Exploring the Faroe Islands: Kirkjubøur & Tórshavn

For a minute there, I lost myself ~ Radiohead

We went to the Faroe Islands to hike, but somewhere along the way we lost ourselves in the beauty of that place and we just began to exist.  This slow pace began early on in our trip when we spent four nights on Streymoy, the largest island in the Faroes.  Driving from Vágar to the capital city of Tórshavn was a delight by itself.  We experienced our first Faroese undersea tunnel and we took the Oyggjarvegur scenic route which gave us amazing views looking down at the lower valleys.

Oyggjarvegur buttercup route

Undersea tunnel from Vagar to Streymoy

Windmills along buttercup route to Tórshavn

Our AirBnB in Argir, just outside the city limits of Tórshavn, had every comfort we needed: beautiful views, fully stocked kitchen, washing machine, and a comfy living room stocked full of books!  I loved looking through the books, many of which were in Danish but were very familiar titles.  Besides the lovely ocean view, my favorite memory of this lodging will forever be of me trying to YouTube how to work a European washing machine.  All the buttons were in Danish and Google Translate was really not helpful.  I’m still not sure what settings I used, but the clothes smelled clean and that’s all that mattered.

View of Torshavn from Argir

View of Nolsoy and ocean from Argir

For our first day on Streymoy, we explored the village of Kirkjubøur which is at the southernmost tip of the island.  There is a nice hike from Tórshavn to Kirkjubøur that takes about 2 hours, but we drove instead due to weather.  Kirkjubøur is one of the most important historic sites in the Faroe Islands.  It has an 11th century farmhouse, a church from the 12th century which is still in use, and the 13th century Magnus Cathedral which was never completed but is fiercely protected by conservationists.  We saw someone painstakingly restoring a wall while we were there.  We took our time strolling along the water, watching oyster catchers take flight with their beautiful white-striped wings.

Magnus Cathedral

Magnus Cathedral

St Olaf Church

Oyster Catcher

Oyster Catcher

After Kirkjubøur we headed to the big city of Tórshavn, population 13,000.  The small size might lead travelers to believe that they can see everything in one day, but they would miss experiencing the heart of this place.  During our four nights on Streymoy, we took our time exploring Tórshavn.  We visited grocery stores, where we saw (& smelled) the fermented meat that is so iconic in Faroese cuisine.

We hung out at Panama Cafe, watching young lovers exhibit PDA that I would expect to see only in Paris, and we fell in love with nordic sandwiches at Bitin.

At the public library, we were delighted by their huge collection of sheet music, records, and comic books.  I especially appreciated their quirky murals and the fact that they circulate toys, bike helmets, and educational games for children.

Torshavn library

Torshavn library

comic books at Torshavn library

sheet music at Torshavn library

toy room at Torshavn library

program room at Torshavn library

We even managed to slip in a matinee at the cathedral.  It was a free concert, performed by local composer Kim Kristensen and percussionist Rogvi a Rogvu. Havnar kirkja, the Tórshavn cathedral, was beautiful and looked like a ship on the inside.  Its original foundation was built in 1788 but most of what we saw was from 1865.  All of the pews had doors, the ceilings were painted blue with yellow stars, and there were three model ships hanging from the ceiling.  We walked the cobblestone streets of Tinganes and Reyn in the evening.  Reyn is the oldest neighborhood in Tórshavn and it was stunning in its simplicity.  The red government buildings of Tinganes, probably the most Instagrammed spot in the Faroes, did not disappoint.  Walking those streets, I could easily imagine myself in an episode of History Channel’s Vikings.

For more info about Tinganes, please read Introducing the Faroe Islands.

Most nights we ate dinner at home.  Eric made a wonderful chicken noodle soup, served with fresh bread easily procured in Tórshavn.  We splurged one night at Barbara Fish House, the oldest operating restaurant in the Faroes, and definitely a MUST DO if you want to experience traditional Faroese cuisine.  We gorged ourselves on their fresh bread and aioli, horse mussel, monkfish, and fish soup (which was marvelous)!  I loved the cozy atmosphere and old mismatched dishes.

Entry to Barbara Fish House

horse mussel

monkfish & mushrooms

fish soup

fermented fish hanging outside restaurant

homemade chicken noodle soup

I’ll leave you with a few miscellaneous photos of Tórshavn, including images of Skansin Fortress built in 1580.  Stay tuned for more on the island of Streymoy.

Skansin fort

Skansin fort

Lighthouse at Skansin Fort

moss covered tombstones in the old Torshavn cemetary

Path through old Torshavn cemetary

garden next to Panama Cafe