We had sailed overnight and reached Stanley early in the morning. I went up on deck to take photos of our arrival into the Inner Harbour of Stanley. I watched the crew lower the anchor in windy conditions at around 7.30am.
Entering Stanley Harbour
Our day in Stanley was to be split, in two with the majority of the passengers
taking a coach to Gypsy Cove. Then, after a walk at Gypsy Cove, the
rest of the day would be free for us to look around Stanley.
Amongst
those who did not take the coach were Glenna, from Las Vegas, David and
Chris who were taking a hired car to see more albatross colonies, several
hours from Stanley.
After breakfast, we donned our wet gear and lifejackets and took the Zodiacs to the quay. Wendy was soaked by the spray as she was sitting at the front of the Zodiac. I was behind her and kept dry! There were two coaches waiting to take us to Gypsy Cove. It was a short ride going round the southern end of Inner Harbour and past the wreck of the Lady Elizabeth.
Stanley with the wreck of the Lady Elizabeth
The coach ride took about fifteen minutes and we then walked along a path to the look-out points above Gypsy Cove. Hans Peter described the plants that were growing there, including Falkland balsam bog, used as fuel, and diddle-dee with its bright red berries which are sometimes made into jam.
Gypsy Cove with Hans Peter
Magellanic penguins on the beach
Along the path, there were many signs warning of mines that had been laid by the Argentinians to stop an invasion of Stanley from the sea. As it was, the Marines 'yomped' across the island and took Stanley from the north.
Reminder of grim times
One of Wendy's photos of upland geese, showing the contrasting plumage of the male and the female.
Pair of Upland geese
As we walked along the top of the hill, a group of three British soldiers walked past us. We briefly spoke with them and they told us that they spent about six months on the Falklands for each tour of duty.
The army is coming!!
Gayle and the British Army
We saw one or two magellanic penguins hiding in the bushes and there was also this Falklands Thrush. Another one of Wendy's great wildlife photos.
Falklands thrush
Back at the coach, Wendy took this photo of the expedition photographer, Richard Sidey.
Richard Sidey, expedition photographer
The coach took us back to the centre of Stanley, where we then walked along Ross Road, past these very familiar English-style houses to the cathedral. It was blowing a gale!
1930's England?
Christ Church Cathedral
Inside the cathedral we went and looked for the 'unique' stained glass window of a lady and her bicycle. It is not known if there are any other stained glass windows featuring bicycles. It turned out the lady was Mary Watson, a district nurse and much loved figure in Stanley.
'Unique' stained glass window of a woman and her bicycle
The Shackleton connection with the Falklands and Antarctica is reflected in this plaque and banner to Ernest Shackleton's son, Edward, Baron Shackleton.
Edward Shackleton's Plaque and banner
Looking towards the altar of the cathedral.
Cathedral pews
We left the cathedral and walked through the gardens where the whalebone sculpture is located.
Whale jaw bones in the cathedral gardens
A short walk brought us to the post office where we wanted to post a birthday card to Matthew using Falkland Island stamps. I bought some 'Referendum' stamps as a souvenir.
Stanley Post Office
We left the post office to walk to the museum and went past a window where this referendum poster was hanging.
Referendum poster
The walk along Ross Road took us past Government House with views across the harbour to Silver Explorer.
Government House
Silver Explorer at anchor in the Inner harbour
There were some lovely small gardens with very colourful flowers. Such a difference from the UK at this time of year!
Southern hemisphere summer flowers
We reached the museum and spent about half an hour chatting with Shirley, the lady at the reception desk. She very kindly made me a coffee, which warmed me up after the numbingly cold wind on the walk. I asked her if she knew where I could get hold of the referendum poster we had seen and she suggested we go to the offices of the Penguin News, next to the post office.
We left the museum and, luckily for us, the shuttle bus was waiting outside, which took us back to the post office. First we went into the new Falklands War Museum and then we called at the Penguin News office for a poster. Unfortunately, they did not have one to spare, but spoke to the printer who said he would deliver one to them in a couple of hours time. So we decided to find somewhere for lunch and then call back for the poster.
We saw this cafe but decided to give it a miss!
Deano's Bar, Stanley
We walked on along one of the side streets and found Michele's Cafe. Inside was Cliff, so we joined him for lunch. Wendy had a toasted bacon
sandwich and I had an omelette and chips. There was a group of young
girls and a boy at the next table. It was interesting to hear them
chatting, whilst playing with their mobile phones - just like in the UK!
Michele's Cafe with obligatory Union Jacks!
After lunch we decided to go back to the ship, as there was still some time to wait until the poster was being delivered. Unfortunately, the wind got up and Stefan announced that all Zodiac trips to the quay were being stopped. As soon as the last passengers returned from the shore, the ship would leave. So, no referendum poster for me to hang up at home, as a reminder of the Falkland Islands.
The ship left Stanley late in the afternoon and, while we were enjoying our afternoon tea in the Panorama Lounge, we saw the National Geographic Explorer vessel
coming into Stanley. It was the first ship we have seen at sea since we
left Ushuaia.
The National Geographic Explorer entering Stanley Harbour
Wendy went to the afternoon recap, which I missed as I wanted a rest in the cabin. We took our Stugeron as the wind had definitely increased and we were heading out into the Southern Ocean. We decided to eat on our own because, if either of us felt queasy, we could go straight back to the cabin. As it turned out, we both felt OK!
Tomorrow is the second sea day. It will take three days before we set foot on South Georgia. It will be wonderful to be back there. I can't wait!
Distance Travelled: 139 NM
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