As we were transitioning from the Reykjavik area to the South Coast we had this crazy idea. Maybe we could hop the ferry to the Westman Islands and see some puffins. Why crazy? We didn't have reservations. We didn't know if we could drop our bags. We didn't know if I could stomach a 45 minute ferry ride.
How did it turn out? Not bad. Not bad at all.
We didn't have reservations, but drove like the wind and made the boat. Our host was gracious enough to let us leave our bags even though we were way early. And by standing on the bow where the waves and the wind could smack me in the face I kept my lunch in place. (Yes. I'm the hero.)
Once on the island we headed to Eldfell. Eldfell is a volcano that erupted in 1973 and buried a part of the town on the island of Heimaey. Nowadays it's an easy walk up with incredible views of the entire island. There's an amazing museum about the eruption, but we'll save that for later.
Down from Eldfell we drove south to the designated puffin viewing platform. Yeah. There's a dedicated platform for seeing puffins. And there's no shortage of puffins. No chicks (that we saw), but there were puffins digging. Puffins squawking. Puffins flying. And a couple of puffins discussing the latest gossip. (Did you see Chuckles eat all those fish?)
We took a ton of pictures (if we had been shooting on film it might have weighed a literal ton) and more than an hour watching them. And we're not bird people. They're just so cute.
But if we were going to get to the museum, we had to say goodbye to the puffins and return to town. What's so special about the museum? After all, haven't we been to an awful lot of museums lately? Yeah, but how many are built around a house that was buried by a volcano?
The Eldheimar Volcano Museum tells the story of the 1973 eruption in moving detail. It talks about the people that were there and had to evacuate. It showed how the rift opened, grew, and closed. And it covered the rediscovery of the house at the center of the museum. And they didn't kick us out even after they closed. (They get a gold star for that alone.)
But the ferry doesn't wait for anyone. The ride back required exactly the same strategy to avoid getting sick. Success! And we were all feeling well enough to get dinner back near our house.
The Westman Islands get a hearty recommendation during puffin season. You gotta see those mother fluffin' puffins!
