Faroes: Packing Wins and Fails

Now that I have thoroughly ranted about all the amazing adventures in Copenhagen and in the Faroe Islands, both IRL and all over this blog, it's time for a wee bit of retrospective on one of those linchpin things from the trip: our luggage! For a full rave about packing, check out this post on how I fit seven days of stuff into one carry-on. I was glad to have read a lot of packing suggestions before we went, but some just didn't hold water, and others were SPOT on.

When it came down to the stuff I opted to bring along, I had some serious wins, and a few fails...

Things I was happy I brought:

• The number one top thing(s) I brought that I loved: bags!
• Cross body bag was a MUST! It was so easy for carrying around cameras and miscellaneous stuff. It was easy for hiking but could easily be worn to dinner, too. (One doesn't need to pack more than one purse!)
• A reusable grocery bag :
  A) most grocery stores in Europe don't give out bags
  B) it made it easier to move between different hotels: I didn't have to pack up tightly into the carry-on and could just toss extra stuff into the bag to be figured out later
  C) it was a fabulous snack bag
• "Vacuum seal" bag: this was a lifesaver for my sweaters! I was able to pack almost all the sweaters I wanted but still have tons of space in my carry-on for other essentials.
• Lots of extra bags in general : zip locks and just grocery store bags. For stuff like smelly socks and muddy boots, it was nice to have something to wrap that stuff up tight in before storing it for our transatlantic flight.
• Menthol patches : Fun fact, I sit at a desk all day normally. I do not have an extremely "active" lifestyle. So, with a trip that consisted entirely of hiking and tromping about, my bod was a little confused. IE by the last day, I was basically covered in these life saving patches! At the end of a long day, I could slap one of these on a puffy knee or aching back and it was fabulous relief. 
• Paper tape : The beau has used this in the past to prevent his toes from rubbing together while running, to help avoid blisters. I took a page from his playbook and likewise used it to avoid / protect blisters while hiking. It also was awesome for sealing up various snacks we bought (ain't nobody got space for chip clips!).
• Good waterproof hiking boots : Seriously. This was SO essential. I'm glad I invested in a good pair (also, I only got one tiny blister - see paper tape), whereas if I'd have had a shitty pair of shoes, I may have ended up either with perpetual wet socks (I HATE WET SOCKS) or a serious injury. These bad boys kept me dry and stable! 
• A Pen : Europe has a great system with chip credit cards and pin numbers. Unfortunately, our American credit cards don't have pins, so most places we'd still have to sign. This caused much confusion as various vendors and restaurants were like "Uh, you have to sign?" Since it's so uncommon, they'd scramble about looking for a pen. But voila, we had our own! So, BYOP if you want to just speed things up. (Thanks, internet, for this tip!)

Waterproof boots: because the wilderness isn't as dry as Abbey Road!

Things I could've done without:
Luckily the big theme of these all is that they were small things that didn't take up much space. So it wasn't like I filled half my suitcase with unnecessary junk. Go team!

• Waterproof everything : The Fores get approximately 300 days of rain a year. We lucked out and it was perfectly sunny! Since we had heard a lot about the rain and sudden turns in weather, I had packed monsoon gear basically. Waterproof boots, pants, jacket, and even waterproof mascara. While the boots and jacket were still great, the pants and mascara were not necessary at all - and waterproof mascara is just more of a bitch to take off.
• Gloves : Would've been great if it had rained, but it didn't. And it was never too cold - plus my coat had the thumbhole sleeves, so that was good enough.
• That extra hat : It was tiny, so no major foul here but... I brought an additional hat solely for vanity (so every photo wouldn't have me wearing the same exact hat). One hat was more than sufficient. Lesson learned, ego.
• Dramamine : Because I don't know if I even get seasick, and we didn't end up getting to take the ferry anyways.
• PJ pants : For some reason, I imagined I'd be lounging more often? But, obviously I was lying to myself, because when I'm in vacation mode, I get very "don't waste a single second! adventure awaits!" Should've known this trip would be no different and that I'd run us around like crazy as long as the sun was still shining. (Which was approximately 4:30am til 10:30pm every day! Yay for being so far north!) Again, didn't take up much space, and I could have worn them as leggings really, so it's my own fault they went unused. 
• SO many snacks : I'm forever worried about a shortage of food. So while it was nice to have  hiking specific snacks, I didn't need to pack enough food for a small army.
• Plane activities : I brought two sudoku books and my old school mp3 player for the plane. But ended up either talking, sleeping, eating or watching movies the whole time. So neither was really needed. The beau also brought a book (yes, a physical book) that he didn't end up reading at all.
• A few honorable mentions that the beau said he didn't need to pack:
• An extra pair of pants : because boys don't change pants hardly ever!
• A hat : his ears don't funnel the wind like mine do, so for me, my hat was essential - but he never even wore his once.
• Running shorts : since we were getting in so many steps hiking, he didn't have that energy to get up a 5 am to go for a run before our day like he thought he might.

Snack Attack! Mama needs her treats!

Things I wish I had packed:

• MORE SOCKS : Because waterproof boots are great at not letting moisture in, but also kind of trap in sweat. It'd have been nice to swap out socks more often, because, as y'all know, I frickin' hate wet socks.
• Detangling hair spray : Yes, like a child. Do you have any idea what the ocean breeze, on a mountain top, does to one's hair? Let alone having a hat on all day while that wind assaults half your hair?? It's a wonder I'm not completely bald after all the knots of hair I ripped out of my skull every night. 
• A little trinket : In the past, when travelling, sometimes I've taken a little trinket, or a paper heart, or something. A little tchotchke that I could take photos with at various locations to make cute little contingent photos. I was too panicked about packing to remember this time though. 
• Honorable mention from to the beau :: Briefs instead of boxers : something closer fitting to protect the boys when hopping around on rocks, ya know!

