More photo galleries » Picture of a waterfall in Gasadalur on the island of Vagar in the Faroe Islands, Denmark Readers Choice Winner: Faroe Islands Photograph by Adam Burton, Robert Harding World Imagery/Corbis This year for the first time we invited our well-traveled online readers and followers to participate in creating our Best Trips list. We asked them via Twitter, Facebook, and our Intelligent Travel blog to nominate one place using the same criteria we use—sustainable, culturally minded, authentic, superlative, and timely. Among the nominations we received, Traveler staff chose the following winning entry, which captures the thrill of discovering a remote destination. —Amy Alipio Under the North Atlantic Sun The Faroe Islands are always a beautiful destination, no matter what time of year you go. But on March 21, 2015, there will be a full solar eclipse visible from the Faroe Islands. For most people, a full solar eclipse will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and from what Ive heard, it should be quite magnificent. My grandmother told me about her reaction to the full solar eclipse that was visible from the Faroe Islands 60 years ago, on June 30, 1954. She was terrified, thinking it was some kind of apocalypse. What was a very bright day suddenly became black. The birds acted strange, but the hens just went inside their house to sleep. A few minutes later, the day was bright again, the rooster crowed good morning, and life kept on going. —Sigrið Mikkjalsdóttir, Faroe Islands Travel Tips When to Go: March 20, Total Solar Eclipse 2015, islandwide eclipse-related special events; July-August for comfortable temperatures (average 55ºF) and extended daylight (longest midsummer day is 19.5 hours) How to Get Around: Direct flights to the Faroe Islands leave from England, Denmark, Iceland, and Norway year-round, and from Barcelona and Milan in summer. Ferries link Denmark to the islands (once a week year-round, twice weekly in summer) and run from Iceland once a week in summer. Rent a car or ride a bus to travel between towns, and use ferries to island hop. Buy a four- or seven-day Strandfaraskip Landsins Travel Card for unlimited bus and ferry trips. In Tórshavn, the capital city, the local (red) bus service is free. Where to Stay: Experience authentic Faroese architecture and life at Gjáargarður, a wooden, sod-roof guesthouse in the tiny village (about 50 residents) of Gjógv. The property includes an adjacent low-rise modern building with single, double, and triple bedrooms. For authentic Viking-style lodging, book one of the ten double alcoves (sliding privacy door; shared bathroom) tucked under the roof slope in the attic roykstovan (smoke room). Where to Eat or Drink: At industrial-sleek KOKS, overlooking the Tórshavn waterfront, executive chef Poul Andrias Ziska specializes in small-plate new Nordic cuisine. The tasting menu (choose four, six, or eight courses) showcases locally sourced ingredients such as seaweed, dried fish, and herbed lamb. Dinner only. Closed Sundays and Mondays. For more traditional local fare (poached cod, smoked salmon, lobster bisque) served in a homey setting, visit Áarstova (“the house by the brook”), also inTórshavn. Dinner served daily. What to Buy: A Faroese original, the traditional Guðrun & Guðrun star-pattern sweater (popularized by TV detective Sarah Lund in the acclaimed Danish crime series The Killing) is hand knit from 100 percent untreated wool. Since no dyes are used, the classic sweaters reflect the natural colors of the local Faroese sheep. Men’s, women’s, and children’s dyed wool sweaters (available in various colors and patterns), hats, scarves, and other clothing and accessories are sold at the Guðrun & Guðrun flagship store in Tórshavn. Cultural Tip: Its easy to travel around the Faroe Islands by car, but off-islanders may get flustered by narrow lanes and frequent four-hooved obstacles. Before hitting the road, watch this quick video on driving in the Faroe Islands, created by Landsverk, the public roads office. What to Read Before You Go: Told from the perspective of a visiting Harvard graduate student, Far Afield (Vintage, reprint edition, 1994) by Girl, Interrupted novelist Susanna Kaysen, is a simultaneously humorous and insightful look at what it’s like to be an outsider in the isolated Faroe Islands. Helpful Links: Visit Faroe Islands and GreenGate Incoming Fun Fact: Irish monks, not Vikings, are thought to have been the first settlers of the Faroe Islands. For generations, Faroese have shared the story of St. Brendan, an Irish abbot whos said to have sailed from Scotland to the islands sometime between the years 512 and 530. As the story goes, Brendan was searching for “the promised land of the saints” when he landed on “the islands of the sheep and the paradise of the birds.” Historians believe that the first Norse, or Viking, settlers didn’t arrive until the year 800.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 21:24:48 +0000
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