Thursday, June 28, 2018

Nuts for Norway!



Norway in a nutshell, an overcrowded nutshell, tourists from everywhere, and that includes us. So we meet the train in Bergen, walking to the classic old rail station carrying our bags which are getting heavy with over worn clothes and the gifts that I have added. We are standing in line and realizing that it's a bit of a cattle call, no assigned seats, and a full train, but we get to sit together. So many tunnels! The beauty of Norway comes in and out of view. We get to the town of Voss and now we are transferred to several buses. The next phase of our travel is unbelievable! At one point the grade is 18% downhill, hairpin turns on a really narrow road. Our female bus driver performs this drive with remarkable ease, stopping a few times to let everyone move from one side of the bus to the other taking photos. Finally we get to the port and to the boat and grab seats at the large picture window in the back of the boat on the lower level close to the water. Happy with our seats we embark on our journey of the Undredal Fjord to the town of Flam.
Waiting to board the train from Bergen 

The crowd on the boat (200 + people) was spread out and because there was a chance to go out on the decks, three levels, it was not unbearable. We had all kinds of weather that day which made for more drama than just the landscape. I have always wanted to experience the fjords, ever since the 4th grade geography class that impressed me with stories from kids in all parts of the world. So maybe this was a bucket list accomplishment! Getting to Flam and discovering that we were staying in the large historic hotel right there off the dock was icing on the cake. But again, the room is full of furniture, this time lovely antiques, so still no room to roll out the yoga mat.

Secretly striking a warrior pose
 I'm finding myself striking poses secretly waiting in lines, watching scenery, even sitting on planes and trains, or now on the boat.
Super cool Fjord touring boat


The amazing manner in which the Norwegian hospitality industry deals with the masses of people is impressive! In this small harbor of Flam, there are two large cruise ships, one being a Princess cruise line, the other is the Queen Mary 2, which has a long banner running along the side of the ship: "security warning keep 50 meters away!" .... or what? wanted to find out but never did.

Watching the Norwegian scenery flow by.
We spent the day we had in Flam walking in the hills and the rural areas around the town. It was a perfect day. The late afternoon train that got us back to Oslo a little later than schedule, 10:45 at night, not the 10:30 promised time, was very obviously a failure for which the train crew were sincerely apologetic. Electrical problems on an electric train, were repaired in no time. Imagine having such on time trains in the U.S.!
QE2 stopping in for a pint or two

One of the more hokey stops of the train ride is at a large waterfall. Everyone exits the train to walk to a platform, to take photos of the always amazing scenery. We have become accustomed to the many waterfalls, and there will be more, so many more that by the time we get to Iceland it's, "oh, there's another one." Anyway back to the hokey, it is the reenactment of a myth that there is a woman  living in the hills and she will use her feminine whiles to capture you. Piped in music comes from beneath the bridge platform we are standing on and a "lady in red" appears, coaxing you with her charms. This scene is well choreographed she appears in one place and disappears to appear in another close by but that rocky terrain would be difficult to maneuver sooo quickly (I think she had a double at this distance you would not be able to tell one nordic blonde goddess from another!) and when the song ends, quick get back to your seats, we are trying to make up for the lost minutes from the electrical outage caused by too many people ordering pizza in the dining car, perhaps.
What Norwegians call intermission

The Thon Opera Hotel was perfectly situated right outside the central train station, (again thanks to Angelika for this reservation,) we are happy to get to our room after a glass of wine in the glamorous lobby.
Ian and Sharon out for a latte in Oslo, Norway




















The next morning we will meet a friend, Ian, who is flying into Oslo. He will take the train into town and find us at this convenient location easily. We will go for a quick walk, enjoy a lovely cup of coffee and give him our take on this beautiful friendly country and hope that his  hiking vacation around Norway is not as rainy as ours.
Quaint villages and fisherman cabins on the Fjord

More villages surrounded by towering mountains
Storybook settings Norwegian style...perfect.
This is like a high rise condo bldg moving in for a few hours
Historic Frietheim Hotel in Flam with.a modern flair.