Because i just made a list, I can't honestly say "there's not a thing I would change!" about our trip. But I will say that the trip was pretty near perfect, just the same. At some point, you'll get a new series of posts for our next visit to the Faroes, because it is definitely a place I plan to return someday. I already have a little list going of place for next time.... Mykines (I'll be back for you, puffins!); Múli (and the other abandoned settlements in northern Borðoy); the entire island of Suðuroy (with it's awesome sea cliffs); the Kallur Lighthouse and the Kópakonan (aka selkie) statue on Kalsoy... Some day, friends. Some day. And next time, I'll know exactly what to bring along.... 

Copenhagen Round 2: The Denouement

After three absolutely perfect days in the Faroe Islands, and one day of picture-perfect views and heartbreak, it was time for our return to Copenhagen!

Feelin' so fly like a G6...

Saturday

• We thoroughly enjoyed one last Faroese breakfast in our grassy-roofed hotel, and spent some time rearranging what had become rather messy suitcases during our two day stay in Tórshavn, before checking out. After one last quick visit to the harbor and a stop by the post office (the beau's ma collects stamps!), we were back off to Vagar airport - the scene of much heartbreak less than 24 hours prior. 
• En route, we made one quick stop at the lost hamlet of Kvívík - aka the village we couldn't find on our first day because Google thought it was inside a mountain. This time: we found it! And it was awesome. I'd say the beau had to "drag me back to the car," but really he just said "Okay well, I'm going back to the car, we can't linger too long because we have to return the car by xyz time, and if you don't get to the car in a few minutes then I'm going to leave...." and I said "Good, then I can stay forever, bye!" and ran off into the hillside. Typical.

Where in the world is Kvívík? Right there!

• Right near the airport, we stopped alongside the road to explore some old boathouses along Sørvágsvatn and finish up our remaining road-snacks. Since we had to return the car several hours before our flight (so as not to pay the extra day), we were a bit stuck. For a small fee, you can leave your luggage with the tourism office there and go on foot to explore, but I was only able to drag the beau out to sit in the parking lot (which still somehow had stunning views). From there, it was a two second walk through security and several hours as the only people in the gate area. Which meant tons of time to explore the duty-free area! Unfortunately, we had security to go through the next day in Copenhagen, so couldn't smuggle along any Faroese beer (they have one brewery on the islands!).

I try to get one of these photos everywhere we go.
Fun fact: there are very few sewer covers in the Faroes,
and none of them that we saw had any Faroese on them, so...
you'll just have to trust me on this one. 

• After our day in the airport and a flight in which we watched a newly married couple get all the free swag (seriously, should've just invested in Mr and Mrs shirts), we were finally back in Denmark proper.  
• Copenhagen on a Saturday night is a far cry from the chill city vibe we got on Monday night. The downtown was alight with trolleys carrying drunken bachelorette parties, their off pitch  ABBA singalongs echoing in the streets. The bar crowd was spilled over into the streets. And there was a clear lack of regard for OWI when it came to bicycles. Amongst that chaos, we were starved.
• Because I'm all about tourism (and never miss a chance at fireworks), we rapidly checked into our hotel first and then ran to catch the lights and explosions over at Tivoli - the amusement park that Disneyland is based off of. Unfortunately, by the time that was over, almost all the food options were closed. Which means, after a long week of hiking and exhaustion... we opted for a last resort. We got Burger King. 
• We took our Whoppers back to the coolest frickin' hotel: Hotel Alexandra. Upon arrival we claimed our free glass of wine, grabbed our giant brass key from the witty man (Jonas) behind the desk, and had ourselves a picnic on the floor of our room. Each room had a different layout/decor and is furnished with awesome midcentury modern pieces. It is so damn retro chic that I was totally obsessed. Our room was how my dream tiny New York apartment would look. It was perfect.

In an ideal world...

Sunday

• The next morning started early so we could leave the hotel by 9 am to grab breakfast. We headed to the "Next Door Cafe" adorable hipster spot with limited seating (ie we sat on a random bench out on the cobblestoned street), awesome food, and witty / fabulous service (our "table marker" was a rubber duck). It was a good thing we got there early, because it's clearly a hot spot. 

Good Eats.

• Back at the hotel, I did one final recombobulation of my suitcase. Between our two carry-ons, we managed to squeeze in everything we'd bought and all our dirty laundry. As we packed up, there was an unfortunate turn of stomach in which I deeply regretted our adorable glass walled bathroom and made the beau leave for a stint (#traveltruths #burgerking). And then, it was time to leave, we had a plane to catch...
• Not one to miss an opportunity to see a church, I insisted we hop off the metro on our way to the airport and see the Church of Our Saviour. Known for it's iconic helix spire, we'd seen it in the distance throughout our time in Copenhagen. We unfortunately didn't have enough time to climb the winding external staircase up to the top to see the view, but it's definitely on my list for next time!
• At the airport, we made it through the highly efficient security line so fast that we found ourselves with several hours of wait time. If you have to wait anywhere, it may as well be in CPH - the place is HUGE! Their shops and duty-free area were extensive. We both took turns  exploring the massive duty-free shop. Mostly because hauling suitcases around in there would be insane (there are hordes of people literally stockin' up), and because I wanted to surprise the beau by buying him some Danish beer. (Yes, that beer did shake around in my backpack for the next twelve hours as we journeyed home. And yes, I did panic a little about having "nothing to declare" as it sloshed back and forth. But, it all worked out and he was indeed surprised!)
• After putzing around for a good long while, we started to work towards our gate. Only to discover: there was another line. Had we known, we'd have not lollygagged around! This time was an additional passport check - with the EU citizen line flying by, and the rest of us piled up waiting. Following some mild worry on my part,* we were through. In fact, we made it just in time really. So thank goodness I didn't dilly dally longer before realizing there was that extra line!
• With a departure around 4pm Copenhagen time and an arrival back to Chicago around 6pm, we both settled in to stay awake! (NOT TODAY, JET LAG!) This flight had another delicious dinner and a "snack" meal - I was once again stupid impressed by the meals on SAS. We both also had a movie binge. I had enough time to tackle: the newest Maze Runner movie (awful, fast forwarded most of it), The Shape of Water (people were really judgey about what I was watching), and I, Tonya. 

