We started with breakfast in the Føroyar Hotel Gras, a meal rich in fresh salmon specialties, fresh eggs (from local producers) fresh cheese and plenty of taste.
We first inspected the Nordic House – a cultural center in the Faroe, able to welcome up to 600 people.
We met the Director, Mrs. Sif Gunarsdottir, who showed us what the Nordic House can do for congresses, meetings and events. She gave a lot of insights into the usual events that the house hosts. The Queen of Denmark, President of Iceland, prime ministers from Norway and no only, they´ve all attended events there.
One of the first rooms we saw was the Foyer, almost fully made of glass, and showing an amazing view over the city. It communicates with the welcome area and can possibly be a dream space for a gala dinner with a presentation. We then saw the main room, which was flooded by teenagers preparing for an acting show – this room is the largest.
There are also other rooms for smaller events, plus the Faroese dancing room. Faroese people like dancing and they like it in an intimate room. It might be indeed very interesting to dance and see yourself face to face to the Queen of Denmark, for example. We will provide more information about the international association events held here in a future article.
Then we met Sissal, who took us on an Insta trip through the Faroe. We mentioned the survey beforehand at dinner at the Barbara House and we knew what bird we were both. So, as part of the activity, as a raven, I was supposed to catch the imposing sceneries, while as a goldcrest, Franziska was supposed to focus more on capturing pictures with details. What was really fascinating was to go through the city center and see chicken walking around. Sissel also showed us one of the streets there that is named after her grandfather – Heinagota.
We strolled through the city park and saw the art museum and some very interesting sculptures.
William Heinesen is their most favourite artist, and he still brings inspiration to people through his lifelong work.
We stopped at Brell Cafe for a cup of really good coffee and then with fresh energy, we visited Gudrun & Gudrun.
Sold in places such as the trend-setting Isetan department store in Tokyo and carrying and amazing story, Gudrun & Gudrun is a Faroese knitwear label produced on the islands, from organic materials and using a sustainable workforce.
Walking towards the harbour, we attended the Faroe Islands Seafood Festival.
All sorts of Faroese seafood were served, together with beer and wine for everybody – free of charge! Entertainment for children, music, exhibitions, and many more!
This usually takes place in the first week of May each year now, so if you plan events here, know that this festival is definitely worth attending.
We then saw right in the center the Ostrom, a cool old factory redesigned into a big exhibition of traditional handmade products and space for meetings and congresses.
For example, besides being a football coach for kids, Sissal is also the owner and founder of Shisa Brand and you can here find her creations.
We went for sushi in the Etika restaurant, where we had amazing sushi and we highly recommend the scallops and the langustines.
Right across the street, the super central 3 star hotel Hafnia boasts on great novelties: 18 new rooms decorated in a scandiavian style, 3 new wooden cottages right across from the hotel, plus a fantastic panoramic sky room for meetings, with view of the harbor.
They also have got a whole new restaurant – Katrina Christiansen, set in the house where their famous artist Heinesen used to live. It is now completely renovated, containing many mixed vintage elements, which each bring a story out front. You should definitely check out the dolls on the 3rd floor. The restaurant looks like a great place for a party, as there is a lot of networking place, plus many separate small rooms.
We were set for an adventure know. Walking through the harbour, where people were all buzzing at the seafood festival, we were constantly amazed by the beautiful weather.
We met the people who took us on a RIB boat trip to the sea – and we were so lucky we could see dolphins and seals here.
The guide told us that during team buildings, 10 percent of the people don’t do it. And it is ok. These were all possibilities for incentives that are incredibly cool exactly because they are clearly out of one’s normal comfort zone.
We continued with no pause to Kirkjubøur, the islands most significant historical place. In medieval times, this small village was the cultural and episcopal centre of the Faroe Islands. Today, it effectively consists of three main elements; firstly, the 900 year-old farmhouse/museum Roykstovan, which is thought to be the oldest wooden house still in use today; secondly, the present Parish church, Ólavskirkja, built in 1111 and used as the main church in the Faroe Islands for centuries; and thirdly, the medieval Magnus Cathedral, built in the 1300s and a place that looks very interesting for a group brunch.
Very close to this place were Anna and Óli, a couple who is renown for providing one of the greatest experiences, blending storytelling with food sharing and an incredible view.
Heimablídni, or “home hospitality” is a concept which they invented, where they serve a 5-course meal that focuses on traditional recipes from their family, that are produced with Faroese ingredients produced from their farm. Anna and Óli are basically educating people about the Faroe Islands and giving their guest a special taste of the place.
It was even more interesting because a farmers couple who booked the experience from their website and came from the UK was also present. It was amazing to have really great conversations and meet such amazing people. Farmer Tom and Lisa, his wife, for example, are the kind of people you would like to meet when you are in the U.K., maybe when they will consider to offer hospitality in the future, like Ana and Óli. We found out that farmers have twitter, and that Ana and Óli get their reviews and guests through Facebook. Because of their popularity, they were also featured in Conde Nest.
It all finished with everyone singing a sailor song, which sounded like a bonding song, that definitely made us realise that with great food and a glass of wine, the stories we share are what count as the best memories. Happiness is not real, unless it is shared – the Faroe are a place where you could understand this, together with your group.
Oh and a true highlight would be if you could rent a car and drive through the islands – back to the airport in the morning, we ware completely charmed by the road and at times, scared that we might be swept away by the scenery.