Sunday, June 24, 2018

Sweet Bergen

Onward we must travel, reluctantly leaving our lovely Oslo hotel on Gables Gate. Toting our bags down the block to the tram stop where we board and then dropped off at the Central Train Station. Our destination is Bergen, a medium sized historic port city sharing period architecture with modern.
Bergen view from a hike

Half the fun is getting to the city on the Bergen Train. When we made our way up into the car and found our seats Sharon quickly discovered we will be sitting backwards possibly causing motion sickness. We asked the conductor if there are any seats turned the opposite direction but the train was full with no unoccupied seats. The couple facing us overheard the conversation and offered to switch seats to accommodate our request. The invitation opened conversation with the young Iranian couple now living in Turkey. They were bright and very charming throughout the days journey.
our new Iranian friends
Halfway to Bergen...7 degrees Celsius

The passing countryside was dotted with magnificent snow patched mountains infected with the occasional village on the crust of a deep cobalt blue lake. Taking photos on the train was a primer in the quick snapshot before the train dashed into endless tunnels or the view blocked by tall trees.

We arrived into the Bergen train station, disembarked, and walked the long platform into the main station lobby. I pulled my phone from my pantaloons and entered the name and address for our hotel into my GPS app. It immediately popped up with information which we deciphered, hoisted our bags and began to walk the streets of Bergen to the Scandic City Hotel. Our first taste of the city wasn't impressive and thought it was a step down from Oslo. We walked for a while and I began to question our direction. We stopped a young lady walking the opposite direction and asked if she knew of the address or the hotel. As we discovered, Norwegians are extremely courteous, ready to help, and very engaging. She pulled out her phone, entered the info, and walked with us a short distance in the opposite direction we were walking, then pointed to us the direction to the remainder of our destination about a kilometer away.
Great restaurant for a hungry traveler.

 By the time we reached the front desk of the hotel our bodies were tired from lugging luggage and asked the desk clerk about a restaurant. He suggested a lovely bistro in the historic village a couple klicks away. He made a reservation which afforded us an hour  to relax and walk to "To Kokkers" (meaning two cooks).

The directions the clerk gave us were exact and the walk generated a new view of Bergen. It's a city not as cosmopolitan as Oslo but seemingly embodied a bit more charm. Arriving at the restaurant, we were quickly seated into a comfy old upstairs low ceiling room supported by rough hewn beams, plastered and wall papered walls decorated with old relic paintings, and an uneven planked floor. The food and mood was perfect. Walking back to our hotel in the night (actually looking like dusk) was enough to reduce our stuffed bellies and sullen us to sleep.

The next morning which always begins with the wonderful buffet breakfast (No really Chuck, I really like this Norwegian selection of delightful tastes), we discussed what to do in Bergen. Agreeing on a little shopping, exploring, and looking forward to getting lost in a foreign city. (one of our favorite travel pastimes) We discovered churches, shopping malls disguised as historic buildings, beautiful parks and back to the train station where we had to pickup our last handful of Norway in a Nutshell tickets from the ticket master. All the above was done between ducking in and our of the variations of rain. Without the rain it would be another boring beautiful day for us.
many products merchanised into one building

Walking back to our hotel from exploring we stopped into a pub for a quick Guinness and catch some of the World Cup, Japan the victor of that game. Then continued on when we both felt like a late dinner. Turning off the main plaza onto a small street to investigate. We saw a Japanese sign but it was for a photo company not a place for a celebratory dinner,  further down the avenue was a Thai restaurant. Yes we need to try Thai in the reaches of the Arctic. It was close to 9PM but the hostess/owner said it would be ok if we ate quickly. The smells from the kitchen convinced us to give it a try even under the time restrictions. The rice noodle salad and the Tom Kra Gai took time to prepare but we were rewarded with unbelievable perfectly prepared dishes with flavor beyond our expectations. If you are ever, ever near Bergen, Norway you must make the journey to the Samrab Thai Restaurant.
Oh yum, not just any old Thai food

The next day was hiking day. We decided to first take the cable train up the mountain from Bergen central, then hike up to a mountain top, then hike back down into the city center. The line to take the train was jammed with a myriad of cultures wanting to get a different view of Bergen and a few wanting to hike. We unloaded with the crowd once reaching the tracks end and began following the hiking signage up a trail. With deeply overcast skies, the weather was holding out but by the time we reached our summit with light rain, our return was met by a steady downpour.
Hiking trail into the city center

A repreave from the rain and hail mixture was from a locked up small building with a couple small overhangs just enough for a bit of shelter to wait out the intense rain. After an hour the rain reduced to a light shower without hail and we made our trek down the mountain passing the train stop and finally into town. Wet and a bit exhausted we both agreed we needed more Thai food to warm our drenched bodies.

