Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.03.2007, Blaðsíða 22

_REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 03_007_TRAVEL/THE FAROE ISLANDS
Two days before our Friday departure to the
Faroe Islands, my photographer asked, “Did
you book a room yet?”
“It is January,” I replied. “And we are go-
ing to the Faroe Islands man, I don’t think we
will have trouble finding a place to stay in the
Faroe Islands in January.” Of course I did not
realise it at the time, but that cocky attitude
would come back to haunt me, much like it
usually does.
Vágar Airport
From Reykjavík Airport it takes about an hour
and 15 minutes to fly to the Faroe Islands
International Airport, on the island Vágar,
which is next to the island Streymoy where
the capital town of Tórshavn is located.
After collecting our bags inside the ter-
minal we discover that the next bus for Tór-
shavn will not be leaving for an hour. After
short deliberation, we decide that renting a
car is our best option, allowing us easy ac-
cess to Tórshavn and means to travel around
the islands.
As we prepare to leave, another pas-
senger from the flight asks us if the bus is
leaving. Not wanting to leave a fellow coun-
tryman stranded on foreign ground, we
promptly offer him a ride into town. Fitting
the luggage and the three of us in a tiny Su-
zuki Alto proves to be a small logistical prob-
lem, considering that the passenger we have
picked up is actually a former prize-fighter
from the light-heavyweight division.
The 25-minute drive into Tórshavn is a
scenic route. We drive through a few small
towns, but it is the view of the distinctive
cliffs that mostly catches the eye. The land
steeply slopes upwards towards the ocean,
until all of a sudden it just stops and there is
a menacing cliff that goes straight down. It
looks very much like the Enron profit chart
must have looked.
Our passenger turns out to be an agree-
able fellow. This is not his first visit to the
islands, so he is able to explain a few of the
oddities to us. In Tórshavn, his friend wel-
comes us. He turns out to be another nice
fellow and offers to help us find a place to
stay for the weekend.
All in the Family
Icelanders often refer to their neighbouring
countries in terms of relatives. Particularly
other Nordic Countries, such as Sweden, Nor-
way or Denmark; which are usually referred
to as our cousin nations. This is perhaps un-
derstandable, given the historical relations,
a common cultural background and similar
values between the Nordic Countries.
In line with this terminology, the Faroe Is-
lands are more akin to a kid brother. There is
a relationship between these two countries
that stretches beyond whatever kinship we
may have with our other neighbouring coun-
tries.
Norse Vikings settled both countries
around AD 900. The two languages have
developed in isolation from Old Norse but
remain very similar. Both countries were un-
der Danish rule since 1380 with the origin of
the Kalmar Union. Iceland received indepen-
dence in 1944, while the Faroe Islands are
now working towards that goal. There is the
commonality of surviving on cold, desolate
islands in the North Atlantic by whatever
means necessary, through hardship and cold
winters, and having to rely on the sea for
livelihood.
In some ways, coming from Iceland to
the Faroe Islands is not so much like travelling
between countries: it is more like travelling
to an alternate reality. There is an uncanny
feeling of familiarity, whether it is the nature,
the people, the towns, or the way of life, and
yet, it is so different.
No Vacancy
Hans Beck, the local connection we meet
through our pick-up passenger, has been di-
alling different hotels on his mobile phone
for about 15-minutes. It seems as if there is
not a single bed available for rent in town.
We follow him to Hótel Tórshavn, the biggest
hotel in town, but it is undergoing renova-
tions and will not accept guests for another
month. It seems every hotel or guesthouse is
booked up.
After making a few more calls, he jumps
in his car and tells us to follow him to a guest-
house at the other end of town. It turns out
The Faroe Islands: Remote and Isolated, yet Oddly Familiar
Text by Sveinn Birkir Björnsson Photos by Skari
www.bluelagoon.com
Energy for life through forces of nature
REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 03_007_TRAVEL/THE FAROE ISLANDS_7
to be a dead end as well. In the parking lot,
he makes a few more calls. Meanwhile, he
offers us beer from a case in his trunk. A few
calls later, he tells us that he has probably
found a room. We follow him to the offices
of the Smyril Line company, where we are
told we can get a room in an elderly couple’s
home that the company uses as a summer
bed and breakfast, located on the outskirts
of town. It has taken the better part of two
hours and probably close to 15 phone calls,
but we finally have a place to stay for the
night.
We all decide to go out to dinner together,
heading to the Rio Bravo, a local steakhouse
where we are served with fine steaks at a
good price. Meanwhile, Hans Beck explains
some of the local rituals to us: “The Faro-
ese People drink like swine,” he says, “12-15
years ago, there was no alcohol sold in the
islands. It had to be ordered from Denmark
and this had to happen before Wednesday if
you wanted it to be here for the weekend. It
was very expensive to order just one bottle,
so everyone would order a 12-bottle box.
Then people would have 12 bottles of booze
lying around, and they would just keep on
drinking. So there is always this box-mentali-
ty when we are drinking. The Faroese people
drink like swine.”

Black Gold
But rigorous drinking habits are not all the
Faroes are known for. They have a reputa-
tion for a strong work ethic, and, as the old
saying goes, they work hard and they play
hard. Beck, a carpenter by trade, tells us that
there is much demand for work force in the
islands, especially in the building industry.
At the moment, there are about 850 new
apartments and houses being built in Tór-
shavn, a very high number for a town of less
than 20,000. As Hans Beck puts it, “Every
carpenter in town has projects lined up for
the next three years.”