And then, just like that, we were back. Dealing with the insane customs process at O'Hare, chasing after our bus, riding in the sweltering heat back up to Milwaukee, and home. There's no point in pretending that I was happy to be back (sorry, friends and family - no offense!). After such a whirlwind adventure, yes, I was beyond exhausted, but I was also eager for more. Still am. So in the meantime, I'll just keep enjoying the here, until I can go back out and get to the there... 

"I don't wanna go home and you CAN'T MAKE ME!"
she said, stubbornly hiding at the top of a waterfall.

* Because I'm definitely one to jump to conclusions... the beau and I stayed in the same line until we were close to the front and were split into two. My line ended up putting me through very swiftly. Super easy, no issues. So, on the other side of this large glassed off area (with detainment rooms,  security gates, etc.), I waited. And waited. And waited.... And as I stood there waiting, I noticed that there was a specific demographic of other people waiting as well for their loved ones to pass through. I had a horrible flashback to that one episode of the Handmaid's Tale (the one where that Gilmore Girl is at the airport) and started to quietly panic. This was it. This was the moment they started to detain the Jews again... Helllooooo overreaction, it's me, Gina! (But yes, I was already Googling the number for the U.S. Embassy....) 

Faroe Islands Day 4: No Puffins For You!

While I've avoided mentioning it (#toosoon) throughout my posts about the first three days in the Faroe Islands, one of the highlights of our trip was to be slated for day four: I was finally going to get to see PUFFINS. These adorable, derpy birds are absolutely everywhere in guides for the islands. Every tourist lure has a shiny little puffin dangling on the end of it. For MONTHS leading up to our trip, it was my favorite thing to mention. I built up a whole dialogue of hype. "Puffin Watch 2018" I dubbed my quest as, joking on social media for the first several days.

Day four arrived and, spoiler alert: it was the day my puffin dreams went to die. And here was how it came about....

Friday

• After a ridiculously awesome hotel breakfast, we departed for what I labelled our pre-puffin adventure. Map for the morning jaunt can be found here.
• To start the day, I had saved one of the most iconic views. We hopped islands and drove under and ocean and through a mountain to get to the village of Gasadalur to see the Mulafossur Waterfall. For several kilometers of that route, it was apparently field trip day and the one lane (two-way traffic) cliff roads were swarmed with children... Children we almost knocked off said cliff with our car because, like the local sheep, they would not move out of the way. 
• No infant lives were lost, and when we got to our destination: it was just as picturesque as they say. Only a dozen or so people live there, and prior to 2004, you couldn't even reach this area via car. Now that it's accessible: it's a must-see stop! We hiked around for awhile before I got antsy and began our journey south again.

Looking out to Mykines, where my puffins awaited!

• Next up, I really wanted to hike out to see Drangarnir, but since it's such a difficult hike and I knew we'd be going by the gorgeous formation on our ferry ride later, we instead went to Bøur to see it from across the way. Once again we wandered among cute little grass roofed houses, as I quietly jumped for joy that we'd soon be boarding a helicopter to go to the magical puffin island. IE I was so excited that we had to leave, and got to the airport an hour before our flight. 

Eyeing up the dragon rock from the other side.

