Tuesday, September 17, 2019, Torshavn, Faroe Islands

Faroe Islands

They are located halfway between Norway and Iceland. The twenty-two Faroe Islands form a breathtaking archipelago of jagged mountains and dramatic fjords. The Faroese people hold their culture and history very dear, still speaking their unique Old Norse language and still topping many of their houses with turf. Viking settlements here reach back to the 9th century; the Viking Parliament stood upon a rocky peninsula in Torshavn, the capital. Still today, the Faroe Islands' government conducts its business on the very same promontory. The archipelago's remote locale and plentiful bird-life make it one of the most exciting and humbling places to visit, as does its diverse geography, from rock-strewn shorelines to rugged towering peaks.

The Faroe Islands is a North Atlantic archipelago located 200 miles northwest of Scotland, and about halfway between Norway and Iceland. It is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. The islands have a total area of about 540 square miles with a population of 51,783 as of June 2019.

The terrain is rugged; the climate is subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc)—windy, wet, cloudy, and cool. Temperatures average above freezing throughout the year because of the Gulf Stream. As a result of the moderation and the northerly latitude, summers normally hover around 54 °F. The northerly latitude also results in perpetual civil twilight during summer nights and very short winter days.

Between 1035 and 1814 the Faroes were part of the Hereditary Kingdom of Norway, which was in a personal union with Denmark from 1450. In 1814 the Treaty of Kiel transferred Norway to the king of Sweden, on the winning side of the Napoleonic wars, whereas the king of Denmark, on the losing side, retained the Faroes, along with the two other historical Norwegian island possessions in the North Atlantic: Greenland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands have been a self-governing part the Kingdom of Denmark since 1948.

The Faroese control most of their domestic affairs. Those that remain the responsibility of Denmark include military defense, policing, and the justice department, currency, and foreign affairs. However, as they are not part of the same customs area as Denmark, the Faroe Islands have an independent trade policy and can establish trade agreements with other states. The islands also have representation in the Nordic Council as members of the Danish delegation. The Faroe Islands have their own national teams competing in certain sports.

More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faroe_Islands

7 AM upon our arrival in the Torshavn harbor.

Moving from our ship to buses for our panoramic excursion. How fortunate to have a dry day; it rains 300 days per year!

Tórshavn is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. Tórshavn is in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the 1,138 foot high mountain Húsareyn, and to the southwest, the 1,150 foot high Kirkjubøreyn. They are separated by the Sandá River. The city itself has a population of 19,165, and the greater urban area a population of 21,078.

The Norse established their parliament on the Tinganes peninsula in AD 850. Tórshavn thus became the capital of the Faroe Islands and has remained so ever since. All through the Middle Ages the narrow peninsula jutting out into the sea made up the main part of Tórshavn. Early on, Tórshavn became the center of the islands' trade monopoly, thereby being the only legal place for the islanders to sell and buy goods. In 1856, the trade monopoly was abolished and the islands were left open to free trade.

It is not known whether the site of Tórshavn was of interest to the Celtic monks who were probably the first settlers in the Faroes. The Viking settlers in the 9th century established their own parliaments, called tings, in different parts of the islands, it being the tradition in each case to hold the ting at a neutral and thus uninhabited place, so no one location gave anyone an advantage. The main ting for the islands was convoked in Tórshavn in 825, on Tinganes, the peninsula that divides the harbour into two parts: Eystaravág and Vestaravág. The Vikings would thus meet on the flat rocks of Tinganes every summer, as the most central place on the islands, although there was no settlement at Tinganes at that time. The Færeyinga Saga says: "the place of the ting of the Faroese was on Streymoy, and there is the harbor that is called Tórshavn." The Viking age ended in 1035. The ting was followed by a market which gradually grew into a permanent trading area.

All through the Middle Ages, the narrow peninsula jutting out into the sea made up the main part of Tórshavn. It belonged to the outfield of two farmers. Unlike other Faroese villages, Tórshavn was never a distinct farming community. During the 12th century, all trade between Norway and the Faroes, along with other tributary islands to the west, became centralized in Bergen. In 1271, a royal trade monopoly was established in Tórshavn by the Norwegian Crown. According to a document from 1271, two ships would sail regularly to Tórshavn from Bergen with cargoes of salt, timber, and cereal. Tórshavn therefore had more contact with the outside world than did the other villages. Under the Norwegian, and then Danish rule, government officials made Tórshavn their home. All of these things, combined with the fact that Tórshavn was the seat of the ting of the islands, influenced the town's development.

Only shopping center in the islands.

Sports center.

Sod covered business building.

Football (soccer) stadium.

Overlook of harbor; note the sod covered building in foreground.

Hybrid sheep on the islands are a cross of Danish sheep brought in by monks in the 4th to 5th centuries and Norwegian sheep brought by Vikings in the 8th century. The hybrid sheep are a more resilient breed. The sheep are rounded up twice annually with the aid of dogs. July's round up is for sheering and Sep-Oct is for butchering. About 2/3 of the sheep (about one per resident) are butchered every fall in preparation for winter.