Each evening, after we'd survived the gantlet of damp sheep and slick roads and returned safely to Kollafjordur, it really did feel like coming home.
Our farmhouse hunkered snug and warm against its hill, and I loved falling asleep to the sound of wild winds buffeting the rose bushes outside my window. I even loved the rainiest days, when we stayed home to read or draw or play cards, cooked our own food, talked, laughed, pretending, in other words, that we lived here.
The blue house was part of why I liked the Faroes so much. Staying in a hotel or a guesthouse, of which there are many, wouldn't have been as good. It helped me understand how Elizabeth Taylor could spend so many years in these islands and not be bored. By week's end, I could have done the same.
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travel@latimes.com
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If you go
THE BEST WAY TO THE FAROE ISLANDS
From LAX: American, Air New Zealand, British, Continental, United and Virgin Atlantic fly nonstop to London, Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $741. Atlantic Airways, the Faroes' national airline, flies twice a week to the islands from London Stansted. (There are frequent bad-weather delays.) Round-trip fares begin at $2,157. Atlantic Air also runs helicopter flights within the Faroe Islands.
WHERE TO STAY
GreenGate Incoming, one of several all-purpose travel companies in the Faroes, lists houses and cottages for rent at www.greengate.fo/eng/om-greengate -incoming. Click on Accommodation, then Sommerhouses & apartments. GreenGate can also arrange car rentals.
WHERE TO EAT
Torshavn has the most dining choices, including Burger King in its small shopping center and $50-a-plate fine dining in its four-star hotels. Traditional Faroese foods, such as puffin and pilot whale meat, aren't on restaurant menus, though summer visitors can sample them at "Faroese Evenings," where traditional crafts and dancing are on display. Local tourist offices can make arrangements.6
TO LEARN MORE
For a Faroe Islands overview, the English-language site www.faroeislands.com is a good place to start. The Faroes are divided into districts, each with its own tourism office that can provide specifics on special events and activities.
