![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmaSicGtzSpWFnA7iX4pfYCqfYKq16DvGHeLXsaWMEE5fj/image.png) An archipelago of thousands of waterfalls and thousands of rainbows. For only five minutes the clear and sunny weather can turn into a hellish storm. Inaccessible & remote place, but in beauty able to compete with Iceland. All of this is about the Faroe Islands How did I get here? Background: In 2019, I planned a trip to the northern countries of Europe. I do not like classical & popular tourist routes and I looked for places that are little explored, where there are few tourists and a lot of unknown. So I came across the islands in the middle of nothing. Having opened the location of the Faroes on the map, I thought that there was some kind of error because I saw the North Ocean but the Faroes I did not see there at first. ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmUcpyt9rivmUFXkjJNtmRexLvFH5h29BmfkjwYqV9VC78/image.png) What is the Faroe Islands? About 60 million years ago, as a result of extensive volcanic eruptions, there were formed 18 rocky islands, that peacefully swam in the northern Atlantic Ocean between Scotland and Iceland. They are also called “sheep islands” because it is much easier to meet sheep here than people. This is also reflected in statistics: the population is almost 50 thousand people against 80 thousand livestock ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmU3TXCzo7RJ2vpMzQJe4y7DZVRekFB6TWy7wWxGfFAxex/image.png) ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmP7GSPKsaSvQXjnBMqPRg67WNgjJJTESBQ8XjuVwUAvqm/image.png) (On the Mykines island, I met zero people and hundreds of sheep wandering freely.)
Once the Faroe Islands served as a staging post on Viking expeditions. Since then, they began to be gradually settled by the Scandinavians (mainly Norwegians). When the Scandinavian kingdoms began a long clarification between themselves "Who is the biggest boss here," the Faroe Islands became the subject of a dispute between the Norwegian and Danish crowns. However, in the 19th century, they have been taken by Denmark.

XX century and gaining autonomy. In the 20th century, the Vikings were no longer the same as in movies, and in 1940, the entire vast Danish kingdom was captured by Germany in a few hours. Then the United Kingdom invited the Head of the Faroe "to switch over to the side of good." And carefully counting the British Navy in Torshavn Harbor, the head waved his hand and joined the Allies. After the end of World War II. Iceland was able to beat out independence from Denmark (not surprisingly), but the Faroe Islands were closer and woke up too late. All they have achieved is partial sovereignty. They also have: * Their own language (you will not find Faroese in Google translate, surprise) * Their own money (Faroese Krone are equal in value to Danish Krone, 1 $ = 6.7 Krone. But you can use them only on Faroes) * Their Own parliament and government ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmRwcWKkGrknAj5yahxX7CKU6mSyL9xncwo6qraiLug4DX/image.png)

How to get there ?: I flew a direct flight from Copenhagen. You can get there by local air company SAS (round-trip from 150 €) and Atlantic Airways (round-trip from 400 €). Before, you could get there by plane only through Copenhagen. Now I heard that you can get there from Scotland, Oslo, Reykjavik, Barcelona and a couple of cities. (The Faroese people love to complain about the lack of sunlight) Flights are often crowded, so you need to prepare in advance. ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmarmqWnKq3jKHpvA5y6whpSCzSzmruGDx6F5go8DgWYQ1/image.png) Upon arrival there, you will probably be met by cold & strong wind and drizzling rain. Since the territory is part of Denmark, when flying from there there was not even a border control. Immediately upon arrival, I advise you to quickly find out which bus travels to the city of your destination and book it asap. If you rent a car, it’s even easier for you. Buses run less frequently and are quite expensive. Since you have to pay for the passage through the underwater loooong tunnel through Vagar Island to the city of Torshavn. A bus ticket will cost you around 200 kr. ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmPjZLNbg615Hva66z5MctRzYgPjhVwwm7YzXwzvoJDKQw/image.png) ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmWF7LVSNG4KT8zn1WfsomNThcisnmTEyJN3D3x7Gf768C/image.png) ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmYuyc53kbP7YHzxBMDxvKYamdQCF4kxm48Bta1EPsVKfw/image.png) ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmTgf8nZPwuZos2jbMKzD5bE9rqvRgQGayQ6B3HCC9mXBr/image.png)

