Virtual Visitors Tell Tour Guides Where To Walk Around the Faroe Islands

Scotland is cold with short days in winter but lovely in summer. If you have already seen Scotland, in reality or online, consider going further north to the Faroe Islands which are half way between Scotland and Iceland. (Beyond the Scottish Shetland islands which are only ten miles from Scotland.) The most likely way to travel to the Faroes is from Denmark.

A good day to be there is July 29 which is national day when people wear national dress.

The Faeroe Islands, north of Scotland, beyond the Shetland Islands.

If you cannot travel now, or then, how about a virtual tour? The novelty idea of remotely controlling a tour guide many miles away has started in the Faroe Islands, which I would find hard to find on the map, never mind travelling there. I checked their location.

The Faeroes - For Tourists? What For?
The Faroes or Faeroe Islands are a group of 18 islands, seventeen of which are inhabited. The islands belong to Denmark. They are isolated, appropriate word,  in the North Atlantic, all crags and birds.

Flag of the Faeroes

A lot of unpronounceable names of unheard of places.  Yes, I have heard of them. Aren't they the places ships have to avoid in gales, after being blown of course from visiting better known places? I don't mean to sound unkind. I actually think their initiative is great. I would like to see them straight away, online, during in my lock down on a much larger island, Singapore, which I can only visit by peering out of the window at a thunderstorm while part of my family is on the phone to me intermittently from their lock down in London in England. So I have time to travel virtually and visit the far off Faroes, from the comfort of my padded swivelling desk chair.

The Faroe islands are a summertime destination. Rugged and rocky. Steep cliffs inhabited by birds. I love the wonderfully funny face sheep. The name Faeroes means sheep islands and the national symbol is the sheep.

A ewe and her twins on the Faroe islands. The ears of the animals are marked, earmarked, to show the pasture and the owner. Photo by Arne List, from Flickr to Wiki.


Postage stamp. Public domain.

Their Tourist season is summer, July and August. Their virtual travel with a walking human guide initiative is running now, through April 2020.

Tiny population.50,000.  Of humans. I hope the peak of the coronavirus '19 passes them by, by summer, or there won't be many of them left. They have a had a few cases already, but no fortunately no deaths.

Jumping Guides
So what is the bright idea? The idea is that a real life local guide walks around and you can ask the guide to walk in a specific direction, walk, run, even jump. Jumping is a joke idea for amusing online game players, control freaks and kids.

I thought that this would be for one family, like in real life hiring a guide to take you up Everest. But it's more like joining those free city tours where lots of people follow a guide and pay nothing for a free tour - but a tip is expected. A group tour usually cost less than you could end up paying if you join a shared car tour and find you are the only one on it and must pay the single person surcharge.

It appears that on the Faroe trip you can only direct the guide for one minute. So you cannot go on continuously in a specific direction because one minute later after you have said, 'turn left towards the sea,' somebody else will say, 'go right towards the mountains'.

What if you tell the guide to jump off the cliff? Why would you do that? Apparently somebody has already tried that. Fortunately the guide was not a robot and was not standing for, running for or jumping for any dangerous nonsense.

I looked at the comments. When I looked there were only seven comments, not all complimentary. One person said he, or she, preferred to be in a place to feel the breeze and the sun. We would all prefer to travel, if we had unlimited funds, time, and permission to travel. meanwhile, you could sit in your garden or on a balcony in summer or at mid-day to enjoy the illusion of a sunny tour. You could also watch from home drinking iced drinks, hot coffee, local cuisine, or open a window for fresh air, or set a fan to create a breeze, and watch after showering, with wet hair sitting on a towel.  You could also prepare yourself with rose-scented or lemon-scented soap or perfume.

Others complained about the killing of whales. An entire group of whales is killed, which turns the sea red. The islands also have a fog. A good place to write a thriller. I shall make no judgements, just stick to the facts. Let's do a self-guided tour. Start at the capital.

Torshaven
The capital is Torshavn, I presume haven or harbour. The Tors part is from the same God which gave us the word Thursday (Originally Thor's Day.) Thor was the God of thunder and lightning.

As you might expect, the capital has a museum, an art gallery, an historical museum, and an outdoor museum. I love the red buildings. Also a modern Nordic museum.

A Cathedral.

Cathedral in the capital of the Faeros. Photo by Matthew Ross in Wiki.

Music
And a music centre which offers concerts. I went off to You tube to check out music of the Faraoes. I found music with male and female choirs, drumming, ending with sea birds and the sound of the sea. Somebody commented on the YouTube video, very Viking.You can eat fish. Their main industry was originally fishing, now also supplemented by tourism.

I am writing a book about alliteration. I could add Fun in the Faeroes. Family holidays in the Faeroes. Fish in the Faeroes. Fishing for a tourist guide in the Faroes. A whale of a time in the Faeroes. Guide a guide around the Faroes.

