Eysturoy and Streymoy, the Faroe Islands

Feeling only slightly jet-lagged after a great night’s sleep on a mattress that could be mistaken for a cloud, it was time to head out for our highlights of the Faroe Island tour. We travelled to the southwest corner of Stremoy to visit Kirkjubour, its 12th century Magnus Cathedral, Saint Olav’s Church and the Kirkjubøargarður  farmhouse. We had a Vicar of Dibley moment when the priest rushed past us waving to start his televised service, wearing his cassock and a ruffled collar that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the 1600s. It was then on to the villages of Saksun and Gjógv and a traditional Faroese lunch of of salmon, herring, frikadellir (meatballs), charcuterie and potato salad at a local guesthouse. We then travelled to Eiði, where we saw black sand beaches and a stunning rock formation named the Giant and the Witch.

Each day on board The World, a lecture is presented by an expert in their field. That afternoon we attended a lecture called Iceland: The Land of Endless Idiosyncrasy which was presented by Dr. Darren Zook. Some of his fun facts included: puffin, not whale, is a traditional dish in Iceland; elves are a ‘thing’ and a 2007 University of Iceland study revealed that 62% of those polled wouldn’t deny they existed; putrified shark meat is a delicacy and; there are strict patronimic laws that regulate how people can be named. This was tested in recent years when an Icelandic woman had to go to the courts to gain permission to give her daughter a ‘boy’s name’.

That evening we went into Tórshavn for dinner at Aarstova, a gorgeous restaurant specialising in seafood and lamb. I had a 3 course meal matched with wine and the seafood bisque starter was possibly the most delicious dish I’ve ever eaten, closely followed the the compote. Note to self: an extra 20 minutes on the treadmill tomorrow.