Great photos and blog post. I hope other locations on the site would be populated with similar content in the future.
The Faroes
41–50 of 107 posts
Re: The Faroes
#42Great photos and blog post. I hope other locations on the site would be populated with similar content in the future.
I intend to! I didn't post this here but all these comments have inspired me to flesh this out a bit more.
Re: The Faroes
#43I first heard about these islands when they built a roundabout under the ocean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVD0hG-_5gQ&t=47s
Re: The Faroes
#44> Faroe's name comes from a combination of fær (sheep) and eyjar (islands). I have always thought it came from "fjær" (far). According to Wikipedia it is debated, and it may even come from "fara" (to travel).
"fara" appears to be cognate with English "fare" (which used to mean "journey" and now means how much you pay for one)
And “journey” comes from the Latin diurnum, for day, which also has the same root as per diem.
Time (and distance!) are money.
Re: The Faroes
#45What strikes me immediately are the vibrant colors of the houses.
Walk through most any suburban American neighborhood and you'll primarily see neutral shades of white, gray, beige, or the occasional muted blues and greens. Sometimes someone will be daring and paint their house in a deep, dark blue or purple (or even black) but that feels relatively rare.
If near the ocean, typical "seaside pastels" come into view.
What's the backstory to the Faroes' colors? Are they set by some local entity/government? Left up to the homeowners? Was there a push to make them colorful? Do the locals have a particular eye for color composition? Did someone help them?
Why are American homes so bland and the Faroes' so delightfully colorful?
So many questions!
Re: The Faroes
#46No trees at all on any of these photos, except for one photo which seems to be part of a garden (and maybe it is only larger bushes). I would feel very depressed by that alone.
It's too windy for trees there, similarly to large parts of Iceland. People could probably plant trees that are not high - I don't know what species will feel good in this climate though.
While I was there I did some search around and it seems that the wind, weather and soil is just part of it. The largest reason is sheep. They'll eat any tree before it has any chance of growing. So you get naturally sparse growth already, add the sheep, you get grass everywhere. Which makes everywhere very walkable and surreal at the same time. Plenty of trees on cities and gardens.
Re: The Faroes
#47What strikes me immediately are the vibrant colors of the houses. Walk through most any suburban American neighborhood and you'll primarily see neutral shades of white, gray, beige, or the occasional muted blues and greens. Sometimes someone will be daring and paint their house in a deep, dark blue or purple (or even black) but that feels relatively rare. If near the ocean, typical "seaside pastels" come into view. W…
My first thought was that given the rather inclement weather perhaps having a vibrantly colorful house may have historically helped to easily identify one's particular domicile during times of poor visibility.
Re: The Faroes
#48No trees at all on any of these photos, except for one photo which seems to be part of a garden (and maybe it is only larger bushes). I would feel very depressed by that alone.
That’s because the sheep graze everywhere and eat sprouting saplings. The only trees are in areas fenced off from the sheep. I agree this is a bit depressing.
Re: The Faroes
#49> There are no guardrails, no warning signs, and definitely no liability waivers - just you, the weather, and whatever route the sheep decided made sense. I absolutely love places like this; places that treat you as a discerning, rational adult. The sense of being responsible for yourself feels freeing. It is an invitation for you to experience something entirely in your own way.
I feel the same way. I've hiked a few times at one of the locations in these photos with my 8 year old son (under close supervision). I think it's a great way to build a sense of responsibility and humility. Unfortunately, that also makes it inherently more dangerous. Just a month ago, three tourists went missing at that location. [1] [1] https://local.fo/three-persons-missing-after-visiting-vagar-...
I feel the same way, I am a social Darwinist too.
Re: The Faroes
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
What do you mean eating horses is not OK, in Switzerland we have plenty of horse butchers, you can find horse meat products like salami in all bigger supermarkets. Its not consumed in same amounts as beef for sure, but its not shunned by most. And yes there is no logical reason to eat beef (especially calves if we consider the cuteness factor) but not horses, horse meat is even healtier.
Horses also eaten in Iceland
And Belgium.