September 15, 2023

We arrived in the Faroe Islands early this morning. The Faroe Islands are an autonomous region of Denmark. The Vikings were an early presence here, as were monks from Scotland and Ireland. After being occupied by the British in World War II, the people of the Faroe Islands decided they would like to be independent. That didn’t exactly suit the King of Denmark, but, over time, the islanders got more say in their lives and are autonomous today. About 10% of the annual budget comes from Denmark; the rest comes from taxes on the Faroe Islanders.

The Faroe Islands are known for their fish and their sheep. There are roughly the same number of people and sheep. The salmon here were imported; the trout and arctic char are native. We saw a salmon farm as we entered the harbor. The sheep are raised for meat; there are now enough cattle on the islands to provide the necessary milk for the population.

The islands are volcanic and are quite steep with grass growing far up the slopes. There are many waterfalls making the scenery dramatic. In general, the weather is cold and windy with only 800 hours of sunshine per year. The Faroes hope to produce almost 90% of their energy needs by the 2030s.

This is a starkly beautiful place to visit. Living here would be difficult.

Tonight’s Chef’s Table was Scandinavian. The salmon course was divine!