TÝR in America

OK I am getting excited. Týr has come to America and they will be in Seattle this weekend. If you are not familiar with Týr they are a Faroese metal band. But it is more then your typical metal band, their music is what is called by many as viking metal. This is a mix of traditional Faroese folk music with the metal influence. The mixture produces a unique sound.

Here is a video of them.



So if you are in the Seattle area check them out.


They will be in the United States through the end of March. Check out their MySpace site for additional shows. I will let you know how the show went in a future blog.

Barack Obama and the Faroe Islands

This is just a quick update but I thought it was important as a Faroese American. Kaj Leo Johannesen the Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands had sent a congratulations to President Omama on his victory. And low and behold he responded back.

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONGRATULATIONS ON MY ELECTION AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. YOUR THOUGHTFUL MESSAGE IS MUCH APPRECIATED.

I AM CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER IN A SPIRIT OF PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP TO BUILD A MORE SECURE WORLD DURING THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU IN THAT EFFORT AND IN PROMOTING GOOD RELATIONS BETWEEN OUR PEOPLES."

I know this isn't much but I think that for a country the size of the Faroe Islands, to be acknowledged by the President of the United States is something that all Faroese people should be proud of.

Source: portal.fo

Saltfisk

So you are probably wondering what this image is. I thought the same thing. This happens to be a mountain of SALT. I found this tidbit of information about salt and the Faroe Islands on the website Ibiza Spotlight. It seems that the island of Ibiza, Spain produces an average of 37,000 tons of salt annually. Of that 37,000 the Faroe Islands uses 20,000 tons to salt the fish they catch.


Now that is a lot of salted fish. One of the foods that I remember from my trips to the Faroe Islands is just that, Saltfisk. It is a very popular dinner choose in the Faroe Islands. I know there has to be many ways of fixing saltfisk but the way I remember and enjoyed the most is made somewhat like a stew. I am not a cook so please don't ask but basically everything is put into a pot. The saltfisk and potatoes are put into the same pot with a white cream gravy and let to cook until it is ready to eat. And after a day of fishing on the ship there is nothing better to fill that empty spot in your stomach. If you get a chance make sure you try some.



Here is a recent picture Nólsoy and the snow they have received this last week. What a beautiful image of the mountain and the village. I wish was there. I have never been to the Faroe Islands in the winter that I am able to remember anyway.

Panoramic View of the Faroe Islands

view Panoramic photography of Europe

I found this website that has panoramic images of Tórshavn. The one I posted here is one that has Nólsoy in the background. This is some cool technology and makes you feel that you are truly there.

Here is the link to other 360 Cities in Faroe Islands.

Faroe Islands on Facebook

Well it is sometimes hard to find news on the Faroe Islands but one area that I use and that I would suggest to anyone that is interested in the Faroe Islands is Facebook. For me it is a way to keep in touch with family and friends in the Faroe Islands but for others it is a way to make new connections with people from the Faroe Islands.

There are many groups about the Faroe Islands and many that are in English for those of us that can't read Faroese. A couple of the English groups I would recommend are Føroyar and Faroe Islands.

Føroyar is described as group for those with connection with the Faroe Islands. It has a lot of links and information about the Faroe Islands. And with all of the groups there is discussions and what Facebook calls "Wall" postings. There is also the oppertunity for you to make your own connections with friends in the Faroe Islands through the members list.

Faroe Islands is described as group for anyone interested in the Faroe Islands. This group is basicly all in English and as I explanded above you have many ways of making connections with people in the Faroe Islands.

One of the new groups is Faroe Enthusiasts and Ambassadors which is group set to promote the Faroe Islands to the world. If you are interested in partisapating in promoting the Faroe Islands to those who are unaware of this beautiful country this is the place to be.

So for all you that are looking to become closer to the Faroe Islands the use of Facebook is one of the best ways.

And on a final note for Facebook there is a group called Faroese In America. It is a small group but is for those of us that are Faroese or part Faroese to make connection. Currently there is only 7 members and three of those are myself and my brother and sister. So if there is any of you Faroese that living in the USA please join and lets become friends.

Another Image of Nølsoy

Hopefully all the links to Facebook works. I am not sure how the links works if you don't have a Facebook account.

The Faroe Islands Podcast

OK this may seem like a cop out for not writing but I have to again promote another blog for everyone who is interested in the Faroe Islands. The first podcast from "The Faroe Islands Podcast" is uploaded for your listening pleasure. This project has been put together by the two bloggers I promoted last week. This world of blogging is amazing how people from around the world can become friends. Both Workman and Faroeman have become good friends through their blogs and this project has blossomed from that friendship. I am proud to call them both friends and hopefully one of these days we can all meet outside of this cyberworld.

Now about the podcast, they hope to have weekly broadcast that will cover news, culture, politics and music. This first podcast covers the economy, music and a little history of the Faroe Islands. The podcast is in English for those of us that have a difficult time understanding Faroese. Hopefully this weekly podcast will give everyone more information about this beautiful place in the world.

OK I thought I should post some more images. These are a couple that my brother took on his trip this last summer.



These images are of the ruins of the first settlement on Nolsoy where my family first came a thousand years ago. You can see in the background where the current village is now.

Blogs to Visit

I thought I would give you a couple blogs to follow about the Faroe Islands. I have been reading these for awhile now.

Workman is the one I would like to promote the most today. He has an article in the Mail Tribune from Medford OR today about him. He has been a constant promoter of the Faroe Islands with his Faroe Friday post. Every week he has an article of the Faroe Islands with images and news about the islands. He is always trying to promote the Faroe Islands and make more us aware of these islands.

Faroe Man was one of the first blogs I found with any news on the Faroe Islands that was written in English. He does a great job of updating the world on his blog Everything About The Faroe Islands about the things that are going on with the Faroe Islands.

The last one today is Jenny. She is like me, half Faroese. On her blog she traces her journey of discovering her family back to the Faroe Islands. On her blog Jenny's Year Abroad she lets us know of her journey and all the things that she has discovered. In all of this process she has written a book about this journey. Currently it is only written Faroese but hopefully one day it will be in English.

So hopefully these are few places you can find out a little more about the Faroe Islands.

A New Year and a New Start

Well I haven't been very good at keeping this blog up to date but it is a new year and hopefully I can do a better job in 2009. For now I will give post a new picture and I will be back with more information and news about the Faroe Islands.

This is the church I was baptized in.