Day 0 - What Day Is It?

We got up bright and early on Sunday to head to the Dupont Circle farmer's market for pastries, and by the end of dinner, it was past 9PM on Monday. 

Our First View of the Faroe Islands

We're in the Faroe Islands, finally taking the trip we were supposed to do in 2020, but something came up. 

We got here the shorter way, via Iceland, but it was still a long day. I did get a bit of a nap on the first flight, which is likely the only reason I was even up for dinner. Here are some photos from the first bit of driving:

 For this first bit, we're staying in Torshavn, the capitol city, with an apartment overlooking the harbor. Once we figured out check in, found the correct parking, pulled in our luggage, and stopped in a local cafe for a small snack, it was close to the end of the day for most of the retail. Bill scanned the recommendations listed in the apartment's extensive directory and found a restaurant for dinner. We then walked around a bit to get oriented and hit a grocery store. And then I asked how far a walk it was to the lighthouse we could see. 

 The lighthouse turned out to be reasonably close and walkable. It's part of an old fort that has been around for at least 400 years, with the newest armaments dating back to WWII. In addition to being fun to walk around, it also provided a great view back into the Torshavn harbor. 

 Next up: Dinner at Áarstova. I got salmon tartar with crisp toasted nuts, tons of herbs, and sesame oil: Roasted lamb shoulder with a crisp skin and a wonderful sauce: A shared cheese course: And a lovely lemon mouse.  Bill's rhubarb dessert was one of the best rhubarb dishes I have ever had. I paired my dessert with an 8 year old Kilchoman - when we visited, the distillery hadn't been open long enough to have anything legally considered Scotch. After dinner, the waiter took us on a tour of the house, including the room they serve visiting VIPs in, and the wine attic (killer staircase). He also showed us that the street just outside had a river underneath when the house was built. 

 All in all, a great start to the trip. Can recommend: lounge access at Dulles - far more civilized than any other way to wait for a flight. Cannot recommend: wandering between parking lots while dragging luggage to discover you walked up a completely unnecessary hill.

Away We go (Day 0)

We were fortunate enough to be able to upgrade our flights to the Faroe Islands as "Saga class" on Iceland Airlines. This seems to be the equivalent of first/business class. The vacation is off to a fortuitous upon checking at Dulles  in that we learn Sage class gets us access to the Air France lounge while wait for our first flight. The lounge is sleepy when we enter and we have no trouble snagging some nice lounge chairs, then the next order of business is checking out the food and drink offerings. The hands-down favorite is a multi-bean and olive salad. The charcuterie is also welcomed, and being Air France's lounge, the wines are all French. Not a bad way to start a vacation. 

The flight between Dulles and Reykjavik is about five and half hours. Our seats our comfortable, but don't really recline. I manage to get a small catnap in, but continue to struggle to sleep on planes. 

When we arrive in Reykjavik we our offered a small surprise. Our plane is parked in the center of the tarmac and not connected to the main terminal. Thus, we get to deplane down the stairs and walk over to a transport vehicle for a ride to the terminal. Also, it's in the 30's outside. Surprise! 

Our layover in Reykjavik is around 4 hours. On this side of the flight we get access to the Saga Lounge to while away our time. There are multiple automated coffee stations located around the lounge which aligns with my priority of getting a hot cup of coffee. 

It's now six in the morning and they have a breakfast buffet on offer. After breakfast is taken care of, we turn our attention to the selection of Icelandic spirits the lounge has to offer. Not trying the gins with locally harvested botanicals or their brennivin seems rude, so we oblige the lounge and support the local producers. 

After an hour and a half flight on a dual turbo prop plane we land in the Faroe Islands.  First impressions, the airport is so much larger than the Lofoten airport. That's probably not surprising since this single airport services an entire country and the Lofoten airport serviced a couple of islands. Second impression, this next part is going to be tricky. I need to drive about 40 minutes to Torshavn. I need to learn the nuances of Faroese driving real time, and I have slept maybe 2 hours in the last day.  Also I need to not get distracted by the amazing scenery and focus on the driving. It is a tall order. 

On this initial drive I'm a bit fuzzy on the speed limit when you're not in a town. They don't bother to post speed limits when they aren't restricted. We eventually make it to the apartment we're renting for the week. We have some initial obstacles to accessing the apartment that Dawn irons out... and the place is as advertised. Hurrah. 

We are exhausted. First order of business is getting down some food so she doesn't have to go homicidal. After we stop by a cafe and get a sandwich and some coffee, we walk around the town... and it is CHARMING. 

Based on the recommendation for local restaurants included with the place we're renting we make reservations for dinner at a place called Aarstova.  Dinner is amazing. I approve of a wine pairing that includes a cocktail, wine for each course, and a nightcap. Why aren't more restaurants using this protocol? It just seems civilized. 

