Faroe Islands - Days 13 & 14

With the trip winding down, we started to position ourselves for departure. We woke to a gorgeous day in Aeduvik, possibly the nicest day of the entire trip. Still with the place to ourselves, we had a lazy start with coffee and jam and fresh bread for breakfast. 

On our way out of the area, we stopped in Runavik to look around a bit. Expecting everything to be closed on a Sunday, we came over the hill to see a cruise ship looming over the village, so apparently certain shops will open on a Sunday if there are enough tourists in town!

We enjoyed one last pleasant drive up and around to the Nordskali bridge, crossing back over to Streymoy. Near the subsea tunnel to Vagar, we stopped to take one of the few roads we had yet to explore, and enjoyed the scenic drive down into Vestmanna.

Carrying on back to Vagar, we secured our spot at Giljanes camping and then drove out the airport for a nice lunch at the Zorva Cafe. We returned to Giljanes and spent the remainder of the day packing, cleaning and rearranging the van, and hanging out in the lounge with Felix. With perfect visibility today, from the couch we could see Streymoy, Koltur, Hestur and Sandoy islands.

We left the campground at 630am on Monday morning, and stopped at the Magn for coffee and to top off the gas tank. We waited at the Midvagur FK grocery store until it opened ta 730am, to grab some snacks for the plane and some local treats to take home for others. Dropping the Toyota in the upper lot, we completed the check-in process well before the 8am deadline and headed for the terminal, very early for our afternoon flight.

It's a very small airport, with just a few flights per day coming and going. There was a small cafe that appeared open, but nobody seemed around to serve you. We tagged our own bags and waited until the earlier flight for Iceland had left, before checking our bags and crossing through security. After a quick run through duty free for some more local snacks a sextet of Black Sheep lager, we grabbed a plate of fries and a beer in the lounge.

Soon we were on the tarmac and boarding our Icelandair Dash-8 turbo prop (with a very long name I couldn't catch in time), with good seats right at the front for the short flight to Keflavik. The fog had lifted a bit, even though a light drizzle persisted, but once we got up above the clouds it was a sunny and pleasant flight that felt even shorter with the hour gained.

We landed in Keflavik and after taking the bus to the terminal, we cleared passport control and grabbed a slice of pizza before taking the opportunity for a second kick at duty free. Just after 3pm local time, we boarded our Icelandair 737 (named Storurd) and headed for Canada. With our seats right at the very back of the plane, we watched "Journey 2 The Mysterious Island" and "Wedding Crashers" to help pass the time.

Landing in Toronto just after 7pm local time, we realized that we were back at the infield concourse again, and had to take a shuttle bus to Terminal 3. That delay was offset by a mercifully quick customs experience (thanks, ArriveCan!) and the fact that our bags were among the very first off the plane. A short tram ride later, we were at the Bronco and heading for home. What a sharp contrast after two weeks of driving rented and unfamiliar vans on narrow roads.....getting out of Pearson and negotiating the 427 and 401 on a busy Monday night!

We stopped for a quick dinner in Woodstock, and Jane slept from there onwards as I soldiered on into the night. We arrived home just before midnight, though to us it felt like 5am the next morning. We quickly fell into a familiar bed and slept a little while, up too early the next morning thanks to jet lag. 

As we sipped a coffee, we surveyed the damage to the willow tree and waited until Noah's Ark opened so we could go and pick up Vincent. Our friends, who used their generator to keep our freezer full of meat in good shape during a 53-hour power outage, had also arranged for their "tree guy" to come and clean up the huge branch that was down and resting on our shed. All we saw was sawdust, a bit of damage to the shed roof, and a gaping hole on the one side of the willow. 

Another epic trip was in the books. In the end, we visited 9 of the 18 Faroe Islands and would gladly go back for more!

Good morning from Aeduvik

Leynar village

Vestmanna from above

Stunning scenery above Kvivik

Midvagur

Last night at Giljanes!

What could be more Faroese than sheep grazing at the international airport???

Taking off from FAE

Boarding Storurd in Keflavik

Surveying the damage to the willow!

Faroe Islands - Day 12

We awoke to the soothing sound of rain on the roof of the van, and opted to enjoy it for a bit. Despite being a "lesser" van, we actually found the bed more comfortable, and it was also wider since there were no cupboards etc. along the sides. After a late coffee and breakfast in the Fuglafjordur kitchenette, we headed back west and took the bridge across to Streymoy before turning off onto Road 53. 

This single lane track wound up the valley about 15km into the scenic seaside village of Saksun. It was a beautiful drive but relatively busy with tourists like us, requiring me to pull over a number of times to let oncoming traffic pass. Once we arrived, another narrow road went up and over to the Duvugardar heritage farm, a museum of sorts situated at the base of a waterfall.

