Page 24 - Boca ViewPointe - June '21

Page 24, Viewpointe June 2021

The Faroe Islands, Rugged Unspoiled Beauty

By Don Kiselewski, Although the Danes
MCC, D.S., believe that the Faroes are
Palm Beach Gardens as much a part of Denmark
Travel Leaders as Copenhagen, the Faroese
believe that they are an
Although it is believed independent nation under the
that St. Brendan and a group protection of Denmark. The
of Irish monks first spotted Faroe Islands were granted
the Faroe Islands some home rule in 1946 and
1,400 years ago, there is no function as an independently
unequivocal proof of their functioning government
presence. The group was under the Kingdom of
known to have sailed in these waters, and there is proof that Denmark. They have refused Bryggjubakki Street at night, central Tórshavn. Photo by Vincent van Zeijst
they landed on other islands in the area; however, it is quite to join the “motherland” and
possible that they missed the Faroe Islands completely. After the European Union. The
all, the prevailing rain, fog and mist normally form a concealing Faroese have their own flag,
shroud around the islands. These weather conditions average postage stamps, and print
280 days a year. The only argument for the prior visits from their own money.
the outside world was the wild sheep that roamed the island An old Faroese legend says,
when Landsmenn, the first Norse settlers, arrived in the ninth “When the earth was created,
century. Someone must have left them when they departed the the foreman on the job cleaned
island. These Landsmenn were gentle farmers who feared the his fingernails and what plopped
Viking hordes that terrorized the mainland of Europe. into the Atlantic Ocean became
Unfortunately, the treeless Faroe Islands are not prime the Faroe Islands.” Unlike other
farmland, so for more than a millennium the people of the groups of islands in the world,
Faroe Islands have relied on the sea for their sustenance. the Faroes are made up of
Likewise, their economy has risen and fallen based upon long, narrow strips of land next
the waters surrounding the 18 islands that make up this to each other, separated with
independent nation located in the North Atlantic Ocean. The fjords and narrow waterways.
Faroes are located 600 kilometers (372 miles) westward of The land itself has been laid in
Norway and 300 kilometers (186 miles) northeast of Scotland, layers, much like a cake, which Pilot whales following the grindadrap. Photo by Erik Christensen
and about the same distance to Iceland, further to the northwest. produce steep walls right at the
Some 49,000* residents live on 17 of the 18 islands – only water’s edge. Being treeless, except for a few that have been The Faroe Islands on page 25
Lítla Dimun is unoccupied. The town of Tórshavn on the island
of Streymoy, at approximately 13,000* residents, is the capital
and by far the largest community in the Faroes. What it lacks in
pubs and clubs, it makes up for in picturesque charm. Tórshavn
was named for the Norse god Thor, one of the most powerful of SUSAN
the ancient deities. Havn
means “harbor” and the Boca Pointe
combination of these GABRIELLE resident
two words translates to for over 30 years
“Thor’s Port.” Tinganes, Realtor
a name given to a small
peninsula that juts Direct: 561-445-4483
out from the island, is
where Tórshavn began a sueg.realty@gmail.com
thousand years ago. The
first Norwegian settlers
established the Alting
(parliament) on this site, 101 Palmetto Road, Boca Raton
which makes the town
the oldest continuing http://suegrealty.com
national capital in
Europe at more than a
thousand years old. The
oldest construction in the
city dates from the 14th WE ARE
century and provides Save Up To
a unique insight into The Faroese wear traditional OPEN
the Faroese lifestyle, attire for Olavsoka, a national 24/7
characterized with sod holiday of the Faroe Islands.
roofs for insulation. Photo by Don Kiselewski 80% OFF

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