- In this episode of Fly Brother, we set off on an epic saga all our own in the mystical Faroe Islands.

We start off a little sheepish with my good friends, Eva and Jogvan Jon, on tiny Dímun.

Then, we trip the light fantastic in good old Tórshavn with magic maker, Búi Rouch.

Finally, Master Chef, Sebastián Jiménez, serves up the full flavor of the island, plus locations, locations, locations.

It's verdant mountains majesty in Faroe.

Let's get fly.

(soaring noise) (upbeat music) I'm Ernest White II, storyteller, explorer.

Don't try this at home.

I believe in connecting across backgrounds and boundaries.

(upbeat music) Join me and my friends.

Just like home.

(upbeat music) And discover that no matter the background, no matter the history, the whole world is our tribe.

(upbeat music) This is fun!

Come with me.

See how my friends do.

Fly Brother.

- [Narrator] Major funding for this program is provided by: (inquisitive music) (exciting classical music) (upbeat music) - Geography is destiny in the Faroe Islands where waves and volcanoes carved a magical remote landscape not far from the Arctic Circle.

The only ways to get here are by air or by sea, and there's a saying that Faroe Islanders are born with oars in their hands because no place is further than three miles from the coast.

Tradition isn't too far away either.

The national language, Faroese, is rooted in Old Norse and lots of homes still have grass roofs for insulation.

I'm ready to check out the best of old and new worlds here, starting with a trip to meet some four-legged locals on their own turf, literally.

It's tough for most plants and animals to thrive in the Faroe Islands, but this is a great place to be a sheep.

The Faroese breed traces its roots back to animals who came with the Vikings, and there are still more sheep than people here.

Eva and Jogvan Jon tend a flock on their sprawling farm on Stóra Dímun, a tiny island they have almost all to themselves.

(upbeat music) Eva and Jogvan Jon are the eighth generation of her family to farm here.

That's a lot of generations.

This is an epic experience for me.

I've been to a lot of places, but I've never been this close to a cliff-side StairMaster.

(laughter) So how long have you both lived here together?

- Here?

- We have been here for 20 years.

- Mmm.

- Living on an island off of the other islands, it is isolated, and you two are here permanently.

Your kids are off in town and doing their thing.

Is it boring?

- We don't think so.

- Uh huh.

- We have a lot of things to do daily and we like to have lots of things to do.

Of course, our main income is from the sheep, and that is, during the whole year, there are different things to do with the sheeps.

- [Ernest] Mm-hmm.

- We also grow vegetables and we have a small brewery, a bit of tourism from visitors- - Cattles.

- Cattles.

- So a lot of self-sufficiency here.

- Yeah, yeah.

That's very important for us, but definitely also, nowadays, it's a quality for us to be self-sufficient.

- Mmm, mm-hmm.

- Yeah.

So we have enough to do every day.

First, we are doing the mornings, take a walk with the dogs and milking the cow and look for the animals.

- Is it possible to come here and let's say volunteer for a week or two on the island and help out here on the farm?

- We had some, also mostly Faroese people, for example, now for two weeks, we have had two girls in the school practice.

Our helpers, they're, we don't want them to come here because they feel that they have to, they come because they want to take part of this, and that's also how we do it.

What we do, our work is very dependent on at first where we are during the year, but also on the weather.

- Yes.

- The weather decides what to do.

- Mm-hmm.

- And now, in September, we are starting the season where we are slaughtering the lambs.

- Okay.

(laughs) - We are just- - It's like a house.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

(Ernest laughing) Very excited what'll work with the sheeps.

We are taking up vegetables now, sending to the stores in Tórshavn.

- Okay.

- On the mainland.

- What do you love about living here?

- I think that one of the best things of living here is that you have, you are allowed to use your day and time what you want to do.

- Mm-hmm.

- And you are not getting interrupted, so- - You can focus on the task at hand.

- Mmm, yeah.

- It's very meditative.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So for example, today, it's nice weather to go and gather our flock.

(upbeat music) - Do I have poop on my pants?

(Eva whistling) (sheep baaing) - At their busiest time of year, help always comes in handy.

(upbeat music) (camera shuttering) In the North Atlantic Ocean between Norway and Iceland, there's a little piece of heaven, the 18 rocky volcanic Faroe Islands The Vikings named them for the sheep they found when they got here in the early 800s, and about a hundred years later, the Norsemen established their first governing council in what's now the capital city, Tórshavn.

Norway controlled the archipelago for centuries, but the islands became part of the kingdom of Denmark in 1816 after the Napoleonic Wars.

They were granted home rule in 1948 and Tórshavn is still home to one of the oldest parliaments in the world.

The sheep are still here too.

In fact, they outnumber the human population and they're a pillar of Faroese society from their meat to the wool and fashionable island knits.

(camera shuttering) (slow music) There's a gorgeous landscape around just about every corner here, and it's easy to see them by car.

I don't know which way to look.

Since the biggest islands in the Faroes are connected by gently winding roads and miles of dramatic tunnels.

