Chronicles of a Wandering Music Fan
Hailing from Seattle, finding a good coffee shop is pretty high on my list of priorities when I travel. Not just for my much-needed caffeine fix, but also for the great comfort and workspace that comes from a really good coffee shop. Though quite a small city, Reykjavik is certainly not lacking in cosmopolitan comforts, and coffee is no exception. Though there are many great shops to choose from, these are my favorite coffee spots in Reykjavik. [Read more…]
To be entirely honest, the size and quality of the music scene in the Faroe Islands totally took me by surprise. At just under 20,000 people, Tórshavn is the world’s smallest capital. Despite the small population, there are dozens of bands and musical projects active in the Faroes, and at the center of it all is the prolific Tutl Records.
Tutl (Faroese for “whisper”) was founded by a Danish Jazz composer named Kristian Blak, and in the last 35+ years has put out hundreds of releases for 100 or so artists. The roster is mostly comprised of Faroese bands, but Tutl has released albums for bands from outside the Faroes as well: from Italy, Iceland, and Estonia, to name just a few. Their releases cover an impressive range of genres, from traditional Faroese ethnic music, to folk, metal, jazz, reggae, and many more. [Read more…]
via Bæjarins Beztu’s Facebook Page
When you think of the “national food of Iceland”, you may be thinking of cod, skyr, or lamb…but you’d be wrong. Turns out, the ultimate Icelandic food is the pylsa, or hot dog.
Icelanders really, REALLY love hot dogs.
…and for good reason! Pylsur are fantastic and super cheap, maybe even the cheapest cooked food you can buy in Iceland. A pylsa comes with ketchup, raw onions, crispy onions, a sweet Icelandic mustard, and a remulade. You can make them at home (ingredients are widely available at grocery stores in Iceland…you may even want to bring some back with you for when the pylsa craving takes over at home. It will.), and they’re available at a lot of different places, but the very best hot dogs come from the famous Bæjarins Beztu stands, the most popular of which is right by the harbor, and conveniently located next to several downtown bars for optimal drunk munching. [Read more…]
On my recent visit to Nólsoy, Faroe Islands, my favorite part of the day trip was the Prinsessutoftir, or “The Princess’s Ruin.” Just a 10-minute walk south of the village, the road runs right through these ruins, and they can be quite easy to miss if you’re not paying attention, but they are a must-see for any visitor to Nólsoy. [Read more…]
On my recent trip to the Faroe Islands, I spent a foggy Saturday afternoon wandering the beautiful island of Nólsoy. One of the easiest day trips from Tórshavn, Nólsoy is the closest neighboring island to the capital city. The ferry ride is only 30 minutes or so, and affords spectacular views of the capital and surrounding areas from the small boat. At only DKK 20 (about US $4) each way, it’s a great way to get out of the city and explore one of the Faroe Islands’ most picturesque villages. You can catch the ferry at the terminal in the harbor, and clear signage will point you to the right place. The schedule is available here. [Read more…]
So you’re planning your trip to the Faroe Islands, eagerly anticipating the spectacular, dramatic scenery and beautiful hikes through the hills. In this sparsely populated country of 50,000 or so people, it’s easy to get lost in all of your epic plans for exploring, forgetting to take time to consider your interactions with the lovely people living in the Faroes. If you’re a bit of a space case like me, you may have forgotten to learn some key Faroese phrases for your trip (oops!). [Read more…]
While getting ready for my first trip to Iceland in 2012, I started doing some casual online research, looking for things to do aside from the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival, which I was in town to attend. This is when I stumbled upon the Iceland-focused blog I Heart Reykjavik, which turned out to be a treasure trove of good information for travelers in Iceland. I’ve used her very-helpful posts to help plan parts of each of my trips to Iceland. When I found out that Auður (the woman behind IHR) was leading walking tours of the Reykjavík, I knew I had to check it out. [Read more…]
On my recent trip to Switzerland, I was taken to Yvoire, France, not far over the French border when coming from Geneva. Rather than drive to Yvoire, we took a short ferry ride across the lake from the picturesque little town of Nyon, Switzerland, which is about halfway between Geneva and Lausanne. The ferry ride was a short one, with spectacular views of France and Switzerland from Lake Geneva. [Read more…]
My trip to Basel was a short one–I was only in the city for a few hours–but I’m glad to say that I still I managed to see quite a lot. I first took a walk along the river, enjoying a view of the older part of the city from the opposite bank. The weather was beautiful, and plenty of people were riding their bikes, sitting on benches, and walking on the paths near the water. I then was happy to be able to see a special exhibition of work by James Ensor at Kunstmuseum Basel, the museum of modern art. I was glad to still have plenty of daylight to see the area around the spectacular Grossmünster, and to enjoy walking down the little alleyways and side streets. Basel is beautiful! [Read more…]
Seljalandsfoss, on Iceland’s south coast.
Iceland is one of Europe’s newly-very-popular tourist destinations. Between airfare deals from their biggest airline, a recent addition as an EasyJet destination, and huge festivals like Iceland Airwaves drawing in foreigners by the thousands, there’s been a steady increase in backpackers and budget travelers visiting this beautiful volcanic rock.
As I embark today on a 2-month trip to Iceland (my third visit in two years…I think I might be kind of addicted), I’m again thinking about ways i can keep to my budget and save money in this rather expensive country. Here are a few of the easiest ways to save some serious kronur, and make the most of your time in this amazing place. [Read more…]
I’m Katy, a Seattleite quitting my normal life to pursue my two greatest passions: travel and music. I’m documenting my general travel adventures, as well as great record stores, labels, festivals, and music I find around the world.