Iceland and Faroe Islands - Bridge Between Continents...

[travisgill]

Iceland Day 17 - Tue, 05 Sep 17:


Map of Day 17

Today we took it easy, explored Seydisfjordur, took a short ride to Egilsstaðir town for a US to Europe plug adapter, some lunch, and washing of the mules.


Interesting art painted on this guesthouse.


Love the edgy airbrush designs and great contrast between the black and white.


Follow the rainbow road to Seyðisfjarðarkirkja church.


What?!?


A really neat picnic table and chairs by the beach.


Art is also expressed with interesting murals.


Love the colored homes with white trim.




Gufufoss






This is how they eat at Icelandic gas stations. No wilted hotdogs that has been on the heater all day - legit food that tastes good.

[travisgill]

Overlanders were parked nearby. This seems like a great way to travel - especially when it's raining.


Another great overlander but the cost of gas or diesel must be crazy expensive.

We returned to Seydisfjordur to hike and explore a bit...


The mountain pass road back to Seydisfjordur offered a nice chance to fly the drone a bit.


Sculpture called Hvernig gengur…? (How’s it going?) by Guðjón Ketilsson. It was commissioned by Iceland Telecom to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the telegraph cable between Scotland and Iceland. The laying of the submarine cable in 1906 marks the beginning of Iceland’s international telecommunications. You can call the phone number and get a recording about the sculpture. Pretty cool.


Tvísöngur (the Duet) sculpture sound sculpture by German artist Lukas Kühne.




The inside of Tvísöngur


We flew the drone for a short while and captured this photo of Seydisfjordur and M/F Norröna.


M/F Norröna awaiting her departure tomorrow to the Faroe Islands and Denmark.


River rocks covered in a doily decorate our guest house windows.

A good day without any stress.

Tomorrow we board M/F Norröna for the Faroe Islands!...

[travisgill]

Iceland Final Day 18 - Wed, 06 Sep 17


Map of Day 18. Just waiting for the ferry to start boarding at 5 PM...

We stayed local again today in Seydisfjordur and enjoyed a short hike, lunch at Hótel Aldan, and then boarded the ferry, along with about 30 other motorcycles. What an adventure!


Don't know what BAA FM is but the wooden sheep sign is kinda cool.


Here is where the Easter Bunny lives! I don't know who else would have a purple colored house and a blue Suzuki Jimny?


Falls are everywhere is Iceland. So many that I don't even know the name of this one.


A nice lunch of baked cod at Hótel Aldan.


Waiting until 5PM when they start loading the ferry.


It seems Iceland is working hard to curb bad tourists. Personally I like the pledge and hope it helps educate.


The excitement of riding up the dock and into the ferry with 30 other motorcycles was a bit of a rush.


Bikes strapped down for the journey. Thanks to San Diego BMW who just gave us 10 straps for free before we left on our journey.


All of the motor-bikes strapped in like sardines. Lots of BMWs, a few African Twins, and even a Goldwing. Zero Harleys.

Once we strapped the bikes down we went to find our rooms. We were unable to get a cabin for this one night journey to the Faroes so Chantil and I slept in 6-person bunkrooms with a shared toilet and shower. These rooms are way down in the bottom deck of the ferry so we got good at climbing up and down stairs to get to the other parts of the ship. We enjoyed a nice relaxing evening of playing some Nintendo Switch games and going through all the drone video from Iceland and figuring out which to cut and which to keep. It's a time consuming process but having the memory of a travel video makes it worth it.

Tomorrow about 3PM we'll be in a new time zone and a new land - The Faroe Islands...

[brownie0486]

Seriously impressed with the tour and pics. Thanks for sharing

[bobs98]

This is a fantastic trip report.

Thanks for taking the time and sharing, Travis!

[kurt_wahtera]

Thinking about how cold you got at times made me think---- it's Summer there, what's it like in the winter?

I can't think that I have seen any winter videos of Iceland.

[royce]

Thinking about how cold you got at times made me think---- it's Summer there, what's it like in the winter?

I can't think that I have seen any winter videos of Iceland.

Maybe because cameras don't work there in that frigid climate? (smile)

Or maybe because no one goes there in the winter? (smile)

Whatever, like the other readers of this thread I am big time impressed with this trip report. It is difficult to do this sort of thing well and Travis has done one of the best jobs I've ever read! I am really excited to get to the rest of his installments, the portion of the trip in the Faroe Islands. Gonna be terrific, I'm sure.

Thank you, Travis!

[travisgill]

This is a fantastic trip report. Thanks for taking the time and sharing, Travis!

Like the other readers of this thread I am big time impressed with this trip report. It is difficult to do this sort of thing well and Travis has done one of the best jobs I've ever read! I am really excited to get to the rest of his installments, the portion of the trip in the Faroe Islands. Gonna be terrific, I'm sure. Thank you, Travis!

Thanks for the positive comments. It's been a joy reliving the trip through this report and reading your comments. Thanks so much! More to come...

[travisgill]

Faroe Islands Day 1 - Thu, 07 Sep 17:


Map of Day 1. A ferry ride into the capital of Tórshavn and a short 24km ride to the AirBnB.

