I spent a week in a 400-year-old tiny home with a grass roof for $187 a night. Here's what it was like.
- I stayed in a tiny 400-year-old turf roof house in Tjørnuvík in the Faroe Islands.
- The house was small with spacious living areas, sloped ceilings, and steep stairs.
I've traveled to more than 50 countries, but the Faroe Islands, an isolated group of islands in the North Atlantic, is one of my favorite places I've been.
This summer, I visited again with my partner to show him what the hype was about. For months, I'd been telling him about my favorite village, Tjørnuvík, that feels like it was ripped straight from a Grimms' fairy-tale.
I wanted to fully immerse myself in this seaside village with around 50 residents, so we rented a tiny, turf-roofed cottage on Airbnb for a week that cost $187 a night.
It's hard not to fall in love when you turn the bend leading to this multi-colored village surrounded by waterfalls
Aside from being an incredibly quaint and charming enclave, Tjørnuvík is known for its killer surfing waves and the Waffle Man. An affectionate nickname, he is known for inviting tourists and locals into his home-turned-cafe for freshly-made waffles, rhubarb jam, whipped cream, and coffee.
Luckily for us, our tiny home was right next door to his.
When we entered our turf-roof house, it was instantly a tight squeeze
All of the photos in the world can't prepare you for the first time you walk into a tiny house that's over 400 years old.
The ceilings were lower than I expected, and the doorways even lower. They were practically begging you to hit your head on them — which we did, many times.
Although small in square footage, the wood-clad living and dining room felt spacious and so did the galley kitchen, where we cooked our meals.
The steps leading up to the loft bedroom were very steep, and the ceiling sloped on either side.
At night, I had to crawl on my hands and knees to slide myself into bed. If I had to get up in the middle of the night, I sat down and moved slowly down the wooden steps.
The turf-roof houses are a local tradition throughout Scandinavia
Typical of older houses around the Faroe Islands and Iceland, grass or turf roofs were once used for insulation during the cold and windy months.
Today, they're mostly for tradition and aesthetics. And, to my dismay, they also cost a lot more to install than a modern-day roof.
I sometimes felt like an animal in a zoo with all of the other tourists visiting
The Faroe Islands are becoming a must-visit place for travelers, and Tjørnuvík is one of its most popular destinations.
During the day, when tour buses or groups of travelers would visit, we found ourselves closing the shades, as people would often, hands cupped, look directly into our windows.
I quickly learned what it felt like to be a local in a tourist destination and developed a pang of empathy and new respect when visiting other countries.
I spent my days walking along the beach, reading, and hiking along waterfalls
My week in the tiny house in Tjørnuvík was magical.
During the day, I walked around the village, smiling at older locals, watching surfers, and dodging waves crashing on the expansive black-sand beach.
If the weather was nice, I'd take my book and hike to the top of the ridge overlooking the village, the beach, and the famous sea stacks in the distance. I'd jump over streaming waterfalls and sidestep sheep poop for the best view of my dream village and the perfect turf-roof house.
Although the spaces were smaller than I expected, I quickly adapted and didn't even notice by the end of our stay.
Now, I'm looking to buy my own tiny turf-roof house.