Karaoke Night at the Glitnir Irish Pub in Torshavn was a night to remember for all the right reasons.
One of the most common features I have found in all my travels is that, wherever you go, however unlikely you might think you are to find one, there's always an Irish Pub. Torshavn, the capital city of the remote and rugged Faroe Islands nestling in the North Atlantic halfway between Scotland and Iceland, is no exception. Here, the place is called Glitnir, named after a fabled court in Heaven, where every dispute is resolved. Quite an apt theme for a pub I thought as I wandered into the open bar downstairs.
Overall, the place is a bit of a complex. There's a pub and restaurant upstairs where the main Irish theme prevailed. Downstairs, where I had entered was a large open hall with tables and chairs around the walls and room for dancing in the middle. A huge screen covered most of the far wall opposite the entrance and there was football on the telly. This space is advertised as a sports bar but on Saturday evenings, as I was about to find out to my delight, it was a karaoke bar with a very decent promotion on the drinks.
Beer is served in half litres or pints and generally comes in at between DKK50 to DKK100 which very roughly translates to between £5 and £10 UK equivalent. As I ordered my first beer however, they explained the rules for the night. One payment of DKK100 gets you a beer glass filled with whichever beer or cider you want. As long as you keep the glass they'll then re-fill it every time you come back to the bar at no extra cost. This means you get your drink for the night for the price of a beer. I was delighted.
Local craft beers seem to be very common between the Faroe Islands and Iceland and anywhere you go you can find a variety of different types of locally brewed beer and several types of cider. I won't mention how much I had through the course of that evening but it is fair to say that a broad sample of the local drinks on offer was enjoyed. The place was full of students, and I did feel my age for sure. They were however friendly and in party mood as students often tend to be. Soon my inhibitions were gone and my singing voice in fettle. I gratefully accepted the karaoke mic that was being passed around and treated everyone to my best rendition of The Eagle's Desperado and later Dougie Mclean's Caledonia.
Earlier on in the evening I had been struck by how rural Torshavn is considering it is a 'capital city'. Government buildings were pretty cottages with grass roofs. Something you'd be more likely to find in a pretty village in the Scottish Highlands than in the heart of a so-called capital city. This was definitely no metropolis for sure. The night life seemed as rural as the rest of the city. The party may have been harder to find that night but it was a great night when I found it. I made the Glitnir a bit of an social HQ during my exploration of the Faroe Islands over the next 3 days. Fish and chips and a Guinness upstairs for less than DKK200 was a very reasonably priced and satisfying dinner and the view overlooking the harbour was peaceful and beautiful.
I would say the Faroe Islands is a must for anyone looking for sheer rugged beauty, remoteness and quirkiness. In a land where the prices for food and drink may seem high to the visitor from the US or UK and the nightlife somewhat quiet on a Saturday night, I can't recommend the Glitnir enough. Here, prices are reasonable, food and drink is abundant and the 'craic' is great!