We have visited Torshavn before and we were looking forward to this return. In the past we were at anchor and had to tender in to the city. Today we docked and took a shuttle in. This was a very short ride and was only necessary because the port was a busy working port and safety dictated that we be driven out of it. It was a short ride to the stop in town. Then it was a longer walk than we remembered to get to the tourist information center. This had been relocated since we were here last.
The ship’s material had referenced a large park in the city with glowing terms. We wanted to check it out. After asking directions at the tourist office we set out to find it. After a long walk through different neighborhoods and past a small shopping mall, we finally found an entrance to the park. It was very near the soccer stadium and was at the park’s farthest point from city center. That was OK. We were just happy to be in the park.
Soon we were not so sure we should be happy. This park was heavily wooded with gravel trails. There were no trail markers or route signs. Fortunately Google Maps located us and put us on the map. We used this to make our way through a maze of trails until we were able to exit to a road. The park although rustic did have a few areas of statuary and flowers. But, we did not encounter any play areas or workout zones. It was only nature trails. That is OK, but we were hoping for more.
Now on the road we made our way toward the harbor. The neighborhoods we passed through were nice but they were not interesting. We did not meet any people until we neared the harbor and encountered other tourists. We worked our way along the waterfront and found a stairway up to the old town. Here are the oldest buildings in the city. They are well maintained and occupied by local residents. We guessed that this was a high rent district.
Not sure what the mess in the pit next to the street is.
It is very hilly with steep access to homes in many places
Backyard Relaxation
In a small neighborhood park
Wall art
We made our way through the old town and down to the shuttle stop. After a quick ride we were back on pursuit. Our walk had covered 2.5 miles of ups and downs and round and round in three hours. It was not sunny, but it did not rain on us.
Our impressions are that Torshavn has changed a lot in the 8 years since our last visit. Then we were excited by the experience. Now we were disappointed. The streets were very quiet. There were few open shops. This conveyed a feeling of depression where we last experienced gaiety. We wonder if we were seeing the impact of Covid.
This was a gloomy and just OK day.
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