We woke up a bit foggy as the ship’s fog horn blared all night.

We were supposed to dock in the capital, Torshavn, but heavy winds forced our ship captain to divert us to Runavik. Runavik is a small a town with barely 4,000 inhabitants, a little more than one-tenth of all the population of the Faroe Islands. We believe that our cruise ship is the first of its kind to dock here. I can imagine the mayor, Mr. Jacobson, upon hearing of this late change of plans, calling an emergency session of the town council to plan for our arrival. I can hear him dishing out edict after edict.

Edict 1: “Make sure we have people, many people, available to help the disoriented cruisers.”

“Which way to the town center,” I asked? In unison, they both pointer to the right.” Good training

Edict #2: “Make all the shuttles are free for the day! And, put a tour guide on each shuttle bus!”

We decided to take this free shuttle (with complimentary tour guide) into town instead of taxing ourselves with the 5 minute walk. Once we were on the shuttle, the doors firmly closed so we could not escape, our local tour guide described what would we see. He was so happy to have visitors to talk to. “Let me tell you the sights you will see.” He proceeded to rattle off a dozen stops that circumnavigated the entire island. Several of us on the shuttle started to panic. We wanted a quick lift into town, not an all day tour. We started to worry whether we would get back in time for our afternoon excursion.  I asked ever so timidly, quite afraid of what I may hear, “How long will this tour take, we have an excursion this afternoon?” “Oh, just 45 minutes.” Small town with not much to see.

Edict 3: “Send out the trolls!”

We got off at the first stop for a nice walk around a lake.  From what we could see through the heavy, dense fog, the walk should be nice. It was. Toward the end, we noticed Mr. Jorgenson’s trolls. He seems to be a mighty and powerful man.

Were these trolls planted or are they indigenous?

Edict 4: “Give them free internet!”

We walked back to the center of town for a quick stop at the visitor center. Like moths to a flame, most of the Seabourn cruisers were there, with their iPhones, checking their email. No bandwidth left for us. Thanks, Mr. J, but a high-speed line would help.

A bit frustrated with the weather (continued fog and rain) we got on the afternoon excursion that promised interesting stops, representing traditional sights of the Faroe islands. With so much fog, we doubted we would see anything. The bus drove out of Runavik, around a bend or two, then crested a small mountain to the most amazing sight of all. Sun! We were treated to three hours of beautiful weather.

A beautiful fishing town in the Faroe Islands.

One of the locals taking a break.

Traditional grass turf roof. No one lives there now.

The light on the house was nearly perfect considering it was mid-day.

These two horses posed for me!

If we hadn’t taken the excursion, we would have missed the Faroe Islands altogether. We finished back in Runavik where there was still heavy, dense, fog. I’m sure Ruanvik is a quaint and pretty town. We never saw it. Mr. Jorgenson should have given a fifth and final edict: “Give them great weather.” Like most politicians, the all-powerful Jorgenson failed us on this most important point.

Remember, it’s all about the light, outside of Runavik.