After the repeat spectacular gastronomic performance we went back to our hotel for rest but rallied in time to return to the Metz sports bar to watch another World Cup game, Iran vs Spain and with Iran being the underdog  in respect to our new Iranian friends, we cheered for the Persians. This puzzled the roundish Irishman leaning on the bar next to us. He was astounded that two Americans would be rooting for Iran. We always cheer for the underdog and with that and with us drinking Guinness, the mother's milk of Ireland,  Wille bought us a round. The game was well played  but didn't turn out in our favor.
Sweet Willie was Irish but now Norwegian 

We left the bar feeling great in more ways than one but tomorrow we needed to get some sleep and ready ourselves for the "Norway in a Nutshell" experience.




Leaving the train station at Bergen
cable train up the mountain
Houses in the city center like Bisbee


National Theater in the city center

Friday, June 22, 2018

Moto Euro with a twist

Yo Homies, I've been a bit quiet recently in blog city except for my images but there are a couple of topics overlooked for you motor heads. For international travelers, they know driving etiquette is a quick essential issue for survival and face saving while visiting foreign lands.

I have two topics today, one covering death defying tunnel techniques and the other of product distribution. First is the discovery of driving on true one lane roads. In the Faroe Islands, their country's road infrastructure cost is half the normal cost because they build remote paved roadways with one lane. The drivers on these slender ribbons of pavement literally share the road by paying attention to the approaching traffic. If you see an approaching vehicle from afar you can roughly calculate when to either use the dimly identified pull out or gun it signally the other driver to seek refuge. Surprisingly these roads work well because everyone is considerate except for the fresh tourist quickly acquiring the local road rules.

The above instruction is pretty simple but now take the one lane issue and throw in long narrow wet unlit tunnels into the equation and now you have a very nervous hesitant driver gasping for air. Again first time tunnel traveler must observe under fire what the fuck to do with approaching headlights halfway through the tunnel. First, the road signs I've been ignoring for the last hour now are important. I learned quickly the sign with two arrows designate which vehicle direction has the right a way while the other must use a designated pull off before the avenger kisses your bumper. My first tunnel didn't require me to use the pull out so I sailed through without interruption though on the return the tables turned and as soon as I saw a headlight I dashed for the safety zone which at first pissed off the driver behind because I pulled over too soon. So proper tunnel technique is drive onward and trust that every 100 meters a pull out is available. It only takes a few tunnels to get the swing of things.  One thing is conclusive, Norwegians love to tunnel.
Remote peaceful village with one lane access

Now for the advanced refinement. You're now not baling too quickly but dashing your lights is a must other wise you have the challenger blasting you with their 500,000 candle watt beacon signaling you to shut down you lights but you only douse your headlights and leave your courtesy lamps lit. This is a bit of a task when you are not familiar with the rental car controls so I got a lot of luminary scolding. We had to switch rental cars halfway through the week which required new dashboard knowledge.

If you find yourself going to the Faroe Islands let me know and I give you the complete translated course for one cold beer.

SEXY, POWERFUL, ECONOMICAL, enough said

One last item. I'm a closet gear head. I love cars. The design, engineering, and performance are buried into my soul. When we arrived in Oslo and walked to the city train stop, I noticed a couple Tesla fully electric cars. Now for you folks that don't pay attention the automotive industry, these vehicles are not only very sexy, but they haul ass and run without gas. What a dream machine.

These issue here is not that Norway has Teslas, but they have a lot of Teslas. I found out the Norwegian government subsidizes owners by offering no taxes, free parking, no charging cost, and one full body massage each week.  Thats why there is at least one one Tesla on each block. No wonder there is a waiting list in the US for these cars. Is Elon Musk Norwegian?
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Thursday, June 21, 2018

Oslo so fab

The flight from Faroe was an hour delayed...so the connection from Copenhagen to Oslo gave us only 8 minutes to run through the terminal and we caught the plane! No way our luggage will be there when we get to Oslo, but, no way, it was there!
Waiting for flight to Oslo from Faroe