Streymoy Island: ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQma9qDyUChLnN93oizCDZ2CBp7Mo5q6zYmBGrMGKhbhHtw/image.png) (This dude is a hero because it is too hard to sleep when You have such a beautiful view from every window!) After waiting for the bus, I and a few tourists went to the capital of Faroe Islands - Torshavn. Although sometimes it spelled like Tor"s"havn, You must say Tor"sh"avn. If you tell the locals - Torshavn, then they will have a crooked grimace on their faces. 14 thousand people live in Torshavn. By local standards, this is a lot. Free public transport circulates inside the city. it was made as a stimulation for the population so that they less use their cars. But in the end, every family has 2-3 cars in front of the house. And buses go empty or with 1-2 tourists. I’ll immediately warn you that traveling the Faroe Islands without a car, like me, is a VERY BAD IDEA. It will be extremely difficult to get to many places without a car. And it will take a lot of effort, time and money. If you want to see more local wonders, take a car. Rates: Two words - Prices are high. Housing, food, restaurants. All prices are at the Scandinavian level. Most products and goods are brought by ferry from the mainland, which further increases their price. Locals live here for generations, they have their own homes, several cars and a minimum wage of 5,000 euros. Therefore, they can afford to live peacefully in the Faroe Islands. Housing: Also not cheap. There are several hotels. Do not rely on hostels;). They are few & always busy. There are also Airbnb and local guesthouses. If you have a car, then the question of where to spend the night will not be so acute What to see in Torshavn? Torshavn is the only place in the Faroe Islands where there are trees and even a park. In this harsh climate with extremal winds, the trees did not take root, so in most places, you can see only fine grass. There is also a museum "The Nordic House" in Torshavn, that will tell you some background stories about this place. And the old fortifications on the hill near the Harbor ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmSUqnAYdvizh8DecAcgKApa26BAtHXhFE4Mv9PouBWjqN/image.png) ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmPenFTYpbA7BhiVcc73Wpkjyy3SQpzU2mh3HKrKKog3zJ/image.png) They were built in response to the raid of the Ottoman pirates, which was helped by one "too smart & talkative" local dude. Then they plundered the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and many places in the region well. And after such an unexpected visit, the locals decided to build a mini fort. Also around it, you can find several rusty anti-aircraft guns from the Second World War. They were put by the British when they were expecting a visit from guests from the Luftwaffe.

Vagar Island This is actually the first Island You visit in the Faroe Islands. Here You can find Vagar airport, in WWII it was British military airfield, so You can still see military fortifications and bunkers around it. Since I am a crazy idiot, I walked around this Island nearly 35 kilometers, before to take the flight back to Copenhagen, So I can show You one of the most remarkable Vagar spots: "Trælanípan" ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmQASxayv3G8itZuBzzfjKs2gmbENG1K1hsKykUUK7oRDR/image.png) This is the lake (Sørvágsvatn). It is remarkable not only for its size but also for its unique natural phenomenon, as it is located literally on the very edge of the island, and the ocean is already below. Locals gave it another name - a hanging lake. If you look at it from a certain place, it creates the illusion that the lake hangs over the ocean. To visit the place, You must pay the visit fee in a total of 250kr, You will also find here the (Bosdalafossur) waterfall that carries water from Lake Sørvágsvatn straight into the ocean. Despite its huge size, this waterfall is a local secret: To get there, you need to walk 3 kilometers and 3 more back. It will take about 2 hours on the road. ALSO, I really do not recommend to come too close to the cliffs. You probably will understand it by yourself, As there is a HUUGEE height, super-strong winds, and really unstable ground. If You fall, You will have time to read this long post since it will take you some time to finally fall down. ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmZefXwL8ABfZPK7Zn5Wkv3NdygyERqcaLzLXmHsD9bgwu/image.png) ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQme7bBeQ2en1f7Ba1xs858Wu7EKWNEouDNwxrRkCQjWQww/image.png) ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmTuyYGJC1exb15Tr7G1QAG8SgWRiXmnXwPfxnftPuQQK4/image.png) ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmSg1PigK12fCj91PNn2RjNcZvYCqZyA26CNBccVQE6a6n/image.png) ![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmXfXwbvUCuS8gfuKQyNJogga1ASBzSz7Wi992noHVYrKr/image.png) (Now try to find the humans on the last photo, to realize the height of the cliff)

The summary of Part 1 I showed to You only 30% of 2 Islands out of 18. There are really too many ancient settlements, amazing untouched nature, wildlife, amazing, kind & open people (everyone here speaks English!). It may take from 2 weeks up to a month of intensive traveling to explore most of them, but I still prepare 2-3 more parts for You, where I visited the Most beautiful Faroese Island with over 250.000 wildlife animals on it. The speech with the locals and the story about how I almost ended my life on these islands by making a few small mistakes. Wuh, This Post took me almost 5 hours to complete! I'll appreciate it if You read it and find useful information. See You in the next posts! I visit a lot of unique and least visited places in the world.