Summer, sunshine and a sandy beach. I head for a deck chair under palm trees, order a fruit cocktail, throw my arms up in the air and hop joyfully into the water. Pardon me. I’m all mixed up. Must be a consequence of the adrenalin rush. Let’s start again from scratch: A day in November at Tjørnuvík beach. I climb over the obstacle course made out of rocks, deposit my rain jacket on the sandy soil, put my camera on top and start walking waterwards. Around my ankles, I feel the chilly part of a Kneipp cure. At knee-height, I hold my breath. Waist-deep: No thinking. Just constant walking. A handsome wave approaches. Time to hop in.
My brain starts to talk comic-tongue. Splash. Ahh! Brrr! Simultaneously, strange thoughts emerge: Thank you for the invitation, Tjørnuvík-fish. I’d really love to join your underwater knitting club. But I cannot stay in your territory longer since I am not certain whether I have turned off the coffee machine at home. Therefore, and honestly only for that reason, I have to get out of the water immediately – which turns out not to be that simple, because all of a sudden I am getting unexpected company.
A dog rushes into the water, bouncing like a rubber ball, his eyes widened in joy. Perhaps Mister Brown Fur thinks I also don’t mind the refreshing breeze and the striking chilliness. He is wrong. Nevertheless I don’t want to destroy his illusion. That’s why I keep playing with him, even though I should get out of my wet bathing things as quickly as possible.
It’s the overwhelming beauty of the environment that fully compensates for all my self-chosen suffering. Have you ever been at Tjørnuvík? It’s an amazing place. Charming village. On the horizon, two imposing sea stacks are in view, Risin and Kellingin, the giant and the hag. The legend relates that this couple was supposed to pull the remote Faroe Islands close to Iceland. As a matter of fact, the endeavor occurred to be more difficult than expected. As the sun rose, Risin and Kellingin, still trying to do their odd job, were petrified. Almost the same here! I have to get going. End of today’s experiment. Soon after, I am leaving Tjørnuvík with a big smile on my face.