Europe

[Visited: October 2021]

Normally, must-see places cause some allergic reaction in me. I much prefer to discover unknown places, and not share them with a big crowd. At the same time, these places are often musts for a reason. My host urges me not to skip Gjógv, and tries to explain how to pronounce the name which for the non-initiated, sounds very different from the way it is written. The name means "gorge", which refers to the 200 metre long gorge for which the village is famous. On my way to Gjógv, I pass Funningsfjord, and make brief stops at Elduvik and Funningur. Both have attractive, colourful houses, and obviously lie directly on the seashore. After Funningur, the road goes up. I have seen it cut out of the mountain from a distance, and now that I drive it, it is hard not to stop every ten metres to enjoy the view and take pictures. If I would, I would never arrive in Gjógv. But the views of the fjord, the mountains rising out of it, and the clouds swirling around them is just begging for another stop every few minutes.
After reaching the top of the mountain pass, I enter a wide valley through which a river runs, flanked by mountains, and on which the sun casts a particularly warm light. When I reach Gjógv, I see it is a tourist destination: it has several car parks on the outskirts. I walk through the town, and see another parking with buses. I wait for a group to leave, and then have the gorge after which the village is named for myself. I go to Mary's Bench, named after Crown Princess Mary who was the first to sit on the bench on her visit in 2005. Below me, I see waves rushing through the gorge. A little later, I walk down the steep slope to the seashore. Rails have been laid into the pavement: the only railway of the Faroe Islands, hauling up cargo, and occasionally people, up the hill.
Instead of seeing more of the village, I decide to climb up the steep trail that runs along the edge of the cliffs. I quickly gain altitude, and with almost every step, the views get better. I push on, climb fences, walk past sheep, until I reach the very end of the trail at an abrupt drop-off. Far below me, I see and hear waves crashing wildly against the solid rock cliffs. A little further north, I am delighted to see a waterfall tumble off the cliffs straight into the sea below. I realise I have seen this waterfall two days before, from the northernmost point of Kalsoy. Even though the wind is trying to push me straight down the cliffs, I stay for a while to enjoy feeling the force of nature, listening to the birds that are flying close to where I stand. I decide to leave only when my body is frozen. The sun is out when I reach Gjógv again and I now see how beautiful it really is with its traditional red and white wooden houses.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Gjógv (Faroe Islands). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Gjógv.
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Gjógv > Faroe Islands > Europe

[Visited: October 2021]

Around the World in 80 Clicks

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