Where We Be
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| Port Stanley, Falkland Islands |
| This stretch of beach on Yorke Bay near Gypsy Cove is starkly beautiful -- and strictly off-limits to people because of the mines |
| British flags fly proudly here -- Falkland Islanders take their British citizenship seriously |
| Cute chick flaps its wings after being holed up in its burrow for too long |
Port Stanley is the southernmost capital in the
world! It's also one of the smallest capitals, with
just 2,000 inhabitants. We discovered today that it
is proudly British in its heritage and traditions.
British flags flutter everywhere, fish and chips are
the food of choice, the pound sterling is the local
currency, and people drive on the “wrong” side of
the road. It's a little outpost of Great Britain on the
far side of the world, and the British fought a war
with Argentina in 1982 to keep it that way.
Robin and I entertained ourselves by taking a long
hike to Gypsy Cove, a photogenic and secluded
crescent of white sand 4½ miles from Port Stanley.
The weather was a cool 45 degrees so it felt to us
like Maine. We asked a local for directions and
ended up being offered a ride in his Range Rover,
which saved us an hour of hiking.
On reaching Gypsy Cove, we saw a colony of
Magellanic penguins all standing at “parade rest”
on the beach. Right near the trail, we were excited
to discover a burrow with two Magellanic penguins
inside, one a mother and the other her chick.
Magellanic penguins make burrows for nests -- no
other type of penguin does this. The chick still had
vestiges of “baby fur” clinging to it.
world! It's also one of the smallest capitals, with
just 2,000 inhabitants. We discovered today that it
is proudly British in its heritage and traditions.
British flags flutter everywhere, fish and chips are
the food of choice, the pound sterling is the local
currency, and people drive on the “wrong” side of
the road. It's a little outpost of Great Britain on the
far side of the world, and the British fought a war
with Argentina in 1982 to keep it that way.
Robin and I entertained ourselves by taking a long
hike to Gypsy Cove, a photogenic and secluded
crescent of white sand 4½ miles from Port Stanley.
The weather was a cool 45 degrees so it felt to us
like Maine. We asked a local for directions and
ended up being offered a ride in his Range Rover,
which saved us an hour of hiking.
On reaching Gypsy Cove, we saw a colony of
Magellanic penguins all standing at “parade rest”
on the beach. Right near the trail, we were excited
to discover a burrow with two Magellanic penguins
inside, one a mother and the other her chick.
Magellanic penguins make burrows for nests -- no
other type of penguin does this. The chick still had
vestiges of “baby fur” clinging to it.
| Mother and chick peer out from their burrow |
| Back in the burrow for a little nap |
| Magellanic penguins form a tight colony on this wide crescent of beach |
| Magellanic penguins huddle on the beach, which is mined from the 1982 Falklands War -- but the penguins are light enough not to set the mines off! |
| Robin has the Celebrity Infinity clearly in her sights but decides to hold fire |
| We walked past the wreck of the Lady Elizabeth in Whalebone Cove during our return hike |
| The wreck of the Lady Elizabeth with a line of mountain bikers peddling by |
| Inside the Lighthouse Cafe, a little bastion of British civilization |
| Christ Church Cathedral with its distinctive Whalebone Arch -- made from the jawbones of blue whales |
| Our last stop before reboarding the ship was Government House, the home of the governor on the island |
| Looking back at Port Stanley after about a mile of hiking to Gypsy Cove |
| Bright-painted roofs in Port Stanley add a splash of color to this distant outpost of civilization |
| We got to see this mother penguin and chick up close -- what a treat! |