So far so close

The Faroe Islands, the land of maybe (1/2)

Audio 48:30

A paradise for nature lovers in their raw state, the Faroe Islands offer spectacular views of fjords and basalt rocks.

© Celine Develay-Mazurelle/RFI

By: Céline Develay Mazurelle Follow

8 mins

Located beyond the 60th parallel north, in the middle of the North Atlantic, somewhere between Iceland and Scotland, this string of 18 volcanic islands has long remained unknown and isolated.

Today, these wild and majestic confines are attracting more and more travellers, keen on nature and culture in its raw state.

Especially since on the spot, a proud and endearing people awaits them, with a fascinating Faroese identity.

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In the Faroes, on these lands of verdant moors, stuffed with sheep, birds, waterfalls, mountains and cliffs jagged by the sea, the panoramas are sublime, breathtaking.

Still it is necessary that the thick fog of the North has not decided to spoil the sight?

Because there, the climate is harsh and particularly changeable.

The wind blows hard and the rain falls, it seems, almost 300 days a year.

In these places which have more sheep (80,000) than inhabitants (53,000), each appearance of the sun has the effect of a blessing, offering typically Nordic lights, between the deep blue of the sea and the golden sky. .

Not to mention winter, when there are only 5 hours of light per day.

Thus, on these basalt pebbles, one must learn to lay down the arms of certainty and deal with time and the elements,

as the Faroese have finally learned to do for centuries, descendants of Vikings and Celtic women, long time fishermen from father to son.

Moreover, because nature reigns supreme here, the Faroe Islands were nicknamed by the English, who passed through there during the Second World War “The land of maybe”, the country of maybe…

Today in the 21st century, the subarctic archipelago still depends on the Kingdom of Denmark, but it has had significant autonomy since 1948 and speaks its own language: Faroese.

Long banned by the Danes, this language has always been the base of a decidedly particular culture, made up of oral traditions, Nordic sagas and heroic ballads dating from the Middle Ages.

And rare are the places in the world, where one can encounter, as is the case in the Faroe Islands, such lively and vibrant traditions among the population.

Of course, the traditional cetacean hunt, the famous Grindadráp, is the most decried and questionable of all, for its archaism and its violence.

When traveling there, it is interesting to discuss this subject with the Faroese,

in order to understand how this people relies on these traditions but also questions them.

Because the Faroese society moves and developed considerably thanks to the money of fishing, in particular the breeding of salmon.

In barely twenty years, the capital

Torshavn

has seen the flourishing of cafes, restaurants, art galleries and music venues popular with tourists and Faroese alike.

Because the nation is particularly musical, an artist at heart, inspired by this powerful natural environment that surrounds it.

In these volcanic confines beaten by the waves and the winds, it is now easy to travel between the islands, via state-of-the-art underwater tunnels;

and the places lend themselves to hiking, the raincoat never very far, on historical paths opened by the elders, at a time when one could only walk in the mountains.

Because beyond the breathtaking landscapes, this is what we remember from a trip to the Faroes: how much this people resisted and fought to stay on these islands, against winds, tides and waves of colonization, between survival and harmony with nature.

A report in 2 episodes by Céline Develay-Mazurelle and Laure Allary.

GO :

- Opened in 2019 but interrupted during the pandemic,

a direct Atlantic Airways flight

once again connects the Faroes to France twice a week.

Flight time: 2h40 only

- To prepare your trip, the

Visit Faroe Islands

website is a mine of information, in English.

The territory being small and well explored, everything is there, or almost!

TRAVELLING :

- On site, it is best to base yourself in the capital

Tórshavn from which it is easy to travel between the islands through tunnels and ferries.

The Føroyar hotel

, ideally located on the heights of the city, offers a breathtaking view of the port and the bay.

- In more isolated places, it is possible to resort to

Heimablídni or "hospitality at home"

, a concept that has developed with tourism, for lack of restaurants throughout the archipelago.

