Yesterday afternoon, while driving around the Schweinfurt area in Lower Franconia, we happened to see a flock of sheep grazing on the roadside.

Sheep on a German hillside

This is a rare sight, even in the country side such as Northern Bavaria. We pulled up, so I could take a few pictures against the dark skies.

Shepherd with dog

Beautiful moment. Peace on Earth. Lonely traveller. Loyal friend.

Happy New Year!

On a rare sunny afternoon, we passed these sheep on our way to our forest garden. Note how green the grass is in August in Germany.

Feldberg im Taunus

Visitors to our area always claim how green Germany is. This year there is even more of it as we had little sun, lots of rain, and many dark days.

There is a nasty looking weather front moving in right now, it is time to close all the windows again…

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.