The Seydisfjordur, Iceland to Tórshavn, Faroe Island leg of the ferry ride was only 21 hours. This was our first cruise ship/ferry ride and I'd say the experience was definitely nicer than any ferry we've been on, but not what I expected from a cruise ship. I got the feeling that is was not one of those all-inclusive high end type cruise ships. OK for us since we are on somewhat of a budget.


There was no room for a private cabin when we booked the ferry back in May. Book early or you'll be in the bottom of the ship sleeping hostel style with five other folks. We ended up having a private cabin for the two day trip from the Faroe Islands to Denmark however.


Some of the art hanging on the walls of M/F Norröna.


The narrow passageways of the ship.


Clear blue skies for a portion of our trip to the Faroes.


Enjoying taking some photos while topside.


We relaxed a bit topside and enjoyed the blue ocean water being pushed away from the hull of M/F Norröna.


They had a small soccer field where we did a bit of 1 on 1.


There is something magical about being at sea.


One of the dinners was Viking themed with plenty of well prepared and delicious food.


Some more of the artwork that was displayed in the stairwells of the ship.


Close-up

Our ferry docked in Tórshavn at 3PM. We were allowed into the car deck shortly afterwards. Our mules were just as we left them last night - all strapped safely onto the deck of the ferry.


Packing up and adding another flag sticker before leaving the ferry.


Making our way down the ramp and out into a new land...

...to find a sim card for our phone and a bit of groceries. Priorities.

European countries are very good at offering inexpensive sim cards. A 2 MB data card costs 97 Danish Krone (DKK) ($15.67 USD).


They have enough candy to take care of my sweet-tooth while here in the Faroes!

Since it was raining over the next few days we opted to stay at a home offered on AirBnB. The home is centrally located in the Faroe Islands and only 30 minutes from the capital. Unfortunately is was already raining so we were wet once we arrived but it was nice to have a place to dry off and relax.

Tomorrow the rain will let up in the morning so we plan on exploring the island of Streymoy...

[travisgill]

Faroe Islands Day 2 - Fri, 08 Sep 17:


Map of Day 2

Today we explored the island of Streymoy and the towns of Hvalvíkar, Tjørnuvik, Saksun, and Vestmanna.


Hvalvíkar is such a beautiful town that I had to take the drone for a morning flight to capture the picturesque green, red, and black colored roofs and window sills. It seem that traditional colors are favored by many homeowners.


Hvalvíkar church


Hvalvíkar church steeple - 1829.


One of the windows in the Hvalvíkar church.


Even the narrow roads were well paved and offered incredible views of the surrounding rocky cliffs and green hills and fields.


Fossá Waterfall - gorgeous.


This image just couldn't be captured without a drone... or perhaps you're own personal helicopter.


Piloting the Mavic drone.




A beautiful morning ride to the small town of Tjørnuvik.


In town we came across this printed sign near one of the traditional grass-roofed homes. Waffles and fruit juice or coffee for 50 DKK ($8.08 USD) is not too bad considering the price of food on the island. Shortly after seeing the sign we were greeted by a nice gentlemen who invited us into his cozy home, where we ate freshly cooked waffles and drank some orange juice.


Quaint home turned into small restaurant.


Fish drying under the roof.


Rock folks.

After brunch we walked around the village for a little while.


This guy seemed to enjoy our petting and we enjoyed his company.


One of the doors in Tjørnuvik.


The beach at Tjørnuvik.

[travisgill]

Before we left Tjørnuvik I adjusted the "pilot-cam" mount on my bike. This mount has always had a problem with vibration ruining the video quality. I think I have found a happy medium between vibration and quality here.


Sheep are EVERYWHERE. When it rains they sit right on the warmer pavement. Some won't even move an inch as you ride by. For all the sheep, we never came too close to hitting one. They are pretty slow and predictable - unlike deer.


The highlight in Saksun is the church which is placed on the edge of the village overlooking the ocean cliffs and bay. The Saksun church was originally built in Tjørnuvík but in 1858 it was disassembled, carried over the mountains, and reassembled in Saksun.


A pretty spot to rest your worn out body once it's been used up.


One of the many beautiful falls we come across in our daily adventure. This one was near Saksun.


Nearly all of the roads are paved in the Faroe Islands. These single lane roads are called "buttercup routes" and provide access to some of the more remote towns. Knobbies not required.


Vestmanna has a falls right in the middle of town. We got some interested stares from some older folks as we rode by, set up the tripod, and then rode by again to capture this picture.


The beautiful byproduct of such a wet island climate.


If we had planned better we could have reserved this beautiful AirBnB. It's called Leisure Pearl and it looked very modern inside with exceptinal views of the ocean.


Love how this small home was built around a lamp post.


Enjoying our day in the Faroe Islands.


On our way back to the AirBnB it started raining... although it was just a drizzle.