• And that is when the puffin shit hit the fan...
• As I mentioned previously, there is a fair bit of logistics involved in getting to certain spots. To get to this puffin paradise, the island of Mykines, we were going to helicopter from Vagar airport. Helicopters can only be taken one way (and only fly M-W-F), so we planned to take a ferry back, knowing we'd only have about 2 hours to explore the island, which would be JUST long enough for us to hike to the lighthouse on Mykines and back, allowing even minimal time for all the puffin snuggling/smuggling that I had planned. 
• When we checked in at the airport for our chopper trip, they asked how we planned to get back (since some people forget it's one-way), we explained the ferry we were taking and that we already had tickets. They asked if we knew there was a special fee to hike on Mykines, and we said yes, explaining we'd already purchased that pass as well. We were set. They directed us to watch the helicopter safety video and I ran to the bathroom thirty times as we waited, since I was so excited. A) Neither of us had ever been on a helicopter before and B) it was FINALLY puffin time!
• That's when I began to notice several different groups of people arguing with the desk people, and leaving. So, mere moments before we were to board, I finally got curious and went to the desk to ask what was going on. Fun fact: the ferry back was cancelled. NO announcement was made, there was no indication, and when we called the ferry, they said they were NOT cancelled officially, but had cancelled the last several trips.... the odds were not in our favor. Cue me having a nervous breakdown at the Atlantic Airways counter. 
• Then all the stages of grief kicked in....
• Shock: In which I gestured to the perfect, sunny day outside, I asked why on earth it'd be cancelled. WAVES. Fucking waves. Doesn't matter how beautiful the weather is, the waves can still be jerks and be too rough for a ferry docking on a tiny island with a tiny harbor. There was not the usual rain and storms though, it was perfect out, and we had done everything right. 
• Denial: In which I pleaded with the beau: there was a chance. I mean, the ferry wasn't FOR SURE cancelled. We could risk it - and risk being stuck there and risk missing our flight the next day....
• Anger: In which I yelled at the woman at the counter and she explained that "it's just the way it is" because they're just used to being at the mercy of waves and not having alternative solutions available.
• Bargaining: In which I told the said woman at the counter she would just HAVE to make an exception, and allow us to helicopter back. And in which she told me no, the helicopter back was full because it was carrying the people who'd been stuck their since Wednesday (the day of the last flight) because the ferry had been cancelled every day since.
• Depression: In which I openly sobbed at this poor woman who I was witnessing the full gamut of my breakdown. 
• Lying/Melodrama: Okay, these aren't real stages, but at this point I started telling the beau to just lie to them and convince them to somehow make this happen. Suggestions like, "Tell them you were going to propose on that island, or that I have a terminal illness" came out. I'm not proud, but I don't regret.
• Testing: In which we discussed with a blue haired Instagrammer and her man, who had been trying to get to the island in vain for days. We thought aloud the options with them, but all pointed to too much risk and us likely missing out flight back to Copenhagen, and thus spending an exorbitant amount of money switching flights, after several days of camping (with no equipment / food) on a tiny island. (Not to mention our rental car would end up overdue and our stuff was still back in a hotel in Tórshavn.)
• Acceptance: So... we told them to fly without us, and that we, like the other dozen people who had been counting on that ferry, would not be going to Mykines. There would be NO puffins today.
• Through my tears, I had the beau Google where to find puffins elsewhere. There was one possibility, but we had to hurry. So we dashed to the car and kicked it into high gear. Here's a map of what happened next....
• En route, we booked online for a boat tour in Vestmanna, which lead out to the sea cliffs where many puffins and other birds call home. It was our second chance! We could still see the puffins! We would have just enough time to make the drive and board to catch the last tour of the day, per their website. So when we arrived, the beau ran ahead to get us checked in, while I quickly ran to the restroom. 
• When I came out, I could see him arguing with the woman at the counter, and my heart sank. I knew something was wrong. Fun fact: their website was a lie. They'd decided to leave at a different time today (despite the fact that it LET US BOOK online) and there would be no more boats today. The next one was in the morning - if we tried for it, and the tour ran even a half hour longer than expected, we'd miss our flight... again with the risk. 
• So, I stomped out of the boat house and looked up towards the hills. Cliffs, they'd said. Too difficult to hike to without a guide. Very far. I instructed the beau to drive us to the foot of the mountain.... we were going to climb those damn hills. I was GOING to see my puffins, if it killed me.
• And then we climbed... we climbed and climbed. Til we were at the edge of a cliff. The first cliff of many, with little gorges in between that you'd have to spend hours to hike around. And where were the puffins, you ask? Well. Not on that first cliff. Staring down into the gorge I knew - it just wasn't in the cards. 

Dear Puffins, are you there? It's me, Gina.

• So we left Vestmanna, my puffin hopes dashed, and headed back over the island of Vágar to visit the last iconic location on my list: Sørvágsvatn. It's the largest lake on the islands and feeds into the ocean near Trælanípan, a large cliff area that is only a short hike and towers above the lake. Thanks to this awesome blog, we had the perfect coordinates for parking and details for the hike.

Lake life: only slightly different than lake life in Wisconsin...

• After an emotional roller coaster, the scenic hike along the lake and subsequent dangling off a cliff edge, were just what I needed. It was stunning. We saw more people than normal (since this was an easy hike and close to the airport, it's more visited by tourists probably), and witnessed various photographers go way further to the edge of different areas than we dared. We sat and watched the sun begin to set in the area where lake meets ocean, and it was, dare I say, fucking magical.

Seriously though: lake goals.

• Post-hike, we rushed back to Tórshavn to try and catch dinner somewhere before everything closed. One of the only spots open still (after 10pm) was an Italian restaurant called Toscana. This was one of those meals where we didn't care the cost, we just needed the relaxation of a good meal with a cozy atmosphere. (It was a good thing we didn't care, because it ended up being rather expensive lol) They played nothing but Frank Sinatra music (yas) and we binged on fresh salmon, shellfish, and escargot. Very much worth it. 

It was a day with many very high notes of the trip, and a very low point as well. We missed out on both the helicopter ride and the puffins that we had been talking about for months leading up to the trip, yes, but we also saw some of the most striking views on Vágar. Picture-perfect spots and beautiful walks. A lot of zig-zagging and island hopping during my puffin-conquest, but otherwise just a day of impressive sights. This day, more than any other point in our trip, solidified one fact: when it comes to the Faroes, we'll be back. 

"And they never saw her again..."

For tales of the journey home, pop by my Copenhagen Round 2 post!

Faroe Islands Day 3: In which we Accidentally Kidnap a Dog

Following our Copenhagen whirlwind and two days of stunning hiking throughout the northern islands, it was time to gallivant our way to the "big city." Our final two nights in the Faroe Islands we'd be staying in the same hotel, the only two days in a row that we were kept consistent sleeping quarters! (Which meant I didn't have to keep my suitcase tidy for once!) You know what they say, prone to wonder, prone to wander... 

Thursday

• For those who love treasure maps - here is today's journey! Well, mostly. The part you can't see from this one is the fact that we didn't drive to Kirkjubøur, we walked. From Tórshavn. There and back again, like devoted hobbits off on an adventure. More on that to come...
• After breakfast at our hotel in Runavík, we left for our "final" home for the Faroes: Tórshavn, the capital and largest city on the islands (the population of the town and its surrounding area is the size of Marshfield, Wisconsin - for reference). 
• Originally, I had ambitious plan to ferry to the island of Suðuroy, but based on timing we opted to stay closer. This meant we could take our time driving along the coast to get to Tórshavn. In fact, we decided to overshot the city and instead explore the nearby village of Velbastaður, one of the oldest settlements in the islands.

