Copenhagen & The Faroe Islands: Shit Worth Knowing

This post and my packing rant are prequels to my day-by-day series on our recent trip to Copenhagen and the Faroe Islands. Check out the other posts in the coming days to get your adventure fix!

When we started telling people we'd booked a European escapades, they were excited. When we told them it was to the Faroe Islands, they shifted to confused and bewildered. "Where? And how on earth did you pick that place?" were the most common responses (or the occasional "oh neat" nod that meant they didn't care to hear more). So, here are some reasons why:

• Go. Google the Faroe Islands right now. They're fucking stunning. (Instagrammable AF!) It's the kind of place you see and wonder "Why doesn't everyone move here??" and I'm already quietly planning to convince all my friends to move there so we can all be the only inhabitants on an island together. 
• They're like Iceland's cool kid sister. Iceland is all trendy and sexy right now, but expensive once you get there. The Faroes are lesser known but just phenomenal, and often overlooked. They're the "next big thing." I really wanted to get there before it became flooded with tourists and see it while it was still a bit "wild."
• It was easy to set up a 24-hour "layover" in Copenhagen to bookend our trip with. So we got a little bit of the city-life on either side of our hiking adventure.
• I'm too antsy to sit on a beach. While it's true that no one would look at me and say "Oh yeah, she's a hiker," it's nice to roam and explore beautiful places. An active vacation is a good relationship test, too - if we can't go hiking in a foreign land together, then honestly, we're not meant to be. We both have too much wanderlust in our souls. 
• Yes, I was excited about seeing puffins... that didn't work out, but, yes, it was a reason. ((More details on that debacle to come))

Would I recommend going to either or both? 100%. (Especially if you fancy yourself a photographer or a bird enthusiast!) I was already plotting out our return trip before we even got on the plane home. So, now that we've planned and gone on our fantastic voyage, here are some tips and fun facts about Copenhagen and the Faroe Islands.

Let's play "spot the photographer"

Both:

• They're not on the Euro, even though they're in the EU. The currency is the Danish Krone (DKK) and it's a little over 6 DKK to 1 USD. So if it's 25 DKK to get into a museum, you're looking at just $4. The Faroes have their own version of DKK bills with different imagery printed on it (coins are the same). You can use DKK bills from Copenhagen in the Faroe Islands fine, but you can't use those Faroese bills back in Copenhagen without causing confusion.
• Bring a pen. Credit cards (especially Visa) are widely accepted, but most Europeans have a pin and don't have to sign for credit cards. Ours process differently and need a signature. Since no one in Europe has to sign normally, most places didn't have a pen handy. (GET it together, America! Down with signatures!)  
• Everyone speaks English pretty much. Most people in the Faroes know three languages: Danish, English and Faroese (which is closer to Icelandic). 
• Green energy is everywhere. Wind farms for days. More bicycles than you can shake a recycled stick at. 
• All the hotel beds were either two twin beds pushed next to each other, or at the very least had two twin comforters on the bed. Twin comforters are AMAZING. You know in the night, when you wake up cold and realize your SO has burritoed into the comforter and you have no blankets covering you? I have two words for you: twin. comforters. Love my beau, but I may love being covered while I sleep more. 
• Unlike the rest of Europe, where people tend to eat later at night, most restaurants seemed to close by 10 or 11 it seemed. 
• Security at both airports was quite efficient. (Way better than fucking O'Hare.)
• They're so far north, you can expect some serious daytime hourage if you're going in the sprint/summer months. When we were there, sunrise in the Faroes was at 4 am, and sunset at 10:30 pm - that's 18+ hours of daylight (at the peak in June, it's almost 20 hours). Copenhagen was just shy of 17 hours of daylight at that same time. So. You get plenty of time to explore!

This was at 9:30 pm. Also, person for scale.
(See upper left cliff.)

Copenhagen:

• It's the capital and most populous city of Denmark.
• Great public transport - their metro is very easy to navigate.
• Like most major cities, different areas have VERY different atmospheres. The harbor area we saw on a Monday, and was full of restaurants and tourists, but was so pretty. Bustling in the way Europe bustles - so chill AF. Versus on Saturday we saw the area by Tivoli at night and it was a crazy drunk club scene, with bachelorette party buses scream-singing "Despacito" (Sunday morning, that same area was hipster breakfast and families). And the area by the airport? More homes and businesses. So, it can really vary depending where you are and when. 
• The Little Mermaid statue is pretty overrated. Like the Mona Lisa, she's small and surrounded by tourists. It's a beautiful walk to get there though, so, may as well.
• Their open-faced sandwiches (Smørrebrød) are famous. But be careful if you're aiming to get your fix: some places only serve them for lunch. 
• Need your royal fix? The Danish monarchy has got you covered! 
• Try the cinnamon rolls. They're different, and delicious.
• A lot of the places that look cool during the day are also badass at night. Explore at different times of day! The nighttime lights at Tivoli are super fun. 
• Even on a warm day, the wind by the harbor can be chilly. You've been warned.

