Reykjavík Grapevine - 14.10.2018, Blaðsíða 50

In the Westman Islands, opportuni-
ties for seeing puffins—the colour-
ful seabird often associated with
the north Atlantic—are manifold.
You can enjoy the raw but very dead
heart of the puffin for your glorious,
carnivorous lunch. You can also buy
stuffed puffins in gift shops. Or you
can enjoy watching living puffins
as they fly above vast cliffs and gen-
tly settle down on a patch of grass
right next to you.
One day in July, my friend, Ás-
dís, and I opted for the latter op-
tion. The Westman Islands is an
archipelago consisting of 15 small
islands, the largest of which is
called Heimaey, or “Home Island.”
It’s an appropriate name—Heimaey
becomes the home of thousands of
people from all around Iceland each
August as they gather for the infa-
mous Þjóðhátíð festival. And that’s
not to mention the 1.1 million puf-
fins who call the islands home each
summer, making it the largest puf-
fin colony in the world.
Don’t eat your
breakfast here
We commenced our journey by tak-
ing the 30 minute Herjólfur ferry
ride from Landeyjahöfn, situated on
the southern coast of the Icelandic
mainland. The ferry is the most eco-
nomical way of getting to the island
for visitors who don’t own boats or
helicopters, or don’t want to take the
€100 plane hop directly from Reyk-
javík.
Fancy as we are, we’d brought
our own oatmeal to eat on the ship.
People gave us funny looks. It was
not until we were on the boat going
back to the mainland that I noticed
the sign that said “only food bought
in the ferry cafeteria can be enjoyed
here,” situated right next to our ta-
ble in a bright, very noticeable color.
Oops.
Always follow the map
Ásdís and I had been so busy eating
our oatmeal, we hadn’t gone out onto
the deck to enjoy the view of the is-
lands. It wasn’t until I disembarked
the ferry that I noticed the beauti-
ful landscape surrounding us. Lush
green grass covered hills of black
ash, while the endless ocean could be
glimpsed in almost every direction.
In the near distance, the volcanoes
Eldfell and Helgafell loomed silently
but menacingly over the small town.
Fiery history
We started with a visit to the El-
dheimar volcano museum. Founded
in 2014, this museum tells the sto-
ry of the famous 1973 eruption on
Heimaey, and how this catastrophe
affected local residents, many of
whom lost their homes to the lava,
and never returned. The museum is
built over some of the ruined houses,
so you can see the devastation first-
hand.
After that, it was time to see some
puffins. Prior to this trip, I’d never
seen one in real life. We followed the
tourist map of the island to the key
spot—a puffin viewing lookout, sig-
nified along by an arrow pointing out
the edge of the map. Could the arrow
mean that the puffins are in a loca-
tion so far away, it’s off the map com-
pletely?
Sharing is caring
We decided to try our luck and con-
tinue down the road toward a hill in
the distance. It took us 55 minutes of
walking, with alarmingly fast-mov-
ing cars careening past us, to reach
a small hut. When we arrived, photos
of puffins graced the walls amidst
many curious tourists, so I knew we
must have come upon the right place.
“If you want to see the puffins up
close,” said one of our fellow visi-
tors, “go to the other side of the hill.
The puffins fly down and land on the
ground right next to you.” He and his
girlfriend had arrived on the island
the day before and, having fallen in
love with the beauty of the West-
mans’ landscape, had decided to stay
for an extra day. We thanked him
for the tip, to which he replied “Hey,
sharing is caring!” A kind stranger
like that always makes my heart sing.
Follow the leader
Following his directions, we made
our way up across the tiny pathways
of the hill, taking in the expansive
areas of grass dotted with grazing
sheep. On the other side, a glorious
view of the smaller Westman Islands
greeted us, shrouded in mist and
surrounded by the crashing ocean.
The tip was accurate: we looked on
as puffins playfully swirled through
the air, swooping down and landing
in the grass around us. We could have
stayed for hours, and in that mo-
ment, I was very grateful for the kind
stranger’s advice.
Travel
Distance from
Reykjavík:
114km
How to get there:
Drive Route
One South to
Landeyjahöfn, catch
the Herjólfur ferry
50The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 14— 2018
The
Kindness
Of Strangers
Searching for the world’s largest puffin
colony in Vestmannaeyjar
Words: Christine Engel Snitkjær Photos: Art Bicnick
Better in the air than on the plateDelectable goodies at Slippurinn