After suffering a severe economic de-
pression in the 1990s, the last few years
have been prosperous in the islands and the
unemployment rate is now below 3%, one
of the lowest figures in Europe. According to
Terji Nielsen, editor of the weekly Vikublaðið,
the private sector is screaming for employ-
ees, and there are plans to loosen regula-
tions regarding foreign workforce, which
should take effect this April.
Around 90% of the Faroes’ export rev-
enue is tied to the fishing industry, although
that figure is decreasing with the addition of
high-tech companies and a growing tourist
industry. In the last few years, the Faroese
people have collectively been waiting for
positive results from experimental oil drillings
in the Faroese Continental Shelf. If the results
are positive, it will most likely put even more
strain on both the expanding real estate mar-
ket and the employment market, with even
more demand for foreign workforce.
Tórshavn
Tórshavn is the biggest town in the Faroe Is-
lands, home to nearly 20,000 of the islands’
50,000 inhabitants. Like most fishing towns,
it was originally built around the harbour and
expanded outwards, away from the water-
front and up to the hills.
The old town is a beautiful place. From
the harbour stretches Tinghúsvegur and
above that, Niels Finsens Gøta, the two main
streets in town, one being the shopping
street and the parliamentary building stand-
ing by the other. The houses are small, most-
ly made of wood, but encased in corrugated
iron, much like the old town in Reykjavík. The
distinctive difference is the common grass
roof, an old Viking heritage that is really only
kept alive in the Faroe Islands today.
A beautiful example of the grass-roof tra-
dition is the Nordic House, a cultural centre
for Faroese and Nordic culture in Tórshavn.
Designed by Norwegian and Icelandic archi-
tects, the building is inspired by folklore and
intended to resemble an “enchanting hill of
elves.” Made from natural wood, grass and
stone, with large windows that let in the
daylight, it is a beautiful building, and well
worth the visit.
There is a very friendly atmosphere in
Tórshavn. Even if it is a rather small town,
where everyone knows everyone else, the lo-
cals are open and friendly towards guests. By
the end of our three-day stay, we had gotten
to know an incredible amount of locals, and
people invariably waved to us on the streets
or came up to us for a friendly hello.
There is a wide variety of bars in Tórhavn’s
centre. There is the Café Natur, a cosy coffee-
house/bar by the harbour where young peo-
ple congregate over a cup of coffee or, more
likely, beer, before heading out to other bars,
such as Manhattan or Cleopatra. There is also
Eclipse, a place that has generated a small
reputation for its lively atmosphere and wild
nights. Right next to it is Rex, a club that is
mostly for members of the older generations.
Sadly, there was not time to sample the rest.
The Language Barrier
Icelandic and Faroese are two of the three
insular Scandinavian languages descended
from Old Norse, spoken in Scandinavia dur-
ing the Viking Age.
There are great similarities between the
two languages, to the point where they
sometimes sound like different dialects
of the same language (which they are in a
sense) although the differences are often
more than subtle. To an Icelander, the words
invariably tend to start off in good Icelandic,
before they end up completely different. At
times, it is more like you are trying to deci-
pher the drunken ramblings of an Icelander,
rather than listening to a foreign language.
This resemblance makes it possible for
us to talk to the locals in our own tongue,
but it does not necessarily make conversa-
tions easier between us. The same words are
often used with a different meaning, and the
time it usually takes to figure what the other
one is saying slows every conversation down
to the pace of a conversation with your deaf
grandmother. We usually end up talking in
English, a more efficient mode of commu-
nication under the circumstances, however
shameful that may be.
Rapid Changes
The Faroe Islands are rapidly changing from
a simple society revolving around the fishing
industry and the availability of fish, to a more
modern society revolving around trade and
technology. In the last 10-15 years, the Faroes
have built one of the best transportation sys-
tems in Northern Europe, with all the islands
now interconnected, either through sub-sea
tunnels, bridges or ferries.
The financial sector has been deregulated
to allow banks and investment companies
more freedom, while publicly owned com-
panies, such as banks, insurance and energy
companies have been, or are in the process of
being, privatised. The fishing industry is also
being deregulated to allow foreign investors,
which has spurred much interest from Icelan-
dic companies that have become very appar-
ent in the Faroese fishing industry lately.
Recently, a fishing quota system was in-
troduced in the Faroe Islands, similar to the
one employed in Iceland. As a result, fishing
quotas are being bought and sold like other
commodities, and in the process, for the first
time in Faroese history, creating a class of su-
per wealthy individuals.
The Faroe Islands are divided on the issue
of independence from Denmark. The popula-
tion is almost evenly split between those who
favour independence and those who prefer to
continue as a part of the Kingdom of Den-
mark. There are different opinions among
both camps: those who favour independence
are split between those in favour of an imme-
diate unilateral declaration and those who see
it as something to be attained gradually and
with the full consent of the Danish govern-
ment and the Danish nation. In the unionist
camp, many foresee and welcome a gradual
increase in autonomy even as strong ties to
Denmark are maintained.
My host at the guesthouse, an older and
considerate gentleman puts it well when we
discuss the issue over breakfast one morning.
“When you move away from home, you don’t
stop talking to your parents,” he says. “After
you move out, you still want to be able to have
a good relationship with your parents, and
maybe come by for dinner once in a while.”
Like much else in the islands, the answer to
this question is inevitably tied to oil.
The best way to get to
the Faroe Islands:
Air Iceland flies directly to the
Faroe Islands.