Their Facebook page invited me to the most pristine place on the planet. You can view virtual tours which are at 5 pm local time and sometimes also at 2 pm. Your guide could be on foot or in a helicopter. Take a bird's eye view of the 80,000 sheep.

What other landmarks to see? The statue of the seal woman. The statue withstood a storm with white waves washing over her, as you can see on a video on the internet. On Mikladalor, a finger shaped island, east of the island where you find the capital, next island but one.

Statue of the Seal Woman, village of Mikladalur, Kalsoy Island, Faeroe Islands. She is not a mermaid but legend says a human reincarnated as a seal which comes ashore on the 13th day and sheds its skin and wants the skin back in order to return to the sea. The statue was installed in 2014, and designed to withstand waves 13 metres high. (That is about 40 feet high.) In 2015 the statue survived 11.5 metre high waves (nearly 38 feet), as you can see online in a video. The legend of seals and the Seal Woman has appeared on stamps from the Faroes.

The Kalsoy Island  village on island also has a striking red roof church.

Church of Mikladalur village, on Kalsoy island, in the Faeroe Islands, in the Atlantic. The Islands' religion is evangelical Lutheran. Yes, I am warming to this cool idea.

Tórshavn, the ferry port at the eastern harbour, seen from Tinganes. This photo was taken from Tinganes in Tórshavn at Ólavsøka 2010. Ólavsøka is the national holiday of the Faroe Islands. On 28 July there are boat races down at the eastern harbour. This view is towards the ferry port in the eastern harbour. The ferries Smyril, which goes to Suðuroy, and Norrøna which sails to Iceland and Denmark, embarks here. The administration of the Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands is here on Tinganes in the old wooden buildings. Most of the buildings on Tinganes and Reyni have a turf roof. The sail ship on this photo is the wooden smack Johanna TG326 from Vágur in Suðuroy. The smack was built in Essex, England, in 1884.

Image Details Location: Thorshavn Date: 2010-07-28 Credit: Eileen Sandá Source: Eileen Sandá

You can buy upmarket woollen clothing. Visit a waterfall. Get married. Go there for Christmas.

Useful Websites
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-8245455/Faroe-Islands-offers-remote-tourism-web-users-control-real-life-tour-guide.html
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Faroe_Islands
https://www.facebook.com/VisitFaroeIslands/
https://www.instagram.com/visitfaroeislands/
www.remote-tourism.com
https://www.visitfaroeislands.com/about/stories-legends/kopakonan-the-seal-woman/
https://www.visitfaroeislands.com/about/the-faroe-islands-in-a-seashell/
Faroese music with male and female choirs and drumming.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My5GeaQ4RBo
https://www.visitfaroeislands.com/plan-your-stay/transport/getting-to-the-faroe-islands/from-london/
https://www.visitfaroeislands.com/plan-your-stay/transport/getting-to-the-faroe-islands/from-north-america/
www.faroeislandstranslate.com,
https://www.instagram.com/visitfaroeislands/

Author
Author, Author! About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. (Not related to the actress.)
Author of twenty books including: Quick Quotations; Who Said What When.
See books and profiles on Lulu.com and Amazon, such as Wedding Speeches & Toasts. Also watch videos on YouTube.
See other posts on singers and statues and languages and destinations.

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More Hot Tips On Iceland

Iceland map from Wikitravel.

Everybody I know who has been to Iceland loves it.

How long is the flight? From the UK on Icelandair about two and a half hours. "You have to pay for your food on the flight and it is expensive," says Roo. "For the flight home, we bought food from Iceland for the plane. Even though everything in Iceland is expensive, the food is delicious."

Best Food In Iceland
"Their yogurt is wonderful, slightly more sour than in England, but I loved it."

Anything unusual?

"We went to a beach with hot sand where they buried uncooked bread in a pot with a flag with the family name on it. Next day you want back and dug up your bread and it was cooked!"

What else do they eat?

"Lots of fish, Salmon, smoked salmon, cod. And we saw herring in the sea, as big as a field, as big as a car park, the whole of the water churning with fish after a boat passed.

"We also saw whales. And pods of dolphins. The guide said we were lucky to see that.

"And a geyser. Our guide told us, 'Don't worry if you miss a photograph of it the first time. The geyser spouts up every three minutes all day long.'

"We also went to a hot spring, whose hot water you could touch, put your toe in. Nobody swam. Interesting. I can't wait to go back again."

Icelandair has a plane decorated with a painting of the Northern lights.

http://www.Icelandair.co.uk
http://visitreykjavik.is/city/reykjavik-official-tourist-information-centre
https://www.inspiredbyiceland.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Animals, Birds of Prey, Whales and Wildlife at World Travel Market

Whales off the coast of Italy? Yes, tours to see whales off Capri. The promoter can make the whistling sounds to attract seals, and he can attract Whales. A handy trick for any marketing man or travel writer. I must practise that. Did Jonah know? (More words and pictures later.)

