A beautifully-built rowing vessel based on a Viking design. 

 
When we head back out without our computers, we stop at this lighthouse built on an old fort right outside the port gate. The original fort, Stóri Skansi, was built in the 1600s and has been used by various forces. The zigzag passages through the ramparts keep the enemy fire from going right through the openings.

The view from the top is still somewhat hazy with fog.

These cannons, with their fancy elephant handles, date from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Local children play on one of the WWII guns left after the British occupied the Islands. (More on this later)

 
We learn a secret of these sod roof systems up here in the fort. The birch bark adds a touch of antique appearance by covering the edge of a modern, heavy-gage plastic roofing sheet specifically designed for sod roofing.

We head across the harbor to the historical rocks called "Thing" (Pronounced Ting), which indicates a meeting place. 

 
The Vikings gathered here centuries ago. We don't know whether this carving of the compass points in the stone dates back to the Vikings, but we thought it might. Yellow lichens make their own designs on the rock.

 
Old metal loops and stairs carved into the stone indicate some of the historical uses.

 
Today, in keeping with the age-old tradition of this rock, the Faroe Islands Parliament meets here in a complex of traditional sod-roofed buildings.

The view from the "Thing" back into Tórshavn.

 
A wooden schooner with a dragon bowsprit decoration is dockside.

 
Just past the schooner, fish are filleted and sold right on the dock--fresh from the fishing fleet.

 
Check out this "Jaba-the-Hut" fish head! 
It's also in the photo above where you can see that it's as large as the fish guy's forearm.

We continue into town. This sculpture of a man looking out to sea and a raven being chased by a plover or some other shorebird is not far from the dock.

  
We catch our reflection across from the dock buildings.

We like that small parks or havens dot the town.

We are on our way to the odd church tower that we saw from the harbor. We thought this cemetery would be right next to it, but no. The church is farther up the hill.

 
It's a weird-looking church that faces away from the shoreline. From the front we could see the reason for its configuration.

We walk across the street from the church to visit with these pretty ponies.

We had a delightful conversation with Astrid. She's a language teacher and spent a semester abroad in Illinois when she was in high school. She explained that while the Faroe Islands had been a Denmark possession and used to fly the Denmark flag, they'd been occupied by the British in World War II. The British said they needed a way to differentiate the Denmark ship from the Faroe Island ships, so they created their own flag. She said her father's house was one of those occupied  by the British--they took over the whole basement and first floor. BTW, this monument is to commemorate the visit of Denmark's King Christian IX in 1874, the first visit of Danish royalty.

There are historic artifacts and sites around the monument and also sheep.

Views from the monument hill.

 
One more view from the hill shows a sod roof in need of some care. Then we head back down the hill. The numbers are woven into the gate designs.

We walk past a soccer field where a kid takes balls from his dad and kicks them into the goal. He's pretty good!

 
Sculptures on blocks: some right side up, others at 90 degrees off.

 
Back in town we were going to go inside the church we'd seen this morning, but a funeral is in progress.

We had no idea what these young people were doing running back and forth on the sodded roofs of these houses. They appeared to be tourists and maybe they thought it was fun, but it can't be good for the roofs.

A nice garden with potatoes and onions planted around the boulders.

We still are wearing layers, but the locals are not. Note the sea gull on the left side of the railing.

 
Tiles with sea-going themes are common.

This odd corner building has a stow-away growing in its wall.

From our vantage point on the "Thing," we watch various groups (men and women) rowing in the harbor.   Some rowers are still on shore.  The sea gulls eyed their left over food.

 
We talk with one of the Faroe Island politicians who had just come out of a daylong meeting. He said he was a minister. I asked if he was the prime minister and he laughed. "No." he said, "just a minister."  He and his wife were getting ready go out to dinner. They don't live close-by and so spend their time here wisely.  He had jeans in the car.

  
Afternoon reflections...

 
Dean finds the storage locker for the rowing boats.

As we sail away, the late afternoon light falls on another town across from Tórshavn and now we have a much better appreciation for the Faroe Islands, which we were hardly aware of before this trip.