Every course is well considered and very tasty. At the end of dinner we get a tour of the entire building. There are so many little private dining rooms hidden in the house that has been here for hundreds of years! There is a dining room for VIPS where the table is a repurposed boat that is more than 100 years old. There is another dining room that used to be a bed room. Basically, every time you think you've seen it all, there is another door off to the side, with a set of even more treacherous stairs leading to another private dining room. How many levels does this building have!?! 

Back at the apartment we are well feed and we are tired.  Our first day in the Faroes promises a very good vacation.

One Last Day

As mentioned before, I made some last minute changes to my accommodations. I had made no plans for most of the day today since I didn’t know how much time I’d lose to hotel/train shenanigans that are now irrelevant. This turns out to be a good thing, since the morning and early afternoon are nice (but hot) weather, and there is an 80% of storms from 3-6.

I research the Mithraeum mentioned yesterday, and while it was free 25 years ago when that guy went, it’s now only accessible as part of a private tour – the version I can find is north of 200 euros. Instead, I head to Basilica di San Clemente where I can walk through at my own pace for 10 euros. And it’s cool in every sense of the word. The temperature is several degrees lower. No pictures again, all my favorite things are in no photo zones.

The alter is blocked off by a gate as people couldn’t stop touching it. The guidebook says Mithraism competed with Christianity, which is interesting phrasing. This implies a sporting event where both teams played by the same rules and one came out ahead. In reality, Christianity overtook those in power, and it became illegal to play for the other team. So, same play book we still see today.

Next up, I take myself on a walking tour to a few other sites, including the truth mouth from Roman Holiday.

The Pantheon is also open today, so that’s another quick stop.

I also find a street artist who paints over cardboard, leaving parts of the original packaging still visible, and find a piece I quite like, though it’s slightly larger than practical. We’ll see if it survives the flight back.

After a little more shopping, I stop for lunch at a random place that does a fantastic carpaccio and has a waiter who flirts with every lady.

I wander around a bit more, but eventually head back to the hotel ahead of the rain. I consider fitting in one more museum, but rather than feeling rushed, I take some time to repack my luggage, and take a few cold drinks up to the rooftop terrace to watch the storm roll in and catch up on writing this blog. It never actually rains, though the temperature plummets. I grab some fast food (https://www.lapiadineria.com/) in the form of a salmon wrap and a nutella wrap for dinner and return to the rooftop for a quiet evening.

And then it’s time for the last item on the itinerary, a night tour of the Colosseum. The starting point of the tour is a little hard to find, but we all manage to make it eventually. We start by walking around a portion of the forum while getting a history lesson, first about everything the modern world has stolen from ancient Rome, but also how everything in Rome was stolen from the cultures they conquered. It’s a pretty cool tour.

At last, we arrive for the 10:30 entry into the Colosseum. We are the last group to go through.

A great tour of the underground area, we get to see where and how props, people, and animals were raised to the stage before heading up to the arena proper. A great way to end the trip, and I'm off to get a few hours of sleep before heading to the airport.

That Time I Went to a Brothel

I get up a little early today to walk 30 minutes to Piazza del Popolo to catch a 7AM tour.

We are headed to Pompeii and the Vesuvius, at least that is the original plan. There's an accident bad enough to back up traffic causing expected delays of close to 2 hours. So we hit the volcano first. That's right, I'm climbing a volcano at noon. Seriously. Again I am glad I did the bare minimum of endurance training leading up to this trip. At least for the first third of the climb, which is the steepest part. Once I get high enough up, there is a breeze and it's actually a pleasant climb. At noon.

There are a few snack/souvenir stands along the way, but no bathrooms. Shade is shade, though, and who doesn't want to slam a Fanta after that climb?

The way back down is actually a little harder since now when you slide, your momentum is in the same direction. It's not bad, though. Second easiest volcano I've ever climbed.

At last we are headed to Pompeii, and I think this may have been the better way to do this trip. The heat is insane, and it's cooler now than it would have been if we'd kept our original itinerary. Before hitting the site, we have lunch at a pizza place. I ask the random group of strangers for recommendations for tomorrow since I have free time. One guy suggests the Mithraeum at Circus Maximus, which sounds like fun. Research for later, when I have better connectivity.

We at last head into the city with a tour guide, and it is eerie how modern the layout feels. You do not need to close your eyes to feel like you’ve been here before. The crosswalks are raised, but still look like crosswalks. The short pillars blocking traffic from public squares are the same as what we’d use today. The little and frequent food shops.

Really, the biggest difference is all the penises on walls and roads weren’t graffiti.

Well, that and the brothel, which is super crowded. The guide assures us many times that none of this is vulgar because the denizens weren’t Christian. I’m down with never again being considered vulgar.

Also, if I test positive for COVID in the next week, I'm definitly claiming I got it at the brothel. After the tour, we head back to Rome, where our route back to the starting point is inexplicably closed. The alternate point is the train station, so I have a much faster walk back to my hotel, but not before stopping for a mistaken negroni (prosecco instead of gin) with dinner.