We walked down to the church, then back up to the farm and paid the fee to tour the museum and climb the paths up to the waterfall. The farmhouse building was surprisingly large inside, featuring a number of rooms of varying eras and levels of modernity that show how life was lived in this valley over the centuries. 

The highlight was of course the waterfall. We climbed a long ways up, though not all the way to the very top as that was on private land. Jane got up close and personal and recharged her batteries in the soothing spray....and of course she started to cry from the power of the moment.

On our way back down on the steep angles in the slick grass and mud, Jane wiped out. She landed awkwardly with her leg under her, and she lay there for a few minutes making sure nothing was broken. Some fellow hikers came over to make sure she was OK, and I assured them she was OK but just "taking a minute". Luckily in the end, the worst she got was muddy and wet.

We made the tense drive back out the long single-lane road in blazing sunshine, scanning for oncoming traffic up the valley, and regained the main highway. We turned east and took the bridge back across to Eysturoy and down to Runavik, where we stopped at the Bonus for some snacks before returning to the Aeduvik campground for the night. 

We literally had the entire place to ourselves for the entire evening, reading and surfing in the common area before bedding down for the night in the van. Jane got up in the night to use the washroom, and paused to enjoy the clear starry sky on her way back to the van.

Rainbow over the Faroes

Road 53 into Saksun and Duvugardar

The heritage farm and church from above

One of the older rooms in the heritage farm museum

Jane versus the Waterfall

Worth the hike up for the view!

Legend of the Fall

The red stick person marks where Jane fell!

On our way back out....

Enjoying a Mulafossur Red at Aeduvik Campground

Stellar skies over southern Eysturoy

Faroe Islands - Day 11

We ushered in Day 11 on 9/11, with an early departure from Giljanes for the nearby airport, grabbing coffee at the Magn along the way. We knew from the outset that we would have to swap vans late in the trip - someone else had rented the VW before we had - but we decided it was better to have the nicer van for most of the trip and put up with the hassle of a swap.

We dropped the VW in the upper lot (P0) and found our new van there as well, a plain diesel Toyota Proace converted for camping. First I retrieved the new keys from the Camper Vans key box down by the terminal, to make sure it had all new bedding etc. before we gave up the keys to the old one. After moving our luggage and groceries over and completing the online checkout of the new van and check in of the VW, finalized by key drop, we set off back towards Midvagur.

I noticed a headlight was out, and they are mandatory in the Faroes, so we messaged Camper Vans. After returning to Giljanes for breakfast, since we technically had until 11am to check out, the rental company arranged for a local mechanic to fix the headlight but I had to be there in the next 15 minutes. Off I went around the harbour, leaving Jane to her breakfast. 

It was a beautiful day but windy, and we decided to risk it and do the nearby hike along Lake Sorvagsvatn to a hanging lake hovering above the ocean and the rugged cliffs at Traelanipa. Like many hikes here, there was an entry fee (200 DKK each) to hike across private land to noteworthy landmarks.

From the right vantage, the lake gives the visual illusion of "hanging" above the ocean, and eventually does drain into the sea by way of a waterfall hard to see from the land. The cliffs are even more stunning, known as the "Slave Cliffs" as the place where the Vikings used to throw underperforming slaves into the sea.

After hiking back to the van, stopping for souvenirs at the cafe entry point, we drove back over to Streymoy and up to the Nordskali bridge to Eysturoy. We stopped in Nordskali to share a hot dog and roast chicken at the Magn, and we also topped up our grocery and beer supplies across the highway. All stocked up, we carried on eastward to return to Fuglafjordur for another night to camp.

We arrived early enough to check out the local craft store this time, and another gift shop across the street. At the craft store (and tourist information centre), we also checked into the campground, essentially a waterfront parking lot behind a cultural centre with facilities. We set about unpacking the necessities and setting up the new van to our liking.

In a light drizzle, we decided to treat ourselves to a rare meal out and try some local specialties. We dined at Muntra with a tasty meal and a lovely view of the fjord. Jane had fish and chips with a tea, while I enjoyed roast lamb with root vegetables, wonderful gravy, and a delicious (OK, two) Black Sheep dark lager. We returned to the van for some reading and a quiet but very windy night on the shores of Fuglafjordur.  

Plane taking off as we swap out vans

Swapping out our new camper van for the remainder of the trip

Getting the headlight replaced at Unicar in Midvagur

Great day for a hike!

Lake Sorvagsvatn hanging over the ocean

The hike along Lake Sorvagsvatn (aka Leitisvatn)

Traelanipa - the "Slave Cliff"

The illusion of the "hanging lake"....

Ocean on both sides and a lake in the middle!

Not THAT impressive....until you look at the people on top of the cliff for scale...

Never a dull moment as we make our way back east.....

Dinner with a view at Munditra in Fuglafjordur

Fish & Chips and Roast Lamb dinner with a Black Sheep dark lager

The perfect book for the evening!