I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain, comin' down on a sunny day?

• Meanwhile, back in Tórshavn, since it still wasn't time to check in, we went to the "largest mall" in the Faroes (the SMS). Got a good kick out of that. It's rather small when compared to an American mall, but had a few cute shops and a grocery store - so we were able to snag a few random gifts for people to bring home. The SMS also has one of the only fast food spots on the islands (they are one of the only European countries without a McDonald's): a Burger King, which we did not partake in. 
• From there, we wound our way through the tiny streets (later we had to back our way up a hill and around a corner because the road just became someone's front stoop without warning - typical of all villages in this country) and headed towards the harbor. 
• We had an amazing lunch at The Tarv (a place I had stalked on Instagram for months before going), on what was yet another perfectly sunny day.* We order pintxos, which I chuckled and apologized for not being able to pronounce, to which our waiter replied, "It's Spanish..." Despite my being dumber than a box of rocks when it comes to alternative naming conventions for what are basically tapas, we later had a right good chat about how I was an Instagram fan girl of their establishment. 
• After lunch, we checked into our badass grass roofed hotel (Hotel Føroyar). We honestly thought we were on the first floor, looking out right into the grassy knoll overlooking the town. Wrong-o! Our room was on the second floor, overlooking the grass ROOF of the floor below us! (Good thing I didn't follow through on climbing out the window to walk outside...)
• All checked in and ready to go, we headed to the edge of town to start our two-hour hike to Kirkjubøur. At the start of the trail, we made new friends with two of the HANDSOMEST sheep dog. They loved us, and we loved them. And THAT, my friends, is when we accidentally stole a dog.... 

I don't even LIKE dogs, but I loved these dogs more than life itself.

• For eight kilometers, as we hiked from one village to the next, the one dog followed us. Every gate or barricade we got to, I'd say goodbye and wish him well, and shed a little tear for my puppy I was leaving behind.... and then he'd hop over or crawl under said gate and happily run ahead. Eight. Kilometers. Over a mountain. 
• He would not be deterred. Every time the beau tried to shoo him to go back home, he'd just look happily at us, head cocked, tail wagging - like we were the funniest, nicest humans he'd ever had the pleasure of knowing. And even though I dislike / am rather allergic to dogs... I loved that puppy and we were best friends. I named him Idéfix, after the dog sidekick in the French Asterix comics. Because, like in the comics, he was my sidekick, and, with my allergies, it was comical.
• We followed the trail of rock piles. Yes, just rock piles. You could go out, set up a bunch of rock piles and lead tourists off a cliff - such was our trust of those piles. 

ROCKin' it - with our faithful puppy!

• In Kirkjubøur, we had some other tourists comment on how friendly our dog was. And when a much bigger dog came over to shit-kick our puppy, he hid right behind me, his mama, for protection.... And then he decided he liked some other people better and started following them instead.... So no, he didn't follow us back over the mountain to his home and real family. Or maybe that wasn't his home in the first place even, and he was actually from Kirkjubøur. We will literally never know. All I know is that that adorable dog broke my heart outside of Saint Olav's Church! (jokes...ish.)

On the edge of heaven's gate...

• After examining the old church and ruins along the coastline in Kirkjubøur, we hauled ass back up the cliffside (read: I died sans inhaler while the beau remained posed and gazelle-like), without our canine companion, and back to the capital, because it was getting late. No, we weren't worried about the sun setting, because like the British Empire, the sun never seems to set there. No, it wasn't darkness that drove us onward, it was hanger. This girl was worried about getting FOOD.
• Not just any food. Sushi. Fresh Faroese fish, wrapped up in sushi goodness. etika. etika Sushi is where we found peace after the loss of the dog that we accidentally stole. We made it just a half hour before they were closing and dug into langoustine, salmon, and other local sourced noms. It was brilliant.

En route back to our grass-topped hotel, "House of the Rising Sun" randomly came across the Faroese airwaves. From our hotel window, we could see the dense fog that had rolled over the harbor. The clouds reached their breaking point, and it started to sprinkle. It was the only rain we saw the entire trip - despite the fact that it had been pouring rain for the past three months straight. It was perfect weather for this exhausted adventurer to pass right the hell out.

"And it's been the ruin, of many a poor boy..."

* Given the number of photos I've seen of waterfalls blowing uphill due to erratic weather in the Faroes, we really lucked out.

Faroe Islands Day 2: All My Sci-Fi Children

After our 24-hour Copenhagen whirlwind and an eventful first day in the Faroes, it was time to really dig in and explore a few more islands. The was a day of many more tiny villages nestled into ocean-view cliffs, all with strange names that I'm certain we were pronouncing incorrectly. Names that I'll use some day to name characters in my semi-autobiographical Sci-Fi novel...

I shall name you Lambareidi and Glyvrar. And you will be the heroes of my story.

Wednesday

• Today's adventure map can be found here!
• After yet another carry-on reconfiguration (that's what we get for hotel hopping!), we had an awesome breakfast at the hotel (thanks, Europe for the filling breakfast goodies). Since we had only gotten to do a little sight-seeing the night prior, we wanted to do some additional hiking in Gjógv. 

Still struggling with the sand in my boots from the day before #outdoorsyAF

• This time we aimed for the cliff across from the cute little bench we'd sat at the night prior, and started up the other side of the gorge. However, as we got higher/further our, the WIND got so strong that we literally had to turn back. I was so sure we were going to blow off a cliff, that I was ready to just lay down flat and not move for days, til the wind subsided or I was eaten by a sheep (whichever came first). Because of the wind, we also decided against our potential hike up Slættaratindur (the highest point in the Faroes) and instead moved further south.

