|
|
|
Faroe - Culture |
|
You're unlikely to get a sunburn in the Faroes,
where rain occurs on an average of 280 days a year and average
temperatures range from 40° F ( 4° C) in January to 52° ( 11° C) in
July. When to visit
Summer is the best time to visit the Faroes,
since the weather is more likely to be pleasant and the islands' small
tourist industry doesn't gear up for visitors until May. What to bring
A water-resistant jacket or rain parka,
sweater, and sturdy shoes are the most vital items in a Faroes travel
wardrobe. A tweed hat is more useful than a baseball cap or straw boater,
and a folding umbrella is also worth bringing along. Don't worry about
maps--you can buy what you need in Tórshavn. Reaching the Faroes
Smyril Line has weekly sailings to Tórshavn
from Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and the Shetland Islands. Air service is
available from Copenhagen and Billund (Denmark), Reykjavik (Iceland), and
Glasgow-Aberdeen (Scotland). See the "Transportation" links in
this article for more information. Some guidebooks mention ferries from Scrabster
or Aberdeen. Unfortunately, these are no longer in service--at least, not
at the time of this writing. Language
The language of the islands is Faroese, which
is similar to Icelandic. Danish is also spoken, and tourist businesses are
likely to have employees who speak English. The Faroese crone is identical in value to its
Danish counterpart, and Danish coins are used for small change. You can
exchange money at banks, in the airport, or at the Tórshavn tourist
office when banks are closed. At downtown Tórshavn banks, you'll find
automated tellers that dispense Faroese cash to holders of Visa/Plus,
MasterCard/Cirrus, Eurocard, and Dankort ATM cards. These are open until
midnight Regularly scheduled buses connect most
villages, often in combination with the many ferries that run between the
islands. Car rentals are available, if expensive, and distances are short
enough that gasoline is a relatively minor expense. Bicycling is another possibility, although the
roads can be steep and wet. (You can rent bicycles in the larger towns and
villages.) Many rural highways are only one lane wide,
with frequent pullovers to allow passing. This isn't as tricky as it
sounds--after half a dozen encounters with other vehicles, you'll learn to
gauge when to pull in. (You'll also learn to watch out for sheep, which
frequently cross the roads without regard for traffic.) Food is expensive in the Faroes. You can load
up on groceries in the supermarket at the SMS shopping centre on R.C.
Effersøesgøta in Tórshavn, which also has several eating places that
are reasonable by Faroese standards Full-service restaurants aren't common
outside Tórshavn, although you'll find cafeterias and snack bars in the
larger villages. Hotels and hostels around the islands serve meals, and
you can buy food and non-alcoholic drinks from village grocers. The expensive Myntvask laundromat on J.
Broncksgø (the street leading to the Skansin fort) is a tourist
attraction in itself. It has the most complicated computerized washing
equipment that you're likely to find anywhere. (When my wife visited
Myntvask, she was fortunate to encounter a sailor who taught her how to
operate the system.) Hand-knit Faroese sweaters are hard to resist,
and they're worth every króna. Books and music recordings also make great
souvenirs
|
|
|
© Copyright 2000 - 2004 Eurotravelling.net POWERED BY wORLDTRAVELGATE.NET |
 Back to WTG |
Climate