Crossing the Atlantic: Part Two

Well it's great being back in the Faroes. It's only been five months since I was here last, but a few things have changed...

One thing you learn when you visit the Islands regularly is that business names never stay the same for long. Every time I go back, something will have changed its name. Last time, all the Shell petrol stations had become "Magn", but this time, it was the turn of the Statoil petrol stations (now "Effo" - which actually sounds like someone struggling to say "Esso") and the post office (Postverk Føroya has become "Posta". Catchier, I suppose, but I can never really see the point. Do you remember when Royal Mail became "Consignia"? That didn't last long. Because it was stupid.) and apparently, by the next time I go back, one of the two main banks, Føroya Banki, will have become "BankNordik". Just Weird.

The only other thing I noticed is that everyone has bought a silver car. I don't mean they've all clubbed together to buy a single silver car, I mean that silver seems to be the colour of choice for new cars for just about everyone. Oh, and now the Faroe Islands have a sushi bar.

Anyway, my first few days were spent in Tórshavn, seeing everyone again and catching up (and working!). But then I was off to Tvøroyri, the biggest town on the South Island (but still about fourteen times smaller than Tórshavn, so not a massive place.

Tvøroyri

I'd not really spent much time in Tvøroyri before, so it was great to have a look around there and get to know it a bit better. The following day I had to visit a school on the island, which was a really interesting experience. Following on from that I had three hours to spend on the island before I could get the ferry back to Tórshavn. I decided to travel to the other main 'town' on the island, Vágur, as I didn't really think there was anything left to look at in Tvøroyri. Vágur is a really nice little town, with some great views and nice little shops, but it does only have a population of like 1,500, so entertainment is somewhat limited. And, not surprisingly, it started to rain. Fortunately - and this is when I really began to feel I'd made it in the Faroes - I bumped into someone I knew on the street, who invited me back to their place to sit and watch TV and wait for the ferry back in the warm. (And they actually drove me to the terminal!)

Vágur

Speaking of that, when I was walking in Tórshavn and met with two cars (we were all trying to go down the same street) and I saw I knew the people in both cars, I realised I was becoming much more of a local. When I'm out and about in the city, I almost always see someone I know now. Which is pretty cool, but it means you always have to make your hair look nice before going out.

Finally, the cinema on the South Island is a little different to the Odeon we generally go to...