To imagine a land half way between two of my favorite countries, Iceland and Norway, is to imagine a wondrous synergistic blend of both nations. That is indeed what one can expect from the Faroe Islands, according to a recent article in the New York Times.
Ever since visiting Ireland, I’ve had a love for rugged, wind-swept islands and continue to search out member nations of this archipelago wherever they might lie.
The Faroe Islands are one such dollop of wonder that has been on my list for a long time now. After reading Stephen Metcalf’s account of his time spent here with local fisherman, it has now jumped up to the top of the list.
Metcalf describes the islands as “oddly green” and covered with puffins, waterfalls and hearty locals. The inhabitants take great pride in their culture and are some of the last people on this earth that use every bit of any animal they kill–which sometimes might even be a whale.
The charm ekes out even more when I start getting the feel that the Faroe Islands are much like Iceland used to be before it was “discovered” as a great travel destination.
Let’s just hope I can visit before it happens again.