wait and wait. It’s cold and misty under the open shed. At last coffee and breakfast served by a Faeroese in a sulky mood. But, the coffee is warm and we are adventurous.
The weather forecast promises strong breeze and the choice lies between hiking on the island “Eysturoy” or a sail trip to “Mykines”. Wednesday evening we have to leave “Tòrshavn”, so there should be plenty of time for all. Martin’s cousin has been thoughtful and found herself a boyfriend from “Eysturoy”, and as they both are on vacation at the Faeroe Islands this week, we hope to pick them up at the airport tomorrow. That’s made the choice. We take a bus ride to “Vestmanna”, which the port for sailing to “Mykinès” and the airport on “Vágar”.
“Vestmanna” also happens to be the starting point of the spectacular Bird Cliffs tours, which should be the highlight of the Faeroe Islands. We have a chat with Pauli at the harbor of “Vestmanna”, as he is one of the two tour operators. The sail trip to “Mykinès” has been cancelled today, which we knew. Apparently yesterdays trip was nasty and the boat used extra 3-4 hours to reach the harbor.
Our second plan is to join the birth cliffs tour this afternoon, but the wind is in-shore from Southwest, which isn’t so good. It causes nasty repercussions on the west coast and prevents us from sailing close to the cliff. We believe the words from Pauli and drink another cup of his free coffee - a familiar service here in the north. Pauli suggest we take a trip tomorrow and shows us, with pride, the photos from 1997 when the Danish crown prince Frederik joined the tour, and managed to call at “Vestmanna” harbor. What a real sport.
We take lodgings with the local youth hostel, as “Vestmanna” despite it’s status as the second largest city in the Faeroe Islands, is not equipped with a camping site. Even though the weather forecast predicts a change to more sunny weather, we willingly use some hundred kroner spending our first night indoors. After all, we have get up early to sail at 9 p.m. tomorrow. Thus, we still want to “seize the day” and use it for some exploration.
In my “Lonely Planet” guide, “Vestmanna” is correctly described as quiet. The guide suggests some hikes, and off we go to the small grocer to take in supplies. We walk upwards in the misty weather at the sinuous roads with our Swedish “Trangier”-set. When taking the bus ride to “Vestmanna”, we saw the cliffs on close distance and was particular impressed by the incredible numbers of small watercourses running all the way from top to button of the grassy mountain. One would believe melting ice causes it, but its actually caused by the incredible humid weather.
This time the distance is very close, and the road is replaced by a track. The grass is constantly wet of dew, but the sun plays beautiful on all its strings, when we after an hours walk, reach “the end of the World”. Anyhow, the track comes to an abrupt end. “As I said: It always rains on the Faeroe Islands”, Børge sighs. We suspect Børge to drag the rainy weather after us all the time. Here on the track, some hundred meters above the fjord, we cook the canned spaghetti and hot chocolate.
“Finally, there is a gleam of soldier and scout on me - cool!”, I think proudly. It takes Børge two seconds to demolish that thought, with his numerous know-all attitude and his advanced tools. Martin and Børge discuss (from now on and to the end of the tour) if it is an advantage to drill the holes in the spirit stove a bit larger, or not! “Those guys has driven moped for too long, in their childhood”, I think in astonishment.
How small we are in the fabulous green mountain scenery. Nature rules, and despite new cars and modern facilities, you sense the respect for the forces, by the locals. There is some kind of a Greek atmosphere when looking at the villages from above. The houses are placed just like on the Greek islands, a bit staggered up along the mountain, with small gardens and lots used for raising potatoes. You cross through backyards, walk along tracks and watercourses and look right into the Faeroese everyday life. Some of the Greek way of living is also present, particularly when nature “shows teeth”. Then, you will have to wait until it’s over, and hope that your sheep survived.
We make coffee at the youth hostel and notice that some other travelers have arrived. It’s a quite small place with room for 12-14 guests and a restaurant upstairs. The view over the fjord and the harbor is impressive. Young Faeroese are rowing in the characteristic Viking-inspired boats. They are training for the great regatta, which will be held as a part of the “Ólavsøka” (the Faroe National Day) - a 3-day celebration in end July.
Right now, it is the time of absorption and the dairy. We are fully satisfied of food and impressions on this first day - and are at last convinced in our choice for a holiday trip, despite the heat wave in Denmark. We still have the waving feeling from the 33-hour sail trip. Tired we think of going to sleep at 22:30 p.m., despite the light summer night and blue sky.
The idyll is disturbed through the night, when one of the other guests, an 40 years old female Faeroese, starts a very intense snore. At my way from the bathroom I try to interrupt the snore with a short severe pull to her bed, but without greater result. One way or another we might have bothered her during the night, as we next morning found her sleeping on a sofa in the hall. That’s her choice.