On this very special edition of the podcast, we observe two landmarks. First: this week marks our 5th birthday. It also is the 200th episode of the show. So this week, we do a little of everything. We'll revisit some of our favorite moments of the past 100 shows, we'll remember the crazy early days of the show, and we'll talk to a Danish man who is visiting every country in the world. We'll also unveil Nordic Obsession Tours. Nordic Obsession will be running a tour this July based on much of wha...
Jan 23, 2014•1 hr 2 min
Here's a little something to keep you company while we work on our 200th episode. We're revisiting one of our most popular episodes where we visit what some say is the most beautiful football (soccer) pitch in the world. We'll also leak some information about the tour we're leading to the Faroe Islands this summer.
Jan 15, 2014•21 min
This week, we celebrate Christmas, Faroe Islands Podcast style. First, a portion of an interview Heri Simonsen did with podcast host Matthew Workman on Ras 2. We'll talk about Christmas, music, and a certain reality TV program. Then we'll delve into the giant mailbox on Sandoy. In 2012, we made fun of the mailbox, and questioned whether it even counted as a mailbox at all. This week, Jogvan Thomsen tells us how we completely missed the story of the giant mailbox, and how it relates to Christmas....
Dec 24, 2013•35 min
This week, we talk to Benjamin Hansen. He's not quite 17, but he's already started a film and video studio that employs five people. We'll talk to him about how he got such an early start on filmmaking, and who the small island he's from is suddenly a hotbed of video arts. Then we go out for sushi.
Dec 18, 2013•19 min
This week we talk to Ray Maseman. He's an American artist who spent a month this summer in the Faroe Islands as part of a program called the Arctis Exchange. We talk to Ray about his experience of creating art far from home, and how his new surroundings are inspiring him. Then we listen to a billboard that isn't making any noise.
Dec 06, 2013•32 min
This week, we hike up a grassy hill by the sea and talk to Gemma Veneruso of Faroe Islands Whale Watch. Her group was in the Faroes this summer doing a survey of marine mammals that passed the Faroes. Then we check in on the plight of four sperm whales trapped in shallow Faroese waters.
Nov 27, 2013•21 min
This week, we stumble upon some sheep shearing on Suduroy. So, you know, we're talking sheep. And stay tuned afterwards for a bonus story about an American soccer club and their rabid fans.
Nov 21, 2013•17 min
This week, part two of our conversation with Faroese comedian and politician Sjurdur Skaale. We'll talk to him about serving in the Danish Parliament, and what Danes think of the Faroe Islands. He'll also make the case for the Faroe Islands joining the EU. Then we join Atlantic Airways CEO Magni Arge for a tour of Torshavn.
Nov 07, 2013•25 min
In honor of Halloween, we replay our spookiest episode ever from 2010 where we record what just might be ghosts in the tunnels north of Klaksvik. Then we return to the tunnels three years later to see if the ghosts will give a repeat performance.
Oct 31, 2013•23 min
This week, we take up the dispute between the Faroe Islands and the EU regarding fishing quotas. The EU has banned the import of certan types of fish after the Faroes set their own quota for herring and mackerel. We'll talk to Kate Sanderson, the head of the Faroese Mission to the European Union, Bjorn Kunoy, a doctor of international law, and British MP Alistair Carmichael about the thorny issue of fishing quotas. And then, just so it doesn't get too depressing, we stand out in the rain in Tors...
Oct 24, 2013•40 min
This week, our good friend Heri Simonsen talks to Joseph Hickersberger. He was the coach of the Austrian National Football Team on September 12, 1990 when that team was on the wrong end of what's still called the biggest upset in international football history. The Faroe Islands team, playing their first World Cup Qualifier ever, beat Austria 1-0. Despite having his name forever associated with the Faroe Islands, he had never been to the country until today. He's in Torshavn covering today's Aus...
Oct 15, 2013•11 min
This week we talk to comedian and politician Sjurdur Skaale. He's one of the most famous comedians in the Faroe Islands, and was one of the most prominent advocates for Faroese independence. However, he's switched parties and recently got elected to represent the Faroes in the Danish parliament. We ask Sjurdur about the change in heart, and what it's like serving in another country's parliament. Then we buy an expensive tank of gas.
Oct 10, 2013•18 min
This week, part two of our coverage of the Island Games in Bermuda. This week, Heri Simonsen talks to the head of the swimming association from Jersey, and the man who is organizing the 2015 Island Games on that island. Then we pay tribute to three people who were killed while driving home after participating in the games.
Oct 03, 2013•17 min
This week, part one of our recap of the Island Games in Bermuda. The games are staged every two years and allow athletes from small island nations to compete against each other. Heri Simonsen travled to Bermuda to cover the games and we talk to him about the experience. Then Heri interviews Jon Beard, the organizer of the Bermuda games.
