Mykines, Faroe Islands
Early risers were rewarded with the sights of the magnificent cliffs on the north side of Streymoy and Vágar Islands. The cliffs rise almost vertically out of the sea, layer upon layer of basalt formed in eruptions some 50 million years ago.
On we continued until we came to Mykines, the westernmost of the Faroe Islands. That’s where our activities started after breakfast. Nowadays only ten people live on the island but in summertime many former residents and their relatives and friends spend time in the friendly and picturesque little village. Many other visitors also come to the island with the ferry which goes twice daily during summer.
We landed our Zodiacs in the tiny little harbor and climbed up the 100 steps. Then we had another steep slope to climb till we reached the cliffs’ edge on the northern side. And what a sight! Puffins in the sky, on the ground, on the water below; thousands upon thousands of them, flying above, landing, taking off, crawling in and out of their burrows, watching us curiously, posing for pictures. A real delight!
The long hikers decided to go further along the path which led them downhill again to a bridge that connects Mykines with the islet Mykineshólmur over a 35-meter-deep gorge. There in the cliffs kittiwakes by the hundreds had their nests, all of them already with half-grown chicks. The hike went on to the far western end of Mykineshólmur where the westernmost lighthouse of the Faroe’s stands. Right by is a big stack covered with gannets, these gracious big white birds.
Many of the guests opted for a Zodiac cruise to enjoy this unbelievable bird life from sea level. The puffins were everywhere, the gannets and kittiwakes never far away.
At noon we were back on board and the ship set sail to the Westman Islands, Iceland, where we expect to arrive around noon tomorrow.
In the afternoon naturalist Magnus Forsberg gave a talk on the Seabirds of the Atlantic, which was most appropriate after all the birds we had seen this morning. Later in the afternoon historian David Barnes gave an introductory talk on the Hanseatic League before National Geographic photographer Sisse Brimberg showed us the pictures she had taken when she prepared an article on the Hanseatic League for National Geographic. And after dinner we enjoyed a video by our Global Perspective guest speaker, David Wright, Secrets of the Living Planet: Magical Forests.
We went to bed with the happy feeling of being able to sleep in late tomorrow morning, the clocks being pushed back by one hour tonight for the second time during this voyage.