Little boxes, on the hillside

• We had a brief stop to admire Funningur, an adorable little town in which I had the most horrifying bathroom experience of my adult life. Due to this, we swiftly moved on. Which is really the beauty of the islands: there are so many cool things to see that if you're not feeling one spot, you can easily move on to something else!
• Our target: the city of  Runavík - a port city in the southern part of Eysturoy (the island we were already on). It was too early to check in at Hotel Runavík, where we were staying, so we went to wander the town. We found a trail around a large lake area (Lake Toftavatn) which was also a sheep / bird preserve -- jk, they don't have preserves, sheep and seabirds are just everywhere. It ended up being a very easy trail walk, and was a nice way to pass the windy morning.

Walkin' on water, Jesus style

• Despite out very chill walkabout, we still had more time before check-in so went to travel along the southernmost tip. We visited Æðuvík, Nes, Toftir, and several other little villages that I'll name the children in that aforementioned Sci-Fi novel after some day.... #jokesnotjokes 

Down south, looking out

• After a loop back and a speedy check-in (in which they were alarmed by our promptness, because no one in the Faroes rushes to do anything, those chill souls!), we hit the road for our day trip to Klaksvík, on the neighboring island of Borðoy. The second largest town in the Faroes, Klaksvík is roughly the size of my tiny hometown in northern Wisconsin (twins!). Which is... literally insane.
• To dodge the misty chill, we ate "lunch" at the cutest coffeehouse: Fríða Kaffihús (Kaffihús = coffee house?? Get it? Because we didn't... for like an hour...). The had awesome Faroese tapas (all the fish, all the lamb), plus it was BOGO happy hour, which meant ALL the hot cocoa I could handle! As an added bonus, they played only American oldies music, and I was the only one there who properly knew all the words. IE, I had the best time and likely terrified the locals.
• Once properly fed, I was of course ready to climb mountains... We hiked up a hill overlooking the town and hopped the fence* to head towards the further cliffs. From beyond the fence, towards what appeared to be a weather station, there was a clear view of neighboring islands of Kalsoy, Kunoy, and Eysturoy. Oy oy oy, was it gorgeous! Along the way we saw several locals. People just out for a stroll. Because those stunning views are just part of their daily routine.... Mind. Blowing.

Bench break for me, world conquering power-pose for him

• After our hike, we figured, why not keep going? So we got in the car and carried on to another new island and went to the little town of Viðareiði - the northernmost settlement. There, I was totally obsessed with yet another picturesque church and we walked through the town, observing the locals gathering at what appeared to be a school for a rousing game of "stick your children in squishy plastic and watch them bounce about" - aka bubble soccer. Apparently that shit is popular everywhere. Why? Well, because they're like hamster balls for people, and it's hilarious to what kids bounce around like that. But, I digress....
• At the edge of town, we awkwardly asked some sheep wranglers if it was cool that we ripped out a fence post so we could climb up another mountain - they were cool with it.* So, after pulling out said post and then returning it to it's hole after we crossed, we followed a sheep trail up above the town. There, I could get a bird's eye view of the little church I'd fallen in love with lower down. I obsessively photographed it like a creepy stalker, or a private eye hired to see if it had taken on a secret lover... and I have no regrets. 

Climb every mountain, ford every stream.

• Took a different route on Viðoy (the northernmost island) to make our way back to Runavík. Upon arrival back to our city of sleep, it was so late that the only place for food still open** was an "American pizza" joint. Which, we of course got. We closed the night munching greasy pizza in the hotel while watching random Danish television.

We had gone into the day without much of a plan, but somehow ended up exploring three islands, hopping from point A to B to everything in between. Thankfully, many of the islands are well connected, making it easy to roam. We spent the whole day reading unpronounceable names of unspeakably magnificent places. And we still had several more days to rove... 

Got the world on a string, sitting on a mountain...

* One of my favorite parts of our trip was hopping fences. No one is like, stopping you or yelling at you. You can just carry on through. Any fence or gate, we just assumed was for sheep.

** Many villages don't have restaurants at all, so, we did have our snacks just in case.

Faroe Islands Day 1: What the Sheep??

After our 24-hour Copenhagen whirlwind, we were ready to move on to our main destination: the Faroe Islands! Here's how the next leg of our adventure went with day 1... in which Gina tries to jam in as many adorable villages and cliffs as possible.

Tuesday

• After a dead-to-the-world, deep sleep in our fabulous Copenhagen hotel and some carry-on reconfiguration, we checked out to head for our next flight. While we didn't have much time to spare, we did make time to walk back to Nyhavn, hit up a bakery (Vedels Konditori), and eat some danish by the canal. A nice little breakfast before we were on the metro and then boarding yet another plane. (This time for a short two hour jaunt.)
• Flying into the Faroe Islands is like flying into Jurassic Park. It's absolutely amazing, and you're certain that people don't belong there, because they'll just spoil it. There's also probably dinosaurs there. Even if you don't see them at first, you just are constantly waiting for a fanfare of music and BOOM dinos! 

Sometimes you wanna go...

• Our plane arrived around 12:30 pm and I insisted we eat at the airport. There are not many restaurants on the Faroes, except in certain villages. While I had scheduled a grocery store stop for later in the day, the idea of not having easily accessible food meant that I was eating like a mama bear prepping for the long winter. This would prove a wise strategy given the crazy amount of steps we put on hiking.
• We strapped on our hiking boots and picked up the rental car (see tips for getting around the islands here!) and off we went! 
• For a plug-and-play adventure map, you can follow along right here. Looking at the map and seeing all the islands, you think it's a lot bigger, but everything was oddly close together. (No matter where you're standing on any given island, you're within 5k of the ocean!)
• First attempted stop: Kvívík, which Google Maps could not seem to find, so we didn't end up seeing (til our last day when we found it accidentally!). With the stress of me directing the beau to drive into a mountain looming, we took a little break to reset. Stopped alongside the road, I was thrilled by the random sheep hanging out just feet away, not realizing this would be commonplace the whole trip.
• A short time later, we tally-hoed onward. Taking under ocean and under mountain tunnels to go from the island of Vágar to the "big island" of Streymoy (total area around 144 sq miles - which is slightly smaller than the size of the city of Atlanta). Thank goodness I wasn't driving, or we'd have never made it anywhere. I'd have been stopping to take photos every five seconds. And with the beau at the wheel, that's just what I did - a nonstop stream of fabulous images and videos. It's so beautiful that even a photo out a car window is frickin' frame-able. 

