After a couple of days at sea, it was wonderful to be on land again to walk and explore. Our day today was in and around the community of Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands. We had a wide range of activities to keep us busy throughout the day. Many within our group opted for the Stanley highlights tour, which took us by bus through the town and surrounding area to see the local museum, church, war memorial (from the 1982 war), neighborhoods, peat cutting, scenery, and old ships. It was very interesting to witness life here. Life in the Falklands is one having to import nearly everything, except sheep products (the country’s sole export). Others in the group toured a local farm to see how rural families make their living. One sees quite a bit of shopping for local products, like jam made from wild berries, hand-made woolen goods, and other sundries.
Most of us dined in town at local bars and cafes before joining afternoon tours. Some guests trekked up a small mountain to enjoy vistas of the area, others strolled around town, and the rest of us went on a short hike to a lovely cove. Here we found Magellanic penguins and several new bird species, including an elusive snipe. There was ample opportunity to photograph the many birds feeding along the coast. The weather was a mixture of sun, cool wind, and scudding clouds, the culmination of which made the atmosphere on this secluded territory a mysteriously quaint one.
The evening wrapped up with a tremendous double rainbow as we sailed out toward the Falkland western coast.