In Oslo we walked to the information desk by the train which is connected to the airport, just to be certain we catch the right train, and in minutes we are on the rails, walk out of the National Theater terminal and just pulling up is tram 13 to take us within a 5 minute walk to our hotel, the Clarion at Gables Gate which at 20:30 is still serving our complimentary dinner and that's the magic of our arrival to Oslo. The room is luxurious and I take a bath in a deep warm tub. Tomorrow we will catch the "hop on hop off" bus to see what's up in Oslo. We walk to the first stop, encounter a protest happening at the university, oh yes we are traveling, and these scenes are familiar and welcoming!
Clarion Collection Hotel, Oslo...perfect

Getting our tickets for the bus we decide on this beautiful day to go straight to the Vigeland Park to see 200+ sculptures. Awe inspiring, really!, especially as we get to the end of the long wide boulevard lined with bronze works to where the granite column of human bodies in various states of strife are surrounded by individual depictions (also massive granite works) of two or more figures all expressing the human condition, simple and yet so accurate anatomically....light catching a shoulder blade, a spinal column, a collar bone, ... breathtaking and yes you have to see this place!
Vigland Sculpture Park
Lunch at Pier 31

Time to get back to the bus and so we go to the entry gate and wait. The hop on hop off bus is a double decker so lots of seats. But people have to get off to let you on, and well there are just not enough getting off for those desperate to get on. It was a bit of mayhem, and why we avoid the touristy offerings. Hey people, you need to see this park! Never mind, lets just walk on this stunning bright day. So we walk, and walk, and walk we think we are getting close to the Viking Museum, and we are definitely getting hungry. Finally, look out on that pier, there is surely a restaurant. Hooray we are seated near the water in a most comfortable outdoor cafe. Curt has been avoiding carbs, but this northern Italian menu has lasagna for lunch, and surely he deserves this treat especially when we find out that we have overshot our destination by a couple of miles. Oooops, the map is confusing and there are no signs pointing our way. Never mind, let's take a taxi, I'm pretty sure we have walked 5+ miles already today!
Real Viking ship made for a funeral ship to honor woman rulers
Vigeland Park

We are barely in the doors of the museum when I am hit with a deep sadness. Not sure what/why but I got the strong feeling that these Vikings were trying to stop something big, (i.e. the patriarchal take over of the Church?) and somehow that resonates with ancient feminist genetic material deep in my soul. Perhaps I was born to a family of men in this incarnation for lessons I needed to revisit. Like empathizing and forgiving the male species who at another time in history were my cohorts, at the very least it explains why I have always plaited my hair into unusual braids. I am realizing that this nordic culture is oddly familiar. The whole reason for our decision to go to the Faroe Islands was because I watched a video of Eivor Palsdottir singing traditional folk music, I am at home in her other worldly vocals. Enough of this woo woo posting. We are in Oslo, it's getting late, and we catch the last hop on hop off bus to get back to the center of the city and make it back to our beautiful hotel. And again, there's soup and salad for dinner, perfect!

Nobel Peace Center Award Recipients
Nobel Peace Institute...Bosch electric powered bicycle
We spent a rainy Sunday at the National Museum housing an amazing collection art possessing a Norwegian connection, had a delicious lunch of French onion soup* in a lovely salon of the museum, then strolling through the old fort, ducking into a coffee shop to get out of the sudden torrential downpour. We sat at a table joining a gentleman there with his Indian female colleague, he is speaking mid-west U.S. English. You begin to realize that the world speaks English, but not everyone has that Nebraska twang. The little coffee shop has a framed letter on the wall from Barrack Obama, and so the conversation of how much he is missed ensues. We leave when the rain lets up and make our way to the Nobel Peace Center, whose current exhibition is a disturbing reflection of the "Wealth Generation" as it is called. Yikes this aspect of America is a full on embarrassment,  the U.S.A. has exported the worst of ourselves, and the world imitates it. Then upstairs to the room which houses the recipients of the award, a very moving and beautiful installation. We leave the center with heavy hearts, and a sense of hope.