A network of underwater tunnels connects key points on the Faroe Islands, and they're not just transportation, they're a tourist attraction.

Local artist, Tróndur Patursson, created an illuminated steel installation in the middle of what's called the world's only sub-sea roundabout.

And as you drive through, you can listen to a soundscape created by Faroese musician, Jens L Thompson, who wanted to find the tunnel's voice.

(upbeat music) People have been admiring these views of sea, skies, and mountains for centuries, and there's been a church here since the late 1300s.

(upbeat music) This one was built in 1892 by men who carried stones uphill from the coast.

Now that's devotion.

(upbeat music) In a country studded with epic viewpoints, one of the most spectacular is in the northernmost settlement of Vipareipi.

I'm probably mispronouncing that, but you can find it.

(upbeat music) (slow music) The cultural scene here offers art galleries, a saga museum, and a state-supported record label, along with a public theater company that promises big experiences on the smallest national stage in the world.

(upbeat music) Búi Rouch is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher who was born in the Faroe Islands and performs around the world.

His work explores the connections between movement, sound, and text, creating sagas for a new generation.

(upbeat music) Now Búi, growing up here in the Faroe Islands, how do you think that has impacted your work as a performance maker?

- Well, I think what propelled me into entering performing arts was like the love of being in spaces that are, that have heightened attention.

- Mm-hmm.

- You can heighten certain theme, you can unveil topics or bring forward topics that we maybe don't discuss so much in everyday life.

- Sure.

- So it can be a catalyst for political or social change.

It can be a place where you deconstruct norms.

And I always found the Faroe Islands very... they were quite conservative, I would say- - Okay.

- Two decades ago.

And to me, as a queer person, I always felt that I needed to create these spaces where you can revolt a bit, right?

- I think it's a shame that like being visible and claiming a space is even considered radical when it's kind of a human birthright to just be.

- Right.

- And thank you for like being in that kind of position where you're like, I am choosing to be who I am.

- Mmm.

- No matter how radical that seems, or- - Yes.

- What consequences may come from fully embodying who you are.

- I have to say though that the Faroes have changed a lot in the past two decades when it comes to LGBTQ rights and so on.

But there are still definitely pockets of conservative mindsets in the Faroes, which makes it challenging for queer people to grow up in certain places, but not in Tórshavn, but now I would say it has changed at an astonishing pace, I would say.

(slow music) - Having lived in major cities in Europe, you've come back here a couple years ago, how have you found it re-engaging with your homeland?

- Actually quite interesting.

In terms of the profession of performance making, I have rediscovered a lot of themes that are from Faroese history actually that is really relevant to put on stage nowadays.

(slow music) This is one of the spots that I like to go to.

- Okay.

(laughter) It's pretty cool.

It's kind of wild out here.

- It is, isn't it?

- (laughs) Oh, birds.

- Yeah, seagulls.

- Yeah, and we got some clear sky up here.

- True, true.

- Look at that.

Mm-hmm.

(slow music) - This is an old industrial part of Tórshavn.

There used to be fish factories over there.

- Right, they're going to turn it into a luxury hotel.

- I hope not.

(Ernest laughing) - What do you love most about living here?

- Good question.

I love the fact that I, of course, can speak my own language.

(both speaking Faroese) (laughter) (both speaking Faroese) Faroese is a tiny language, and having been abroad, I've been speaking English, German, and Danish.

(both speaking Faroese) A thousand thanks.

- A thousand thanks?

Oh, that's a lot of thanks.

- It is.

I guess the other part is close relationships that you can cultivate with other people.

Also, I think the fact that you have empty spaces.

- Okay.

- Where you can wind down, empty your head, meditate.

Or the fact that, I mean, with the weather that you are constantly living next to a force, let's say the ocean or storms, that sometimes govern your life.

- I find it to be quite empowering to go out in that way.

- I do too.

- Yeah.

- I do too.

I try to cultivate the same, to go outside and to confront the wind or the rain.

- Yes.

- Or the cold.

- Either cower inside or you go out in it and you- - Exactly.

- Become a part of it.

- Yes, yes.

And it's that part which I find quite invigorating.

You want to count?

- Yes.

- Okay.

(both counting in Faroese) Yep, bravo.

- Hey!

(exploding sound) - Good job.

(upbeat music) - In less than an hour from the Capitol, you can discover storybook villages and natural wonders, from rugged peaks to tumbling waterfalls.

(upbeat music) A village of 13 people is home to one of the biggest attractions in the Faroe Islands, the Múlafossur Waterfall, a sheer drop of more than 100 feet from a rocky ledge into the North Atlantic.

(upbeat music) And there's always a chance to meet more of the locals.

(upbeat music) (slow music) You can't help but be awed by the powerful forces of water and weather that shape this place.

(upbeat music) But the forces that used to isolate the Faroe Islands also spark innovation and creativity in everything from art and food to transportation and sustainability.

Innovative chefs like Sebastián Jiménez are updating ancient traditions, like air drying and fermentation, to create world-class meals.

