Day 9 The Seal Woman

This was another early start as the ferry for Kalsoy leaves at 8AM. It's just around the harbor, about 3 minutes away - we've been watching it come back and forth for the last few days. This is the ferry Bill has been the most concerned about because he read that locals get priority so you may not be allowed on. And he does not want to get stranded. The tourist information office assured us that as long as we booked in advance, we were guaranteed a spot. Of course, having waited until last night to book, our options are limited. So we're heading out early and not coming back until 5:30. 

The ferry was full on the way out, so they were packing us as close together as possible to make room for as many cars as they could. On the Klaksvic side, the ferry backs up to the dock. On the Syðradalur side, the ferry goes straight in and the front of the boat lifts to let us drive forward out of the tiny craft.

 

Most of the cars immediately headed to the northmost village as this is where the hike to Kellur lighthouse begins. I suggested we stop at Mikladalur first to see the seal woman statue as that would get us a little out of sync with the rest of the hikers. The light wasn't great, but given weather here, who knows what cloud cover could be here at any moment: 

The building where you buy tickets for the hike also includes a Thai restaurant that's open 9 AM to 9PM. It is the only restaurant on the entire island. There is a cafe in Mikladalur that is only open during tourist season, but that starts next month. 

We headed up the steep gravel path - the challenging climb on this hike is definitely front loaded. This is the only hike we've had to pay for. It's very common for hiking trails through private land to either charge a fee or charge a fee and require a guide. We are not exactly outdoorsy folk, though, so the less adventurous public hikes to scenic overlooks have been more than sufficient until now. 

This one, in addition to spectacular views, can be done in a couple of hours. There are 3 to 4 primary viewing points. This first involved a stretch that was too narrow for Bill's comfort, so I headed out alone. 

Next up was the lighthouse itself, with it's own spectacular view:

There is also an even more narrow path to a viewpoint beyond the lighthouse, but we opted out of that particular bit. I'm pretty sure Bill would have had a panic attack just watching me do that one. 

Finally, along some spectacular bird covered cliffs is James Bond's grave. 

This section of the island was where he died in the latest Bond film - heavily CG to add an evil lair in place of the lighthouse, but recognizable in the film. 

We were closer to 3 hours mostly for taking some time to just sit and enjoy the views. And then it was lunch time. The restaurant is basically the living room of the farmhouse. The food is far better than it needs to be. My pad Thai had a good amount of fish sauce and Bill's basil pork was excellent. As we didn't have a tight timetable to get back to the ferry, we could also just sit and enjoy the meal, including an after lunch coffee. We also considered some candlesticks made by the local blacksmith, but neither of us actually uses the kind of candles they are meant for. 

We followed that up with a quick walk around the town of Trøllanes (translates to Troll Peninsula) which has a souvenir kiosk - the only shop open on the island. In spite of being tiny, it had a great selection of knitwear accessories (hats, gloves, socks) and the best postcard selection we've seen in the whole country. 

Next up, since we have plenty of time, we went back to the seal woman, now with much better light. The place was packed at this point, with 6 or 7 other tourists hanging about. The rocks were also considerably dryer, which meant more exploration along the shore now that they aren't super slick. 

Next up, we head back to the town with the ferry, where the public toilets have this amazing view: 

We are still well ahead of the ferry, but there is a free hiking path the the southern most lighthouse on the island, which we also do. This trail is not nearly as well travelled, and at some point I suggested that perhaps the sign about this "hiking path" is a prank pulled on tourists by the locals, but we do make it to the lighthouse. 

As we are hiking back, the earlier ferry is coming in for pick up. I guess it's good we couldn't get tickets as we would have probably missed it. Once we are back at the car, we only have about an hour left so we just sit and enjoy the view. I brought my knitting project along for just this eventuality. 

On the ferry ride, back, I got out of the car to enjoy the view from the sea. 

Once back in town, we went back to the bakery we tried yesterday and got way too much food. My bagel was great! 

We then retired to the apartment for an aquavit tasting, with one from Einar's, two from some place that uses Faroes water, but isn't produced here, and the remains of the ocean truffle bottle. We also split a cider from Einar's, which was good but much sweeter than expected. All in all, a full but not rushed day.