Every morning in the Faroe Islands we woke up to a stunning sunrise over Tórshavn, the capital city (if you can call a 3-traffic-light town a ‘city’). The view from the breakfast room at Hotel Føroyar is hard to beat.
Our photos from the town itself don’t really do it justice, since we hardly had a moment of sun in which to snap them, but they give an idea of the cozy little town by the water, its combination of historic wooden houses and modern structures. The boats in the harbor are a similar mix.
The most adorable buildings are gathered on a small peninsula. Turf roofs abound. The central government of the Faroe Islands is located in some of these buildings.
Our tour of Tórshavn included a visit to the harbor-side lithography workshop, where local and visiting artists create and exhibit prints; a stop at Gudrun & Gudrun, a local designer who creates fashion from wool; and a music shop where we got to hear samplings from the islands’ wide array of music.
The art museum, showcasing the colorful work of Faroese painters, was also worth a visit. For a place with such a small population, the quality of the work was impressive, much of it clearly inspired by the stunning local landscape.
Sirkus Føroyar, a funky cafe near the harbor, was the perfect place to hide from the raindrops and try the local Faroese beer on tap. The one I had (a brown ale, I think), was quite tasty.
Although the islands are mostly treeless, pockets of trees can be found in Tórshavn, where buildings or geography protect them from the harsh ocean winds.