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One of many parks in Oslo for families to enjoy

Norwegian oil painting in the National Gallery 

Delicious breakfast buffet every morning


Indescribable Vigeland Sculpture Park




Monday, June 18, 2018

A Closer Look at Faroe Islands

I'm up at 4:45 a.m., it's quite light out, and Curt is still sleeping so let me try and fill in the gap as we leave Oslo, Norway today and still have to tell you about the far away Faroe Islands. We left you with our arrival. I am one of those travelers who does not do her homework on a place until I'm there and then only if I like it there. I was pretty surprised to find the islands are treeless. Oh there are a few trees in the villages struggling to reach any significant height, still providing for picturesqe gardens. I guess you don't need shade in places that are generally cloud covered. But don't let that fool you, both Curt and I came away from that first day's hike with a bit of sun. Treelessness is part of the stark bleak beauty that surrounds you.
me on Mykines

Treeless isles

So we acquired a car, which as it turns out in spite of the guide books saying you can go by busses everywhere, was a necessity! Our first day's drive from the island of Vagar to Streymoy means you travel a long distance in a tunnel that goes beneath the sea. The couple we talked to on our hike who had been coming to the Faroes for 10 yrs now, gave us our first destination of Sakson. The road beyond the tunnel to the small village, famed for it's black beach and a turf roofed church, was a single lane white knuckle experience. Little did we know that this was just practice for the roads to come. That said the roads in hind site, are in much better shape than the roads in our little hometown.

With the knowledge that we would not have a car for the duration of our stay on the islands we decided to just keep going. This place was so fascinating, and nothing was too far away, so we drove on. Seeing picturesque villages, many with less than a dozen inhabitants. Making our way to the small outpost of Gjogv where we meet Phillip who runs a small kiosk and we have a cup of coffee. Turns out Phillip knows Bisbee, the town where his favorite comedian lives, whose wife's name is Bingo! Yes even in this most remote place on earth our town is made famous. There was something very affirming and reassuring in this recognition, otherwise it might have been hard to believe that we were even on the same planet in this place where there is no poverty or homelessness, or for that matter even a blade of grass out of place! The sheep keeping the countryside mowed and tidy, which is not saying the same for their appearance. Dreadlocked sheep running amuck, with sweet little ones (it is spring after all) playing and hiding under every grassy mound. It must be hard to gather them for sheering, so many sheep don't get shorn.
Sakson Beach church
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The days don't end this time of year, so you have to keep track of the time simply by exhaustion. We made our way back to Midvagur, and again the inn is quiet. The doors are always open, oh did I mention there is no crime. We find a small restaurant, the Broadway? (it's the only option) in our town to have a mediocre pizza and salad, where's the local fare?

Gasadalur Vagar falls
The next morning we finally meet the inn keeper Marit. She is at first a little standoffish, as the job must make you. Meeting so many new people all the time. She has a thing for antiques and knick knacks or maybe they just are things that never get thrown away and fill up every inch of usable space. There are more tables and chairs than people could possibly use in this small inn. No where to roll out a yoga mat : (  Her method of communication is sticky notes on the mirror in the foyer, until finally we break the ice and she insists that we make it to her other, even smaller, inn on the island of Mykines. This will require a ferry ride and I'm prone to seasickness, so let's wait another day while we still have a car and drive to the furthest outpost.



There is a famous sculpture of the Seal Woman on the island of Kalsoy, it is our destination. This time we have to go through two tunnels that go under the sea, the second is 9 kms and features a light show at it's deepest stretch, sort of a northern lights thing underground/sea. We will also have to take our car on a ferry boat for about 30 minutes, protected waters and a larger vessel, I'll be fine. Once we get to the island a series of one lane tunnels (! you watch for headlights and then find a pull off before the approaching vehicle hits you!) will get us to the town Mikladalur where down a steep flight of stairs (no problem for Bisbeeites) we will find this amazing bronze statue whose survival through incredible storms of 16 meter waves makes for a story of it's own. Her story the myth of the island is worth looking up. From there we make our way to the furthest northern village of Trollanes where we get another coffee at "the last kiosk on earth." We meet Amanda, whose mother has baked a cake for weary travelers, not many make it out there I'm guessing. This very green village is occupied by 12 residents; one is a butcher we look into the open doors to see the meat hanging, one is a metal smith, we bought a candlestick, there is a cow mooing somewhere in a barn (you don't see cows but they exist) ... Amanda is in her early 20s, I'm guessing her parents are both alive, so there's half the town. She drives to the town of Klaksvik to work, through those tunnels, across that ferry regularly. I guess that is where she also finds her peers, but she doesn't seem to need them.

