Puffins!

The morning started out a little rocky, as not a cafe in Torshaven (or any of the other villiages we went through along the way) was open. Breakfast plans thwarted. In the end we bought some cold chocolate milk and pastries and blocks of chocolate from the little supermarket near the ferry terminal. Did I say ferry terminal? Not really. More a sign board gaffed to the railing of an otherwise unused section of fishing boat jetty. No weather protection, should that turn out to be an issue, nor anywhere to sit. As departure time drew nearer, people began to mill. Eventually the boat arrived, bookings checked and cash fees of passage paid, and we were aboard and then off. Quite a rough little ride to Mykines, a swift disembarkation and a steep climb up the hill to the village. No sign at first of the man who would check our park access fee payment, but he was half way up the track, and that was all OK.

Almost immediately, we saw puffins. Coming, going, and sitting in their burrows. Amazing. Close. After photographing that first group to bits we hiked a bit further up the hill, and then the next hill, and then, after taking a gazillion more photos, we parked ourselves on the grass to eat our lunch, surrounded (almost) by the comings and goings and daily life of puffins. The rain held off, the gale was less, down at ground level, and it was lovely. We didn’t end up doing the full hiking circuit, because the climb down from our peak seemed quite precarious, with its wire handrail and stone path.

Went back to the village and had a beer or two in the cafe, wandered around the village itself, then back to wait for the boat at seven. Marvellous. Puffin sighting goal achieved.