Close to our village sign, on private land, a wire fence with a view. Downwards, our gorge, accessible by small boats only, and in good weather, which means that the sea must be in a cheerful mood, calm and serene. Alternative: Jumping. That actually happened, but don’t try, unless you’re an extreme athlete – or stuntman – like the ones that did actually jump, doing fancy dives, downwards, utterly fearless, for some kind of crazy sports and cold water brand movie. As for ourselves, the ordinary mortals: We stand on our two feet, behind the wire fence; even notional. But what do we see?
Straightforward, slightly to the left, on the other side of the fjord, Funningur, one of the oldest settlements in the Faroes. Behind, the curvy mountain road that leads to Gjógv, the village that has been named after its gorge/cleft. Finally, all-round: vestiges of the past. Bygone times, geologic era. Giant masses of rocks, corrugated, pushed together, towering, tilted. Dusted with snow, on occasion. I once experienced closed snow covers in late April, coating streets and mountains. At this time of the year, the grassland wears tones of soft green, red and brown. Erratic boulders serve as seats. Spyglasses scan hillsides, zoomed-in houses and the surface of the water. A gentle breeze comes in, grass blades are set in motion. Soon, dusk will be approaching. The wire fence with a view remaining unmoved; in the front row.
See them jump! Above: YouTube screen shot. Extreme. Link to surfing and cliff diving, filmed in the Faroe Islands, Elduvík gorge location included. Want to watch? Click here: Video by Danish cold water brand Unridden