Sep 24, 2013•26 min
This week, we talk to Kate Russo. She's an Australian eclipse hunter, and she's in the Faroe Islands doing some advance work for the solar eclipse that will cross the Faroes in 2015. We'll talk about chasing eclipses, and the risks of viewing a solar event in a cloudy place. Then we'll get blinded by the light in a small Faroese village.
Sep 12, 2013•27 min
This week, we talk to the Guri Hojgaard, she's the head of Visit Faroe Islands. The board, which promotes tourism in the Faroes, is getting ready to launch a new image campaign. We'll talk about the future of Faroese tourism and how to market a location as "unspoiled" without spoiling it in the process. Then we'll visit the isolated village of Norðadalur.
Sep 06, 2013•38 min
John Carter Cash comes from country music royalty. He's the only child of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, and has a music career of his own. Cash was in the Faroes last week, and our good friend Heri Simonsen caught up with him to talk to him about the Faroe Islands, country music, and what it's like to grow up with Johnny Cash for a dad.
Aug 29, 2013•30 min
This week, we talk to Sakaris Stora. He recently directed a silm that played at the HollyShorts film festival in Los Angeles, California. We'll talk about how quickly the Faroese film scene has changed in just a few years. Then we'll head under the runway in the village of Sorvagur. And we'll also run down the news regarding EU sanctions against the Faroe Islands.
Aug 22, 2013•26 min
This week, we talk to Eiler Fagratlett about the changes in the LGBT community following the historic 2012 Faroe Pride rally that drew more than 5,000 people to the streets of Torshavn. Then we'll test Eiler's gaydar.
Aug 15, 2013•27 min
This week, we talk to ORKA founder Jens Thomsen about his project Foroyar 5.2, which blends music, geology, and video. We'll ask Thomsen how this unique collaboration came about and listen to some of the composition. We also give special thanks this week to our Kickstarter supporters David Pleasant, Sean Cearley, and Bill Schwab for helping make this week's episode possible.
Aug 08, 2013•23 min
It's day two of Olavsoka, and we're taking in all the sounds of the Faroe Islands' biggest celebration. There's sports, music, politics, and a surprise ending. What more could you want? Slip on the headphones, this one is special.
Jul 29, 2013•40 min
This week, we sample some of the sounds of the first night of Olavsoka. Olavsoka is the two-day national holiday that is just too big to cover in just one podcast. In this first edition, we wander the streets looking for a friend, change plans several times, and get a panoramic view of some midnight fireworks.
Jul 06, 2013•24 min
The G! Festival is just a few weeks away, so it's time to check in with Jon Tyril. He's the man who founded the three-day celebration of music and who still picks most of the event's lineup. We'll review how last year's festival went, and take a listen to some artists who could make waves this year.
Jun 28, 20130
This week, we talk to a former Manchester United goalkeeper as he visits the Faroe Islands for the first time, Then we'll visit the village of Velbastadur and ask that age-old question, "is this hill green enough?"
Jun 13, 2013•20 min
This week, we talk to Johannes Patursson. He lives in the historic village of Kirkjubour in a home his family has occupied for 17 generations. We'll find out how his family came to live in the ancient house, what it's like to live in a house that's also part museum, and the hopes he has for his children.
Jun 06, 2013•38 min
This week, we've got an update on our Kickstarter campaign, and we visit the small town of Ephraim, Utah to see why the city was flooded with people dressed as Vikings.
May 30, 2013•18 min
This week, we launch our Kickstarter campaign to help fund a new season of the podcast. You can help support the podcast by going to our Kickstarter page and showing us a little love. But we're not all business here. We also get an exclusive performance from Torshavn's Olavsoka choir. It's a really great song.
May 23, 2013•16 min
This week, part two of our conversation with Joel Cole. He's an American artist who moved to the Faroe Islands four years ago. We'll talk about the artistic community in the Faroes, and how an artist who works with wood gets his raw materials in a country almost entirely devoid of trees. Then we'll head out to the village of Skala and look back at a brighter past.
May 16, 2013•26 min
This week, we talk to Joel Cole, he's an American artist who first visited the Faroe Islands more than 25 years ago, and now calls the islands his home. In part one of our discussion, we talk about the long journey that took him to the Faroe Islands. Then we visit the coolest club in the Faroes and spend time at a mustache contest. (Spoiler: We don't win.)
May 09, 2013•27 min
This week, we tour one of the biggest churches in the Faroe Islands with the man who designed it. Albert Isfeld is one of most prominent architects in the Faroe Islands, and he also offers his opinions of Faroese buildings, and how life on the islands is changing.
May 02, 2013•32 min