Just a peak??  (bahaha, get it?! PEAK!)

• Our first real stop: Saksun! After a long drive down a one-lane road (with two-way traffic), we found a fork in the road with two areas to park: to the left or the right. 
• The left fork is what we took first. It was next to a trail that led down to a large tidal, seawater lagoon and a giant waterfall (both which fed into the ocean around the bend). This massive area looks up at the cliffside which the small village of Saksun is perched upon. The whole area is surrounded by mountains. Those picturesque little houses and a gorgeous church, overlook this stunning area, which is home to about a dozen people and a zillion lambs. Since it was low tide, we walked along the sandy shore of the lagoon around the headland to see the ocean. We made several failed attempts to scale up along the sandy slopes to get a few over the ravines edges of the surrounding area. Turns out, we're just not as nimble mountaineers as those damn sheep, because no matter how many of their trails I tried to climb in, I just kept sliding down! After my boots got entirely too full of sand, we followed the sheep back toward the car.

Staring out into the ocean, eating snacks: a still life of our trip.

• Since we'd seen the area below Saksun, we decided to take the right fork to go up into the village. The view from above was totally worth it. This was the first of many historical and well-placed churches that made me think, "Yeah, I could find God in a place like this..." The villages of the Faroes also tend to have one public restroom, indicated by a little WC sign plus arrow, that you follow on a fabulous scavenger hunt until you find something that looks nothing like a restroom. In this case, it was grass roofed and a really fascinating place to have a pee! 

I spent a good portion of the trip trying to get Saksun sand out of my boots
and looking toward the horizon #basic

• Next up was the renowned Fossá Waterfall. This giant waterfall is just there, hanging out on the side of a road. Because the side of the road in the Faroes, no matter which side of the road, is filled with majestic frickin' beauty. We lucked out and were having beautiful weather, so the waterfall was "low" enough that I could climb up around by it. (I've seen photos of it after a heavy rain and it's insane how different it looks!) This was a quick stop since our car was precariously parked and a group of we-have-fancy-cameras-because-we're-real-photographers people showed up and it made me feel bad about standing there gawking in the middle of all their shots.
• We continued driving up to Tjørnuvík - zipping around what the beau called the "death cliff" (hairpin turns on more one-lane roads). Also surrounded by mountains, this village is on the ocean. It's windy and exposed water apparently draws in a lot of surfers (#faroesbrah). From the edge of the village, you can see Risin and Kellingin (aka the Giant and Witch) - free standing rock pillars off the nearby cliffs. Apparently there is a trail between Tjørnuvík and Saksun (a three hour hike) that I'd have definitely had us do if I'd realized it was there in advance. (Next time!)

Hey there, Tjørnuvík, lookin' good.

• Finally, we were en route to our "hotel." With a very important stop made at Bónus Norðskála, a Faroese grocery store with a giant pig for the logo! Here we loaded up on a meat/cheese feast (Remember those lambs from earlier? Womp Womp!) and grabbed snacks for the rest of the days. This was brilliant to save money overall, but was also a godsend to prevent me from being whiny and starving on our coming days of hiking, where restaurants were few and far between! 
• We stayed at the Gjáargarður Guesthouse in Gjógv. Gjógv is absolutely splendi and is just on the edge of the world. I hate to overuse words like "idyllic" and "charming" but really, they're just so damn applicable! PLUS, our hotel had a heated floor in the bathroom and a picnic table patio area that overlooked all that frickin' splendor so it was literal heaven. 

Inappropriate footwear at its finest at the Gjógv gorge!

• After we checked in (at around 9:30 pm - because I kept making us stop to take pictures!), we explored the nearby cliff area and the gorge that the village is named after. We took the very well laid out and easy trail to a spot called Mary's Bænk (aka the Princess seat! Google it!) that overlooks the gorge. We went to this easy spot because my boots were drying on our heated bathroom floor after I attempted to scrub out that Saksun sand, so I was wearing tiny ballet flats for this particular cliff climbing excursion (sorry, mom!). 

With the sun not quite set, watching the clouds roll in to tuck the neighboring islands to sleep, perched up on a point just above the crashing waves... it was quite possibly a perfect day. Going to sleep in Gjógv, we still had several days of island hopping and grass-roof fangirl squealing ahead of us!

Don't know where it goes, but it's only me and I walk alone.

Copenhagen Round 1: The Whirlwind

Since I've never been called "short winded" in my life.... this is part one of a day-by-day series on our recent trip to Copenhagen and the Faroe Islands, focusing on out first two days. For general thoughts and tips for travelling to these locations, go hit up this heavily bulleted post. 

Coming off a hectic month of work, a royal wedding in which I had to watch my future husband marry a cool (albeit less attractive) other woman, and our yearly 5k, I somehow managed to squeeze in rabid excitement for our looming trip. After months of planning and packing, it was go time. And here's how it allllll began...

