Snowcapped mountains, winding road, ice-blue water. Eiðisvatn and surroundings. The usual setting, according to Faroese standards? Absolutely not. Encircling the out of the ordinary pieces of a picture looked upon as puzzle. Solving of the case, step-by-step. Image foreground: Hairpin bend. Background: Northern Streymoy and the waters of Eiðisflógvin. Finally, in the middle of the picture: Lake Eiðisvatn, bordered by a straight dark line.
Lake, straight line? Out of the ordinary tracked down: Eiðisvatn is part of the hydro-electric power system Eiðisverkið. Two walls have been built beside the lake. Height to the west 22 meters, to the south 13 meters. Material: Rocks, sealed with asphalt. Both walls have increased Eiðisvatn’s water level from 129.5 to 149.5 meters above sea level.
Now, anything else out there? Spotted down by the Eiðisflógvin waters (flógvi equivalent to gulf, mouth of a fjord or inlet): Some houses representing Eiði, a large village (645 inhabitants) located on the northwestern tip of Eysturoy. Close by, but not in the picture (just like the greater part of the village): Slættaratindur, the highest mountain in the Faroe Islands (880 meters), the more than 340-meter promontory Eiðiskollur, and the sandy beach of Tjørnuvík, skillfully hiding between those snowcapped mountains.
The Eiðisvatn “Picture Puzzle”. Disclosed, except for one thing. The fantastic over-all-frosting. Looks that way, doesn’t it? Powdered road, grass and mountain tops. As if some sparkling wit had gone wild – by artfully sprinkling confectioner’s sugar all over the place. Snow White. Pâtissier. Weather god. Whosever idea it was: you’re a genius.
Further information on the hydro-electric power system Eiðisverkið: SEV’s Eiði plant