I was in the middle of Atlantic Ocean

My Denmark diary. Going to the Faroe Islands was an unforgettable experience. The flights to the Faroe Islands are from Copenhagen airport in Denmark. We made our way aboard the newly Atlantic Airways Air Bus and in just one hour and 40 minutes, we were there.

I did not know what to expect at Faroe Islands, they seem so far away, practically in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean between Iceland and Greenland, and one of the furthest places in Europe surrounded by only water. While on the plane, my instincts started to kick in- what if the plane crushes and we die in the middle of the Atlantic.

Or what if God forbid, I freeze to death, as I had been told by some of my European friends-its cold weather is comparable to the North Pole. Upon arrival, I was greeted with wide smiles and friendly faces from my friend’s family at the airport. Since it rains constantly and the weather is more shifty here than any place in the world, (according to the Faroese).

Faroes which means sheep islands got its name Føroyar from Norwegian Vikings who immigrated to the Islands centuries ago. The islands are often very windy and foggy, and this made it extremely cold for me and in order to keep warm outside, I wore layers of clothing. People here had adapted to this erratic weather by spending most of their time indoors.
Faroese people build their houses with large airy rooms that often appear simple on the outside, but are grand on the inside.

The houses were built with the intention of creating extravagant spaces that can accommodate the whole family for creative activities like knitting or playing board games during the bad weather which often happens.

During my visit to these mystical islands, I experienced a feeling of calmness like never before. It almost felt like I was in a bubble-a faraway fairy place where the landscape was so idyllic and picturesque, that I could not stop taking pictures of everything, including the sheep. One interesting thing about the Faroe Islands is that they have more sheep than people.

I had never seen such fat sheep in my life, and their uncanny ability to navigate the steep hills as they grazed from light till dark literally fascinated me. Sheep are central in Faroese tradition. Fathers slaughter sheep with their sons while mothers often teach their daughters how to knit. During Christmas festivities, mutton is a special delicacy. The sheep’s head is placed inside a specially built house for about three months to get a unique strong fermented taste.
What adds to the charm of this place are the rugged hills, and the brightly coloured houses in the valley, which resemble those in a nursery school rhyme book.

They are painted yellow, orange and pink. Faroese people unlike their European counterparts do not have property tax and its custom for one to own a house.
The Faroese society struck me as a contrast of modernity and tradition. The road network on the islands is one of the highest Scandinavian standards connecting the farthest islands, not to mention impressive under sea tunnels.

Faroese people are generally friendly folk, and almost everyone knows each other through either close or distant relations. This is nothing extraordinary given that there are almost only 50,000 people living on these islands.

In a close knit community, word gets round easily and in such cases people have the need to keep up appearances, lest their family becomes the talk of the town.
Nevertheless, family plays a huge social role, not just the nuclear but extended, and gatherings like on a Sunday evening over a meal are meant to strengthen these relations.

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com