Letters from the Faroe Islands
August 29, 2025, 7:30am Local Time
Sørvágur
We depart for the Klaksvík ferry soon, and this may be a shorter entry. Maybe there will be an afternoon edition. Austin has just awoken, his earliest yet, and I have a slight hangover from yesterday's steak and wine night. Having a kitchen is such a delight. I have had tea both mornings! The brand is Pickwicks, which makes me chuckle.
Yesterday was a lazier day, beginning with a tour in Vestmanna of the distillery. Sad to say they import their ethanol for all but their whisky, which is not yet made or, well, aged. I still bought two bottles, one as a gift for Chris and another as a keepsake in part because the bottle was designed by Eivør! Also, had a lovely conversation there with a couple from Beijing who inquired about my heritage. Saw the Brit-Poles again—the man pointing me out to his wife as "our friend!"
After, Austin and I headed into Tórshavn again for some clothes shopping. He bought a lovely scarf for Amanda and I bought a Danish vest (on sale!). My worries for my budget reappeared a little, but most of what comes next is paid for as it is—apart from the ferry and the best on our next adventure.
Oh! How did I forget. This was also the day of THE SJÓGÆTI FISK & KIPS BILANIR. It was delicious, though the satisfaction came as much from the completion of this little quest as it was the food. It sparks joy, as Mari would say, and that's enough a reason as anything.
Sunny weather in Sørvágur today—in contrast with our surreal drive back from Tórshavn. The GPS took us up and over the mountains on local roads in fog so thick I could scarcely see ten feet in front of me. Thrice, we almost struck the never-ending Faroese sheep.
Then, on a whim, Austin and I took a beach walk and, seeing the setting sun, drove up to a lookout we had seen earlier to watch. Of all the moments on this trip, that one might just take the cake. At the very least, it will be one of the most significant moments of my life. The feel of the raw wind, for, of course, there was a storm coming in, and the myriad of colors from that combined with the sun above the sea... Austin and I agree that, even though we saw it with our own eyes, we barely believed a view like this could exist. Above else, this has been a trip which reminds one of the fleeting nature of moments peaceful and ephemeral. To drive not thirty minutes into that weather, to know the crash and boom of the sea upon the shore, to watch the waves retreat and reveal stretches of nearly black sand—nothing is permanent except where you are and when you are. You lose even yourself in this.
Why, I am tired, for I almost forgot the cliffside waterfall that began today (insane!). It was while traveling back from there that we spotted the place where we would later watch the sunset. Another testament to these islands, that a place such as this can fade into the memory of just another day. I worry sometimes that I am overdoing this trip a little, but then why else am I here if not to live fully, wildly, deliciously? Let a hangover worse than this come when I am back, but let me drink deeply of this fresh, saline, windswept, sanguine cup of island life and stay drunk a little while longer.
Onto Klaksvík, and the Café Edge.
JXMC