After finally settling into our hostel late at night and having a pleasant nights’ rest despite the still significant light level for 62 degrees of latitude in July, the next morning we awoke and start out exploring the greater Tórshavn area in earnest. We soon found ourselves downtown, exploring the particularly nice harbor area, and, once businesses started opening for the morning, checking out one place located right on the waterfront: Kaffihúsið. (As an aside, I’ll mention that, once you start to learn the translations for various names, you learn that the Faroese seem to like rather simple names for places and businesses. Kaffihúsið means… “Coffee House”).
Much in the way that my various meals in lodging in Iceland showed that Iceland has a strong Nordic influence when it comes to food, the Faroes are similar in this respect, with perhaps just a bit more Danish influence (they are part of the Kingdom of Denmark, if not actually the country). And fewer items show this better than the typical Faroese breakfast we saw at many establishments: a selection of bread (mostly rye) with a selection of cheese and meat cold cuts. And you know what? I rather enjoyed it as a nice change of pace. Faroese rye bread is nice and hearty, without too much of a bold rye note, and not much sweetness. Most of the meats and cheeses are Danish in origin, which mostly makes for some mild ham and a selection of salami with some unusual-to-my-American-background additions, like asparagus or potato.
But, overall, enjoyable nonetheless. Add in a bold cup of coffee, and this made for a pleasant breakfast overlooking the harbor while planning out our day.