And I'm getting a taste of North Atlantic umami and Mexican flair at his restaurant, Rfst.

Hey!

- You better be ready.

- Listen, I am ready, man.

- Yeah.

- And yeah, this looks, it's beautiful.

- Thank you.

- It looks very aligned with the nature here.

- [Sebastián] Yeah.

- Lots of greens, lots of earth tones.

- [Sebastián] Yeah.

- Again, even though we're in the middle of the ocean- - [Sebastián] Yeah, totally.

- It's still got this very verdant kind of atmosphere.

- Yeah.

And like, yeah, as I said before, I think Faroe Island and the food culture, it's about the fermentation.

- Mm-hmm.

- So of course, all the ingredients, or most of the ingredients and the profile flavors, are very strong.

- Yes.

- So people who come here, they have to be very open-minded.

They don't know what they're going to have, which is, I think is nice.

And the idea and then the creative process of all the dishes is that at least we want to have one fermented ingredient in every single dish.

- [Ernest] So this is a map of the Faroe Islands on this plate.

- [Sebastián] That's correct, that's correct.

- But did the plate come with the map on it?

- No, no, no.

This is something we just made up.

Like there is a cream made with garnatálg, which is fermented tallow from the sheep.

- Okay.

- Mixed with some cream cheese and sour cream to make it more soft.

So we have like in a stencil, and then we just spread it out, sprinkle some chervil powder and parsley powder to actually like make people eat the island.

- Oh, that is, that's amazing.

- Yeah.

- As a kid who used to create dioramas out of clay of different countries- - Okay, okay.

- None of that was edible, (laughter) but I'm super excited to eat the island.

- Yeah, yeah.

(laughter) (slow music) So from Supuroy, which is the island on the south, we get these chips.

This one right here, which is sperpil, which is fermented the sausage of lamb.

- Okay, but so it's like Chicharrón?

- That's correct.

- Okay!

So- - That's, that's- - Or pork rinds, but from lamb.

- That's correct.

- So lamb rinds.

- Fermented lamb- - Fermented lamb rinds.

- Sausage.

- All right, you know what, I'm just going to pop it in.

- Go for it, yeah.

- Okay.

- Just try it just like that.

(crunching) Crispy, strong, lamb.

Fatty, of course.

- Yeah.

It's got an interesting flavor to it.

- Yeah.

- Almost cheesy.

- That's correct.

The cheesy filling comes from the garnatálg.

- I'm impressed.

- This one right here- - Not that it takes much.

(laughter) - That's also very, very traditional, and that's (indistinct), which is wind-dried haddock.

- [Ernest] Mmm.

- A little bit hard, but this is something like people, when they were going abroad to sail, this is something that we used to have as a snack.

- I love it.

It's like beef, it's like jerky.

- Yeah.

(upbeat music) - This one right here, it's fulmar, which is a local bird from the Faroe Island.

Very traditional, very strong in flavor.

It's a bird that eat mostly fish or seaweed or small fishes.

- Okay.

- So the taste of the bird, it is actually very like a sea.

- Okay.

- Like a fish.

- Now, the bird is on this- - You just found it now.

- This is the bird.

- That's correct.

- The bird is the word.

- Yeah.

The thing with this one, the idea is that you are going to dip it into this foam.

(Ernest gasps) Are you ready?

- Wow.

- It gets- - Better.

- Mm-hmm.

- Oh- - Too strong?

- Mmm, nothing's too strong for me.

- Nice.

It's good that you eat it all in once.

- Oh, I thought there were more.

(laughter) That's why.

- Of course, we have to do some dessert.

On the tile, we have churro, which is a traditional Mexican churro.

- Mm-hmm.

- We plate it on this art craft that it's called Talavera.

It comes from Puebla.

- Okay.

- It's hand painted.

And then the churro, we just covered with the sugar made out of limpet.

- Mm-hmm.

- And then we just have it or serve it together with our selection of caviar and coriander seed ganache.

So it gets even more interesting because the sweet and the texture and the soft and the salty flavor from the caviar is something very, very unique.

- Okay.

Well, I am following your lead.

- Take it- - All right.

- Just like that.

- Mm-hmm.

- Then you go for the churro.

And you- - Dip.

- Inside, cream, caviar.

- Oh.

- And then- - Pop it in.

- Mmm.

(crunching) (Ernest speaking Spanish) (laughter) - But I love also how you're enjoying it.

- Yeah, because, I have to be honest.

- You're like, "I did a good job on it."

(laughter) - I'm having a good time.

I'm happy to share it with you.

- Thank you.

- I'm happy to experience these flavors, so it even tastes like better.

(laughter) (upbeat music) - [Ernest] Even though the islands are remote, people here thrive on the spirit of community and connection.

And the occasional touch of magic.

(upbeat music) Fare thee well, Faroe!

- [Narrator] Major funding for this program is provided by: (inquisitive music) (exciting classical music) To join the Fly Brother Travel Community or to order your own copy of this episode, visit flybrother.com.

(upbeat strings music)