It's early enough in the never ending day to drive further. The island of Vidoy will be our last outpost, as the next island of Fugloy requires a longer ferry boat ride and open seas. I will have to face that trip to Mykines soon enough. We stumble upon Elizabeth's restaurant, and have a very good meal. Food is an issue, fair warning from our taxi driver in Copenhagen. After dinner let's go for a drive. Curt is getting over done at this point, but, "we aren't going to be here again," I remind him, and so we find the tiniest of places, and oldest it turns out, Muli. It is also the buggiest, still there are fresh flowers in the windows of the few homes. I'm starting to feel bad for the folks who are living in the fishbowl of tourists peering into their lives, and understand the plight of our neighbors on High road in Bisbee who are dealing with the endless stream of golf carts touring visitors through Bisbee.

Our supposed last day with a car is going to be a drive to the other end of the island that we are living on, to the village of Gasadalur by way of Bour. I've quit counting the tunnels that get you from place to place. We are hugging the coast and I am sure that the mountain island visible is the town of Whoville whose famous Mount Crumpet where the Grinch lives is the landmark, I bet Dr. Seuss has been here!
Mount Crunpet?

Good news we scored another vehicle, though it will remain parked for the day that we are traveling by sea to Marit's other home of Mykines. There we meet her helpers from the Czech Republic, Hana and Andre, who took this gig from the "Work Away" online site. Seems that their arrival to the Faroe Islands was not much different than our own, not meeting their "boss" for a couple of days and wondering what they were supposed to be doing. Communication is not Marit's strong suit, and she is off doing who knows what all the time. Our arrival to this small bird island late afternoon after a smooth crossing by ferry was easy, our young host and hostess meeting us at the dock. We walk to the small house, climb the steep ladder to the loft where we will sleep, along with Andre and Hana in the middle space, and the Russian family in the room on the other side. Tight quarters and one small bathroom, but ok, it's just one night. We tour the village, find a great little shop and buy a couple of trinkets, our first for the trip, but handmade items have been scarce. After a lovely salmon dinner, Hana is vegetarian and she is suffering from lack of veggie options, we start our evening hike. It has been cloudy all day, but now at 9 pm the sun is out and it's a beautiful day/night. We take a steep, steep, walk up to where the lighthouse is. Along the way we pass a memorial with the names of all the people who have fallen to their demise off the cliffs. Shaky knees, but oh my what beauty, I keep walking. (The "Asatoma Sat Gamaya" chant clicking off the steps I'm taking, yogi friends will know what I'm talking about.) Not all the way to the lighthouse, I realize that I don't have my camera/phone, and have to go back to get Curt's. He is sitting enjoying the view not walking the narrow track occupied by the sheep and silly me.
 Contemplating on Mykines Island

Hana and Andre
















Back from our hike Johann the neighbor, has baked us a rhubarb cake. We sit and visit our hosts, sleep well enough and wake to a rainy morning. Our ferry leaves at 11, so more visiting. The issues that we are facing in our country are world wide. The oligarch in power in their country has made Hana's job in the public media unbearable, "fake news" is the international buzz blurb.  The ferry is late, the seas are choppy. I am green just thinking back, but I managed to make the crossing without tossing the leftover rhubarb cake and usual breakfast fare of cheese and sausage.

Inside Marit's Inn on Mykines

Well this post has lasted long enough that Curt is now awake and he will be putting the photos in place. Summing up, we met knew friends from Melbourne Australia at the Magenta Guest House, Robin and Andrew, who we enjoyed having dinner with in the capital city of Torshavn that evening back from Mykines. We went back to Torshavn the next day to visit the museum, catch a concert at the Nordic House and visit a few shops. Every time you go through that tunnel from island to island you are charged a 100 kroner fare, it will show up on our credit card, I think we went through at least a dozen times. It's not cheap to live here, but the government has no military expenses and plenty of money. Everyone lives well with a forced 6 week holiday and education to any university you chose including your room and board, and if you want to visit a doctor everyday, that's ok too.
In the end, The Faroe Islands I hope will remain as magical as they are today. Tourism must be held at bay and the likes of us will not burden them again. I wonder about the folks we met who have been going every year for the past 10, they were hearty Danish octogenarians and that pretty much sums up the reason that they are able to keep going back and don't want to change. But these places are rare and I don't think that the locals will tolerate too much, i.e. they won't show up! You won't have a car to rent, a place to sleep, or food to eat. That should keep the hordes away!
Arnold Ludwig Quintet at Nordic Hus in Torshavn

Robyn and Andrew from Melbourne