May 25, 08
Day 4
This was going to be our last complete day on the Faroes. Our first outing was to attend church next door. The service was held in Faroese. Well… this was the first time I fell asleep in church.
Taken in Rituvík with the island Nólsoy in view
Another spot to linger
Mountains and fjords – no matter where you look
Lake Toftavatn (vatn=water)
Margo asleep in the back seat – guess she forgot to put on her travelling shoes…
A few wind turbines
This tiny built-in slot is a Faroese mailbox
Some Faroese boys – I’d assume they are brothers the way they played with each other – enjoying a Sunday afternoon
Somebody’s house
There were times the Faroe Islands looked a bit Irish – which all depended on the light
Lots of light and shadow play
Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you – this is a very black baby carriage. I had seen one parked outside the church earlier in the morning, but did not dare to inquire about the reason. I thought it might have been some ancient Celtic way of saying good-bye to a lost child. No – my friend Mariann told me this is the latest fashion to have a black baby carriage and most Faroese moms yearn to have one.
Interested? Click here:
Black baby carriages
Two moms (I was told they were sisters) on a stroll with their kids in black baby carriages
Sunday evening – the only time we had more clouds move in
Yeah, there we have it! Just before we had to leave the islands I got to see this beauty
This is Mariann’s house where we stayed for four nights
Margo getting beautified once more – last chance!
Margo getting a Pharaoh haircut on the Faroe islands
Some English speaking kids in Germany actually thought the Faroe Islands were in Egypt… they heard “Pharoah Islands”
Margo took this picture of Mariann. I could not have done this even if I had tried.
A Faroese beer bottle gathering
Again, on this last night, we did not get to bed till 1:30 a.m. And we had to get up at 4:45 to leave the house at 6 a.m. for a one-hour drive to the airport.
After our arrival on Thursday Mariann asked me if I had taken advantage of all the free drinks served on Atlantic Airways
I told her that I’d rather not drink on flights as some flights include enough swaying anyway. I’d rather have a drink on solid ground. Anyway, I had observed the flight attendants being very busy serving alcoholic drinks and I was informed this is to calm down nerves. Why? The Faroe Islands have the second shortest landing strip/run way in the world! Landing is therefore especially difficult in bad weather such as fog, etc. The local passengers – not ignorant tourists like me – drown their worries in booze.
Needless to say, when it came time to depart I was a bit more nervous than usual. I counted 19 seconds from the time the plane started on the run way to the actual take-off and then I looked out the window. We had 19 seconds to get enough power to lift off, because after that you are on water already.
Departures are easier than landings, I have been told.
I will fly again with Atlantic Airways.
See for yourself right here:
[youtube lza3h64sFFA]
Interesting blog with great photos!
We live just over the hill from the lake “Toftavatn”, the one under which you have written: “Mountains and fjords – no matter where you look”. It is kind of our back garden. We just climb over the hill (from right below Toftir football ground) and there we are. You could have popped in for a cup of tea normally, had we known, but on that weekend my wife and me were visiting the southern island of Suðuroy.
Greetings from Toftir
Roy
Hi Roy,
On Sunday we were in Toftir to pick up my friend’s son from the soccer match. At least I think it was Toftir – is this where the police station is right next to the soccer field?
And yes, one of these days I will take you up on your offer and drop by for a cup of tea.
More and more of my friends in Germany are curious now about the islands. Who knows – I might bring some company!
I will return.
The football ground next to the police station, that you mention, is in Runavík – Toftir is round the corner. Toftir has an international football stadium where many of the Faroese matches have been played, there is also a plastic grass pitch with an international track and the like (which the local children also use to play on). It is where the International Island Games was held in 1989. You can see both grounds here:
http://www.framtak.com/photos/sportsarea.html
and: http://www.framtak.com/photos/faroes_slovenia2.html
Last time when Scotland played here a couple of balls that were kicked too high over the goal landed in our garden – one of them on the hen house 🙂
Greetings from Toftir
Roy
I’d suppose the hens had a ball with that one…
Either they had a very strong kick or you live very close to the grounds.
Do you ever buy tickets for the game or can you watch it from the hen house?