At the end of the day we gassed up. All throughout Iceland and the Faroe Island we used 95 Octane. If, like us, you've never traveled outside North America, you're thinking "Heck yea! 95 Octane!!" then slow down... I've discovered that the octane ratings we use in the USA are not the same as those in Europe. This Europe rating of 95 is about the same as 91 octane from the USA. This website does a good job of describing it: https://www.etuners.gr/fuel/


The view from the window of our AirBnB. It was a nice place and a welcome refuge from the rainy evenings. There were just a couple of things that we thought were a bit weird... It seems the owner is a photographer and has a large photo mural on the dining room wall of a horned lady covered in seaweed rising from the ocean. There was also a small fridge that had a note saying "Warning! Don't open this door! You will regret it." Our curiosity did not get the best of us and we decided to observe the warning.

Tomorrow the weather is expected to be relatively rain-free so we'll head into the northern islands of Kunoy, Bordoy, and Vidoy...

[royce]

Travis, I have noticed that in your photos most (all?) of the local signs are written in English first, than the local language below the English version. Does that mean that English is the "official" language in Iceland and the Faroe Islands?

[travisgill]

Travis, I have noticed that in your photos most (all?) of the local signs are written in English first, than the local language below the English version. Does that mean that English is the "official" language in Iceland and the Faroe Islands?

Great question. The official language of Iceland is Icelandic. The official language of the Faroe Islands is Danish or Faroese. Icelandic, Danish, and Faroese are all North Germanic languages or sometimes called Nordic languages. They all differ enough that English has become the language of choice for tourism and global commerce. I think many of the signs we came across were appealing to the tourists of various countries with English being the most common second language spoken.

We currently live near the borders of Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium and it's also true here; if people speak a second language it's most likely English. At my NATO job we have 16 countries from around Europe represented and the common language that unites us all is English. It really is an international language.

Admittedly, I feel a bit uneducated here in Europe because so many folks are bilingual at least; many know three or more languages.

[travisgill]

Faroe Islands Day 3 - Sat, 09 Sep 17:


Map of Day 3: Today we are going to explore the northern Islands of Kunoy, Bordoy, and Vidoy.

Crossing a short bridge, via the 10, brought us to the Island of Eysturoy. We planned to explore this island on Monday so we rode onward another 40 km until we reached the underground (and under sea) tunnel that brought us to the town of Klaksvík on the island of Bordoy.


Passing through fishing villages.


Stopping along one of the many falls to snap a picture of us via the Mavic drone.


The underwater tunnel connecting Eysturoy and Bordoy was especially cool because in the middle (and bottom) were these colored lights.

We decided to save the town of Klaksvík for the evening so we pressed onward to explore the smaller town of Haraldssund, Kunoy, Norddepil, and Vidareidi.


This tunnel along Route 70 cuts through the center of the island and is only a single lane. There are pull-off spots so that right of way traffic (black arrow) can continue.


The small fishing village of Árnafjørður


These small villages really didn't seem to be alive with folks. We would pull into a parking area, walk around, take pictures, and then move on. We hardly saw anyone walking or playing outside. It was a bit surreal.


A beautiful place to have a village - cliffs, water-falls, green pastures, and ocean beaches.


Overlooking Árnafjørður via drone.


The islands of Kunoy and Bordoy are connected via this tiny land bridge.


Riding on the narrow but well paved "buttercup routes".


Easy traveling with great views of the ocean.


We rode nearly every stretch of pavement - especially the curvy parts.




The mules parked in front of a small sheep shelter.


Sheep shelter up close. How did we know it was a sheep shelter? You could smell it and a peek inside left no doubt.

[travisgill]

Inside one of the single-lane tunnels. We pulled over and shut off our bikes to appreciate how dark these tunnels are. Pitch black.


The "wave" exists in the Faroe Islands as well.

We returned to Klaksvík to get some dinner and find a campsite.


Christianskirkjan (Christian's Church) is a modern church building in Klaksvík, It was designed by Danish architect Peter Koch and consecrated in 1963.


Another unnamed sculpture of tile and glass in the town of Klaksvík.

We found a sign pointing to the campsite near a school but there was none to be found. Oh well, at least we can get some food...

We decided on some steak and determined the Angus Steakhouse was a good bet. I'm sure it would have been a good payout on a delicious meal but they take reservations and they were completely booked up on this particular Saturday night. Silly us.

Fortunately, the restaurant Jacqson was just down the street and offered some great tasting nachos and the Faroe version of a coke - Jolly cola.


Jacqson has a cool vibe, good food, and great internet.

After a invigorating meal we rode back to Eystutoy and to the southern town of Æðuvík, where we found camping right next to the beach.


Getting a bit late in the evening.

We also found a group of enthusiastic children who wanted to see our motorcycles and learn about us. Kids can be great icebreakers with getting to know the locals. We ended up hanging out with a few couples and their children the next morning for breakfast.


Our campsite for the next two days.


The kids Bianca and Bernard enjoyed sitting on the motorcycles.


Exploring the textures of moss and rock along the beach.


The rocky beach near Æðuvík where the land of the Faroes meets the Atlantic.






How's this for camping? The sounds of the Atlantic Ocean gently lapping at the rocky shores made for a great nights rest.

Tomorrow it is Sunday and we are going to rest from our travels. Our plan is to catch up on the blog and just take it easy next to the lapping waves of the Atlantic Ocean...