A real live bird attracted my attention in the Middle Eastern section on the stand for Abu Dhabi. Falcons are birds of prey used in the desert. The birds are life savers, catching food for you, smaller birds or rodents.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer

Alaska, The Last Frontier: whales, icebergs, cabins and kayaks, what to see and read

Alaska is nicknamed The Last Frontier. I looked up Alaska. What do I already know about Alaska for travellers? I have seen TV programmes about driving for a living along dangerous snow-covered roads.

Members of my family have taken cruises on cruise ships (or cargo ships with cabins for a few fare-paying passengers). Every day is another different photo opportunity.

It's a good thing if you are good at photographing snowflakes and snow boots. A fish eye lens can be bought as part of a set for £12.

You might not see the larger and more distant wildlife you are seeking. In South Africa I spent a large part of an evening sitting in a safari bus in the dark trying to photograph a grey elephant hiding behind a mountain. (It was hiding behind the mountain. I was hiding behind plastic windows.)

Whale Trail Real Life
I have spend a week in Hawaii in the hotel famed for whale watching and sat on my balcony for hours watching the sea until I fell asleep. I didn't see a single whale. The whales were obviously hiding.

I wondered whether it was like parts of Asia, where nothing happens unless you tip the right people. Who do you have to tip to see a whale?

Fortunately, I was eventually forced by companions to spend money on a trip (in New Zealand) on a flight guaranteed to see a whale or your money back. I saw a whale's tail and had a whale tale.

Whales In Literature
I first read about whales as a child, hearing about whales in the bible. Jonah survived being swallowed by a whale. I am not sure where he was travelling from and to.

I suspect he was seriously off course. Either his map was wrong. Or the guides took his money and sent him on a ship going in the wrong direction.

Documentaries And Discovery Channel
Discovery programme and National Geographic usually investigate old stories and myths and manage to find links to some practical situation and place with a lesson from life which can be applied today. (Discovery Channel did a great program on the ten plaques and other documentaries have been done on the parting of the sea.)

Jonah And The Whale
I think this gives a misleading view (to children - and adults) of your likelihood of being miraculously saved from wildlife. God may have saved Jonah from the whale but neither God nor the guide were able to save a lady just died in a lion park in South Africa (Jun 2015). Maybe God was too busy saving people from whales.

Travel And Government Advice And Updates
At travel shows I have met crews of ships which take travellers to Alaska to see the sights, the land, ice, icebergs, glaciers, polar bears, polar people, endangered animals, endangered fish, endangered people.

When I went onto the Alaskan official government website I discovered 511 for travel alerts. Road are listed with symbols showing them as currently: good, fair, difficult, very difficult, and hazardous!

Alaska Wishlist
Alaska is still on my wish list. I have two wish lists: 1) Wish to go there. 2) Wish not to go there. The first list increases with each trip I take. So does the second list. Often once is enough. I prefer just to stay safely at home and read and research whilst other people take the risk and the video.

Frankly, the older I get, the less I like being bitten by mosquitos and stuck in snowdrifts. I never felt the film Titanic was good for the travel industry.

Landmarks and Sights
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_National_Historic_Landmarks_in_Alaska
Sites include: WWII, battles against the Japanese; Russian architecture including churches; mining for gold; fur trading; 'Eskimo' or native history.

Travel Films On Your Trip To Alaska:
North to Alaska. (Movie/film starring John Wayne.)
White Fang (Film of Jack London's book Call of the Wild.)
Titanic. (Not Alaska, but the villain is an iceberg.)

Travel Tales To Read And Discuss On Your Journey to Alaska:
Call of the Wild by Jack London. (About a dog taken to Alaska.)
Moby Dick. (Classic about hunting a whale and revenge.)
The Bible. (Jonah and the Whale - escape story from Old Testament? Apocrypha?)

Wildlife
Albatross - the short tailed albatross is endangered.
Bears: brown, black and white (polar)
Caribou: (In Alaska only the tame ones are called reindeer, think of deer on reins.)
Owls include snowy owls.
Whales:
Endangered whales include the Blue whale - think that you would feel blue if you were endangered.
The Orca is a dolphin misleadingly named the 'killer whale' which swims in groups to kill sea lions and whales.

Quick Facts On Cities And Travel:
Capital Juneau
Four major cities: Anchorage (largest), Fairbanks (second largest), Juneau
Connections by road - highway through Canada, constantly under repair in summer after/before and ready for winter
Package tours from Seattle and San Francisco
Airline connections to USA, Canada and Russia
Outdoor activities include trails, cabins and kayaking

Cruise and tour companies
audleytravel.com

Websites on Alaska
alaska.gov
511.alaska.gov
http://wikitravel.org/en/Alaska

Angela Lansbury B A Hons
Travel writer, author, photographer, speaker, comic poet.
PS I may update this later so check back every so often.
PS No penguins in Alaska. Penguins are Southern in Antarctica, south of New Zealand, where Scott went to the South Pole.