Faroese then offer typical Faroese local dishes at home.

A good opportunity to meet locals, often English-speaking, like Lena and Jakup who do the Heimablidni, 

in their house-garden Garðarhúsið

, or at Harriett and John's, a young couple who dabble in everything, sheep breeder, shopkeeper and photographer who receives as a guest table

at the Hanusarstova house

, on the island of Esturoy.

Harriett,

Instagrammer

and shepherdess, also makes romantic and inspired shots of his animals.

She is soon preparing accommodation on the farm, with a view of the sea and the vast meadows.

- The islands are full of hiking trails that lead to waterfalls like

Gásadalur

, lakes like

Sørvágsvatn

, sometimes starting from small typical fishing villages with their turf-roofed houses.

- To discover for bird lovers

the island of Mykines

.

It is a paradise for seabirds (puffins, shearwaters) which can be reached by sea from Sorvagur.

Be careful, the weather can cancel any departure to Mykines.

- The village of

Kirkjubøur

, with its churches and its very ancient history is a good starting point, coupled with a visit to

the National Museum of the Faroe Islands

to understand the history of the settlement and soak up the Faroese atmosphere, made up of legends and beliefs.

- If you want to be guided, the

Guide to Faroe Islands

site offers lots of guided tours, in English.

The offer is rich and ranges from photo tours to winter hikes, bird watching or boat trips.

Elin Hentze

is a recognized French-speaking cultural guide on site.

- In T

órshavn

the

Paname Café

is the ideal and cozy refuge in rainy weather.

It is backed by a bookstore where books on the Faroe Islands in English are legion.

- Located in the capital, the

Nordic House

is a place with astonishing architecture where it is good to stop in its vegan café.

This cultural institution has an ambitious artistic program that bears witness to the cultural vitality of the islands.  

READ, LISTEN AND SEE:

- Faroese literature is now booming, carried abroad by

the organization Farlit.

Note that few Faroese authors are translated into French.

Among them, Jóanes Nielsen who published

"Les collectors d'images" with Éditions La Peuplade

, a strong and lively work on the harsh daily life of the Faroese in the 1960s and 1970s, between the weight of the church and lives of labor at sea. .

-

In Tórshavn

, only one address, essential and brilliant for lovers of 100% Faroese music:

Tutl Records

.

Both a record store, a museum of the history of music in the archipelago and a producer of Faroese artists for almost 50 years, the premises were initiated by the musician

Kristian Blak

, a smuggler of stories and music one of a kind.

If you are lucky enough to meet him at Tutl, he is French-speaking.

- Among the Faroese artists, we recommend the great

Eivør

, the most internationally known Faroese artist, or even

Elin Brimheim Heinesen

.

In the younger generation, go listen to the touching

Greta Svabo Bech

or the young garage rock troublemakers

Joey and the Shitboys

.

The

Cultural Night

, which is held every year in June, is a good way to discover the musical effervescence of the islands, from the capital.

- More and more foreigners are moving to the Faroe Islands and many are spending a day behind the microphones of

Stella Zachariassen

, a Sri Lankan-born Faroese and jack-of-all-trades artist who launched her 

Home and Away podcast

.

The Faroe Islands Podcast

.

It gives pride of place to the stories of newcomers to the archipelago.

- Among these newcomers, two French photographers who have been living there since 2021 and carry out fine image work on the Faroes.

On the one hand,

Lucas Frayssinet

continues a long-term documentary work on the traditions of the Faroese people, in particular around fishing.

On the other,

Ophélie Giralt

is currently leading a visual and sensitive exploration around childhood and the tales and legends of the archipelago.

Also discover the lunar images of

Kevin Faingnaert

in the Faroe Islands.

The village of Gjógv, located on the island of Esturoy, is typical of the small fishing villages of the archipelago.

In Faroese, Gjógv means ravine.

© Celine Develay-Mazurelle/RFI

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