Sunday

• Because it's substantially cheaper to fly out of Chicago compared to Milwaukee, leg one of the journey was a bus ride down to Chi. After a drop off from the beau's dad, we were off! We left obnoxiously early, which ended up being a swell idea since, due to traffic, the bus arrived to O'Hare an hour late. 
• After prancing past the British Airways terminal (still decked out for the royal wedding - single tear), we suffered through the ridiculously inefficient security that is the international terminal. (Thanks, O'Hare, for leaving such a great impression on our guests. You suck.) There, we sacrificed a bag of liquids to the TSA gods (seriously, HOW does a ziploc baggie GO MISSING on that five feet of conveyor belt - major flaw there) before breaking from the masses to enjoy some pizza and a beer.
• While dining, we were serenaded by a random youth choir that was rehearsing while waiting at a nearby gate. An audience is an audience, I suppose, no matter where you're queuing! 
• Upon boarding for our 10 pm departure, we were informed that sorry, they had to switch planes and we'd gotten an older model. Comforted by my lack of leg room, I scoped out our fellow passengers, just in case we'd need allies upon crashing. 
• Fun fact: a 10 pm flight comes with TWO meals! Dinner AND breakfast! It's been a hot second since my last transatlantic flight (ten years in fact, almost to the date, since my return from study abroad) that this was just a frickin' delight. Airplane meals are WAY better than I remember! So, major props, SAS. 
• We did dinner and a show (the new Jumanji movie, which we watched on our separate little screens while carefully timing any pauses) and then tried to get some sleep so we could stay up and fight the jetlag upon arrival. 

Go home, plane. You're drunk.

Monday

• It was 1:30 pm Copenhagen time when we arrived, and with a 9:30 pm sunset time, I was stoked to cram in eight hours of exploring! Since we really only had a "24 hour layover" and I wasn't sure how exhausted we'd be on our return layover, I insisted that we see everything possible right away. 
• Since it had been almost a nine hour flight and I was eager to ditch our bags, the first place we aimed for was our hotel, the Copenhagen Strand. We snagged some DKK cashoola and caught the metro. Cheers to Denmark for crushing it on public transit - the metro was clean, efficient and overall just lovely. 
• After a luggage drop and quick showers (fun fact: it ended up being about 75 degrees and I had only packed sweaters so, this gal was a sweaty mess!), it was time for the first of many intricately planned "tours" that I had written up in a Google Doc before out trip. If you want to follow along, here was the "walking tour" I took us on!

Took me awhile to realize København was Copenhagen... derp.

• A short stop from our hotel: the Christiansborg Palace (aka Danish Parliament). We didn't go in, just looked around the outside and checked out the grandiose building while enjoying the beautiful weather. 
• En route to our next stop, I insisted upon getting gelato. We wandered, eating our rapidly melting treats from Gelato Rajissimo, peaking into the occasional shop, and then arrived to the Rundetårn.
• Known as the "Round Tower," for just about $4, you can take the slow and steady spiral walk up to the observation deck atop the tower where you can get a full 360 view of the city. This is a great early stop because it helps you get a bird's eye view of how the city is laid out, so you can sort of see where you'll be heading later to see other sites. Since it's not a strenuous climb to the top, I'd recommend this stop for anyone. There was a gaggle of drunk French women who were particularly enjoying the sites when we were there (we later saw them drinking wine on bicycles in the streets #FrenchAF). Rundetårn also has little history and art exhibits as you spiral up or down. (If you were in a rush, you could go up and down and do a brief look at the exhibits in a half hour even.)

Up on the roof, leaving our mark on the city after a spirally ascent.

• Thanks to my dawdling and constant photo taking, by the time we made our way to Frederik's Church, they had just closed. I could just kick myself at not seeing the inside, because the outside of this huge marble church was just stunning. There were also beautiful lilacs everywhere! 
• Because you just can't go to Copenhagen without seeing it, we next walked along the Kastellet (a star shaped fortress / park area) to get to the Little Mermaid statue. The statue itself was... fine. It was the same somewhat underwhelming feeling I had when seeing the Mona Lisa. It's a beautiful and culturally significant piece of artwork but it's oddly small in real life and so surrounded by tourists that you don't get a chance to really enjoy it. Worth a stop though because there were so many cool gardens and other statues on our walk there, AND a really cool little church that I was obsessed with (aka took fifty photos of). 
• It was getting closer to sunset and was feeding time, so we came back along the canal to head for dinner. Turns out the Royal Run was taking place: a race being run to celebrate the birthday of the Crown Prince, who is apparently an avid runner. At some point, we had missed the royals running (damn it, royal watch fail!) but found ourselves in and out of the course area for the rest of the night. (Because of COURSE there'd be a race wherever we go - the beau was bummed that he didn't know, else he'd have been running it!)
• Dodging the runners, we passed by the Opera House and finally got to Nyhavn. If you've ever seen a postcard of Copenhagen, odds are you saw the Nyhavn. It's the iconic brightly painted houses and restaurants along the canal. Bicycles and merriment to be had by all. We had a restaurant in mind, but it ended up that they only serve Smørrebrød (open faced sandwiches that are a specialty of the region) at lunch. Since the beau really wanted to try them, we instead went to a lovely spot called Nyhavns Faergekro. Sitting outside, eating some delicious local cuisine, watching the runners from a distance, and enjoying a cold beverage after a long day of travelling and walking: it was heaven. 
• We stayed out til after sunset before getting back to the hotel, where we flooded the bathroom (thanks for the lack of shower doors, Europe!) and struggled to stay awake late enough to beat the jet lag. 

Knowing that a week later we'd be back in the city to enjoy more delicious food and sights, it made the introductory whirlwind pretty chill. If we really weren't able to catch something we wanted to see, we'd be able to try and squeeze it in on the way back. The weather was beautiful and it was the perfect jumping point for the entire trip. Because, the next day, we were off to our main destination... the Faroe Islands.

A danish in Denmark, naturally.