Port Stanley, Falkland Islands
After a quiet night alongside in Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands, we woke up to a rainy morning full of expectation for the many plans that we had ahead. Stanley is little more than a village and was established in the early 1840’s, the site chosen for the sheltered harbor and abundant supplies of peat and fresh water nearby. Despite the rapid growth since the 80’s, the old part of town retains its quaint and colorful charm. Since bricks were very expensive to ship and difficult to make locally, builders in Stanley developed their own building methods incorporating timber from shipwrecks, metal cladding, wide use of corrugated iron for walls and roofs – and all painted in bright colors.
Some of our companions went to the Long Island Farm located an hour away from Stanley. The farm belongs to 6th generation Falkland Island family (the Watsons) who still live and farm in completely traditional Falkland style. During our visit, we experienced some of the traditional activities, such as peat extraction and preparation, sheep shearing, and horse saddling. The farm also proved to be a great place for bird watching, which included the sighting of a group of flightless steamer duck that are endemic to the Falkland Islands. During our visit, we were invited to have tea and different sorts of homemade cookies while the Watsons were sharing with us different stories of their family life on the islands.
A city tour in Stanley included the highlights of town such as the Christ Church Cathedral, the most southerly Cathedral in the world. On the small grassy square next to the cathedral, there is a whalebone arch that was built in 1933 - made from the jawbones of two blue whales from South Georgia. Other highlights in town included the Britannia House Museum, the 1914 Battle Memorial, the 1982 Liberation Monument and the Government House.
Another option in Stanley was the hike to Mount William. Walking over peaty camp and grass bogs, the 4 miles round trip hike took us along several ridges up to the historically significant “mountain.” This mountain represented one of the key sites where the British troops attacked the Argentines at the very end of the 1982 conflict over the Falkland Islands. That final attack resulted in the surrender of the Argentines on June 14, 1982.
That night we had a special recap. Eduardo, one of our Argentine naturalists, gave a very emotional presentation about the history of the Falkland Islands, making special emphasis on the Argentine-UK conflict over the islands in 1982. That presentation was followed by the reading of a poem, written by me. The poem, written originally in Spanish, aims at finding a new and brighter future for the islands. What follows are the two last verses of that poem entitled: “Land of the albatross, land of love.”
I would like to believe that the albatross will fly again, free and enamoured
That new generations will repair the damage caused by those who knew not how to love
That the colors of the flags will blend into a rainbow of hope
That the tears of different tongues will merge in the waves of the ocean
At the end this is our longing, and without doubt we always knew it
That to honour the suffering, we need to embrace our different hues
To return to the birds their free sky and to the islands their joy
To these precious islands, land of the albatross, land of love
