In 2007, National Geographic conducted a survey of 111 island communities throughout the world. The Faroe Islands ranked as the most unspoiled island destination on the planet.

I remember reading about this on board of a flight with Atlantic Airways, while heading for the Faroes in May 2008. I was reminded once again about its pristine condition while reading this article Tread carefully on the pristine landscape of the Faroe Islands on metronews.

The article also mentioned the town of Gjógv, 67 kms from the capital of Tórshavn. In Gjógv, traditional dishes, such as the ones made with pilot whale meat, will soon be history.

A bit of Faroese paradise in Gjógv

The Faroe Islands, only accessible by plane or ship, are the most untouched destination I have ever been to. 75,000 sheep grace the islands compared to a population of about 50,000 Faroese.

The capital city of Tórshavn around 8:30 p.m. in May

For more about life on the islands, I also conducted an interview with my longtime Faroese friend, Mariann, before my trip.

To see the complete list of destinations rated by National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations, which conducted this fourth annual Destination Scorecard survey (aided by George Washington University), visit National Geographic.

Among the load of photos I had received from a Faroese friend, there was also the one below, featuring a Smyril Line ship.

Smyril Line is a Faroese shipping company, linking the Faroe Islands with Denmark and Iceland. Previously, it had also served Norway and the United Kingdom. But due to financial difficulties, the ship line had to change its schedule. During off-season, the route is Esbjerg (Denmark) – Tórshavn (Faroe Islands) – Seyðisfjörður (Iceland), and during peak season Hanstholm (Denmark) and return. Routes to Norway and Scotland have been taken off the program and during winter season, it is possible for only cargo to be transportated on the route Esbjerg – Tórshavn.

Take a look at Smyril Line’s travel brochure and sailing schedule for more up-to-date information.

Smyril Line ship docking at Tórshavn

On a slightly different note – these islands can also be reached by plane.

Visiting the Faroe Islands is a great experience, either way. Two years ago, I had traveled there by plane from Frankfurt via Kopenhagen using Atlantic Airways to get to the Faroes. To learn more about Atlantic Airways, I want to recommend  this podcast with Magni Arge, the CEO of Atlantic Airways, the Faroe Islands’ only airline.

Flying with Atlantic Airways was a very positive experience, and for once I even enjoyed the food. Of course, the safety factor always prevails and I enjoyed my flight with Atlantic Airways.  Nevertheless, seeing this mighty boat has me dreaming now of a trip by ship to the Faroes…

For more podcasts and other interesting tidbits about the Faroe Islands, you should also visit the Faroe Islands Podcast blog.

Last week an Italian e-mail reached my mail box with some gruesome photos of pilot whales being slaughtered in a sea of red blood. The e-mail told its recipients to protest against Denmark for “dolphin slaughtering” and after reading more I realized that the e-mail sender must have mistaken the Faroe Islands for Denmark. (The Faroe Islands are largely an autonomous entity and a home-rule law, brought into effect in 1948, gave them a considerable degree of political independence from Denmark.)

I have a large interest in the Faroes as I spent some memorable days there this past May. I understand they value their old traditions, but that does not fully justify this slaughter of pilot whales in modern times. But the Faroese are islanders and I believe their approach to killing and survival are very different from ours – the mainlanders. (I have experienced a bit of island mentality as I had spent some years on Kyushu, the most southern Japanese main island.)

In an interview with a Faroese which I had posted last year, my Faroese friend stated most people work in retail and fish factories, which explains their livelihood comes mostly from fish and sea food.

The slaughtering is cruel, but who are we to impose our culture and ethics on them? Some cultural differences cannot be understood, only accepted. And my acceptance does not mean I condone it – it only means I have to get more understanding of the matter. I personally would not like to watch this like some Faroese women do by looking on from the shore. How awful! But unlike them, I did not grow up believing this slaughtering is a natural thing to do.

Wait! I grew up on a farm in Germany and I recall our pig-slaughtering event every November. The butcher would come to our house and I was a four-year-old girl given permission to chase the soon-to-be slaughtered pig around our mini-courtyard until it dropped from exhaustion. Then the butcher would cut its throat and I would be handed a bucket with a wooden spoon and told to catch the blood while stirring quickly. I was then instructed – after the pig had lost all of its blood – to bring it down to the cellar where this blood would be turned into blood sausage a little while later.

I could not do this anymore, but back then it was a normal thing to do. For the Faroese, this slaughtering is  still a common practice to ensure their traditions and food supply are kept up.

And if you think other cultures should live up to our expectations, then you should also protest against the bull fights in Spain, the cock fights in the United States (among other places) held for gambling, or the slaughter of dogs for food in parts of Asia.

If you want to protest, then direct it at the Faroe Islands and not to Denmark. The Faroese have their own language, their own Faroese money, and their own culture. You may also contact Roy from Framtak if you have any questions about the islands.

While it is true that traditional slaughtering has been practiced for centuries in most countries, some of these old customs might be in opposition to animal rights today.

During our stay on the Faroe Islands, my friend Mariann prepared a homemade Faroese potato dish called Hassel bakaði eplir. She believes it is originally a Danish recipe with the name Hasselback-kartofler.

Down here in Germany we basically live on potatoes, so this dish makes a nice variation to the many other regular potato dishes we already now…

Ingredients:

* potatoes

* paprika seasoning

Instructions:

*Preheat oven to 170C°

*Peel potatoes and cut them – like a grid -  but don’t cut all the way through the potato, so the potato bottom still stays together.
*Add some liquid butter or oil with a brush and season with paprika powder.
*Put in the oven for 45 min. at 170 C.°

Tip: Take only big potatoes as their unfolding weight will keep them open and this helps to bake them evenly.

Hassel bakaði eplir or French fries, the old-fashioned way

They can be served with meat and gravy and they are more pleasing to the eye than regular cooked potatoes!

Just a few months ago my daughter and I had visited my good friend Mariann in Skála. Now she has just informed me that she has put up her house for sale. I guess it is time to move to the happening place, namely Denmark, again.

We had spent four days at Mariann’s place and my daughter and I loved the house. All, but the bathroom, have been completely redone and it is a nice and welcoming house. There is a supermarket in walking distance and the school is right across the street.

Strange to think this house will change hands and title soon.

If you are thinking about getting a house on the Faroe Islands, then take a look at its location and interior: 

real estate

then click on Eysturoy, then click on Skála, then on Vis úrslit for Sethús: Skálavegur 235, 480 Skála

Enjoy taking a pictorial stroll through a beautiful Faroese home.