Cruising Greenland and Northern Europe: The Faroe Islands and Crossing the North Sea

Lock to the North Sea

The North Sea

When we left Amsterdam, our ship entered the North Sea Canal thru a lock system. Our ship sailed excruciatingly slowly into the lock as our captain cautiously navigated us into the narrow space. This lock is a simple gated one (not at all like the Panama). Once we were locked in by gates front and back, the front gate opened and allowed the sea water to lift us since the waters of the North Sea are slightly higher than the river on which we entered the lock. But it was hardly noticeable. And, it was such a short distance thru the lock that we couldn’t even tell the difference in the ship’s rise. But we definitely took notice once we were in the North Sea – lots of rockin’ and rollin’. The North Sea is supposed to be the roughest sea on the planet, and it definitely lived up to its reputation. Nothing we can’t handle, and pretty exciting actually.

Anne flaunts her fake fur jacket (kept her warm!)

This morning after breakfast up in the Lido, Anne spotted a shopping frenzy at a couple tables set up near the pool. Big sale on fleecy jackets to keep us warm at the upcoming ports. It looked comical until Anne realized the jackets were selling for only $12. She joined the fray, and is now the proud owner of a fake fur jacket made in China (ha, ha), but it will help keep her warm (?). Should be pretty entertaining when we leave the ship – 1,000 people wearing identical jackets like members of some bizarre Arctic cult!

Faroe Islands

Our first port is in the middle of nowhere, halfway between Norway and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are an archipelago of 18 islands (17 of which are inhabited), but 40% of the Faroese people (approx: 21,000) live in the capital city of Torshavn where we docked. Torshavn is basically a small town with lots of colorful houses, and some with green, turf-topped roofs. The Faroe Islands have a total of just 52,000 people!

Location of the Faroe Islands

Our first view of the remote but colorful Faroese homes

We met MM Tours for a Golden Circle Tour we had booked on our own to see the highlights of the islands. As our bus headed out of the town and into the countryside, we were immediately taken with the exceptional scenery of steep green mountainsides carved with loads of waterfalls. The Faroes have no indigenous trees, so the land is quite barren but water is everywhere with fjords and bays at every turn. In all of the Faroes, you can never get farther than four miles from the sea.

Frank at the famous Foss Waterfall

Our first stop was the Foss Waterfall, the largest one on the Faroes.

Anne stands in front of a turf-topped home in Saksun

Next we drove on to the tiny village of Saksun with another waterfall and a view of a fjord. We got a tour of an original farmhouse with a turf-topped roof. These grassy roofs are supposed to be quite warm and the best choice to weather the extremely high winds they get here. However, the only drawback is that they attract bugs!

Tjornuvik beach town

Next stop for lunch, the beach town of Tjornuvik where the Faroese actually surf in the cold North Sea.

Strange name for a good beer brewed in
the Faroes

We ate packed lunches and drank a Faroese beer called Slupp (tasted better than it sounds).

Gorge at Gjogv

Our last stop was the atmospheric town of Gjogv. Lots of picture-postcard views, including a deep majestic gorge along the edge of the little town.

Remote homes on Faroe

The Faroe Islands are quite special, and considering we never even heard of them before this trip, we were quite smitten. Tourism is on the rise here, and they will soon offer direct flights from NYC.

Indispensable Faroese sheep

A couple interesting facts about this fascinating place in the middle of nowhere. The whole country has only three stoplights. They have the highest life expectancy in Europe and the lowest crime rate in the world (when we visited there were four prisoners in the prison).

Their car insurance carries a mandatory provision to repay the farmer for the value of his sheep if you hit one (happens a lot!).

Whaling has always been an important industry here. In recent years, the Faroese whale hunts have garnered lots of publicity.

Anne explores the village of Saksun

These tiny islands even played an important part in WWII. In fact, more people died (percentage-wise) here than in any other country. Most of those who died were fisherman, who lost their lives ferrying food and supplies to Great Britain.