Torshavn, Faroe Islands

 Last night was another rough one, but it finally calmed down and we arrived here in Torshavn to almost no visibility due to the fog.  Here's a view from the Bridge:

The Faroe Islands are independent in that they have their own government, but they are still part of Denmark as far as international relations and military defense are concerned.  Our tour "Torshavn - The Capital" didn't leave until 1:30 so we had hopes the fog would clear up by then, but that was not to be.  Again, our tour guide was a teacher, this time teaching French and German at the local high school.  He said that our first stop was supposed to be a sightseeing spot, but because that would not be very productive, instead he was going to take us to his school since he has the keys.  It's a new school, just finished in 2018, and is unlike any high school I've seen.  It's for students 16-19 and has classes in auto repair, carpentry, and science along with the usual languages, arts, math, etc.

Our guide, Napolean

View from the 4th floor.  Note the living olive tree.

The central area is so open.  Most of the classroom walls are clear glass.

The auto repair "classroom"

A Lego model of the school.

A building done by the carpentry class

From the ground floor

We walked around the old part of town for a bit.  Loved the houses with the sod roofs.

The government buildings downtown

Typical sod roof.  Sometimes they mow them; sometimes the sheep jump up to eat them; but mostly they just let them grow.

Such a foggy day

I joined the trivia team a bit late due to the tour, but was still able to contribute and we came in 3rd - the best showing for this team.  The shattered window in the restaurant has been replaced and now they are just doing the finishing touches like drying the nearby carpet and bracing the window until everything sets.

Tonight was a special dinner for those of us doing the whole Grand Arctic voyage.  We sat with Arlene and Mark (Texas) and Karen and David (England).  Karen sort of dominated the conversation, but it was still a fun evening and a nice thing for Regent to do.  Karen came down with Covid a few days after we sailed.  Since we were in Canadian waters by then, she had to quarantine for the Canadian required 10 days.  David said he'd quarantine with her, so they didn't have to move cabins.  And then 2 days later he tested positive.  Both of them were only very mildly sick.  We've heard of several cases on board, which I guess is inevitable.  I think we're back into the land of 5 days of quarantine now, unless something changes.  It depends on the rules of the waters you're in.  Not sure how that works in international waters.

Then we went to the comedy sbow of Billy Boyle, an Irish comedian who seemed a bit past his prime, but cute enough.  Surprisingly, he did a fair imitation of Elvis for a couple of songs.