Faroe Islands:

• If you're afraid of feeling isolated, narrow roadways, the ocean, seabirds, heights, etc - you may not enjoy your visit as much. 
• Consists of 18 rocky, volcanic islands about midway between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean. AKA: they out there. 
• The overall population is about 50,000 people. Many islands have very sparse populations (Mykines has a dozen retirees on it, Stóra Dímun has two families, etc).
• They're self-governing but technically part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Denmark subsidizes them economically (about 3% of their GDP).
• Transportation is fascinating. The islands are connected by ferry, boat, bus, helicopter, over-ocean bridges, or under-ocean tunnels. If the weather shifts, you very well may be stuck on whatever island you're on. (Again, see puffin story.) If you're taking a ferry or helicopter, you HAVE to be very careful with the schedule and thoroughly review the rules. Don't just try and wing it. For example, helicopters only fly certain days of the week and will only take you one way (same day). You have to find a different way back or wait several days for another chopper. So, do your fucking research and don't cowboy it. 

"Bridge Over Troubled Waters" is actually the national anthem.

• IF you're renting a car: remember, they're mostly stick shift. So if you're like me, you need to really make sure they get you one of the five automatic cars on the lot. Else, if you're a novice in a manual, driving those hills would be a living nightmare. 

• The roads often involve hairpin turns on cliff edges or suddenly go through mountains. A portion of the roads and tunnels (further from the airport and capital) are also one-lane. As in, one lane for two-way traffic. In this scenario, there are little divots on the side of the road that you can pull over into to allow oncoming traffic to get by. Yes, that means that you can find yourself in a dark one-lane tunnel through a mountain, see headlights coming, and have to panic to find a pull-over (lest you have to back up on a tiny, pitch-black, bored-through-a-mountain rock tunnel). The sheep also have a genuine DGAF notion about cars and freely wander the roadways. Even if you honk. 

Roadside Assistance: Faroe Islands style

• All that being said, I highly recommend renting a car. It's the best way to get about on your own schedule. And, nothing is that far! If you wanted to drive from one of the westmost cities (like Gasadalur) to one of the eastmost cities (like Vidareidi), it's only a two hour drive. Assuming you don't stop to take a million photos on the way (which, you will want to). 
• Their tourism industry is still developing. You won't find a Hilton here. Or a McDonald's. Also, don't expect to find a restaurant every couple miles (so PACK SNACKS!). Do expect to find friendly locals who are willing to help out if needed. And, don't worry, most towns have a public restroom (WC = water closet). 
• No matter where you look, you're going to see something beautiful. Wherever you're standing, you're not more than 5k from the ocean. This means astonishing views of neighboring islands, waterways, etc. EVERYWHERE. Some of the best views can be seen on the airplane ride in (or if you're lucky enough to catch a ferry or helicopter, those views are supposed to be choice as well). 
• Their largest industry is fishing. Eat all the seafood you can. And lamb. Damn good lamb as well (see DGAF sheep vs cars comment). 
• Some trails are well laid out. Some are just worn grass with random rock piles to guide you. Most involve a lot of incline. There seem to be few restrictions on where you can rove about though so, just be careful and go. Everyone kept saying that if you're up on a mountain, and the fog rolls in, just chill til it rolls out, else you could meander off a cliff. A legit warning. 

Wait, which rock pile am I supposed to follow??

The biggest thing I learned from our experience: just because a place isn't as well known, doesn't mean it's not a place worth going. I mean, yeah, of course I know we live in a great big world, duh. BUT when looking at most travel bucket lists, you'll see a lot of standard places: Paris, London, etc. There is NOTHING wrong with these places and they're wonderful and beautiful and diverse in their own ways and I've been and I love them. But I think it's time for us to reevaluate our bullet points here, and to try adding in some outliers. You know, to start planning more voyages to that area outside our comfort zone, where the magic lives.