mid June post continued

I was invited by the skipper of 'Nordysl' to bring my violin on a tourist trip he does to some caves where some sort of 'concert' happens. He didn't seem to be able to describe the genre, but I jumped on at 1 o clock with a party of large Polish men, a shy Danish couple, a saxophonist and a conch player????? Intriguing. It is a fantastic old boat, lots of room below and smelling deliciously woody and oily.

We made our way over a lively sea to a nearby island, past gigantic cliffs, and then stopped in front of a tall dark ominous cavern.

Couldn't quite work out where the concert was going to take place. Then it became clear that we were transferring to smaller boats to get in to the cave. A kind of protective wet suit was thrown at me and I thought ' how am I going to play in this?'

Putting on my concert gar

 Everyone except the skipper clambered/fell in to the little boats. It was chaotic and crazy. Violin on my back I found a place, but was feeling not a little apprehensive and anxious having brought lovely ancient Hose [ Contreras] , my 1752 Spanish instrument into this uncertain and frankly hazardous situation.

We went in to the dark wet cave, the large black swell of the water heaving us up and down.

The concert venue

I realised in the gloming that the saxophonist was getting out his instrument!  What here??  Bobbing up and down on the edge of an inflatable boat? He started to make whale like noises, and was soon joined by the Conch player, wailing and stuttering. OK, I thought ...'.this is it' and carefully took out my lovely violin and joined them. The sound was extraordinary and everyone was stunned in to silence, and listened with eyes closed. It was a powerful atmosphere........people loved it. We weaved our way around each other, until it came to a resting place and it was over.

Glad to get the violin back in the case, we came out in to the bright light and back to the schooner for hot tea. Crazy times!

A windy journey back to Torshavn and Kyle. I was so hungry....home made pesto and red wine. The skipper came to chat. We all get on so well...I will miss him.

Going North up the Fjords

A couple of days later we caught the tide up to the Northern Islands to experience the sea cliffs around Vidoy....the highest in Europe at over 800 metres. Very satisfying being swept along with the powerful natural force of the current along stunning fjords.

The clouds were just touching the tops of the cliffs which made it very dramatic, whispy vapour trails around jagged rock....the scale hard to take in...the photos don't really give the full picture unless in some of them you can see the white dots of seabirds which gives some idea.

We found a sheltered place to berth in Hvannasund and ate roast puffin at a nearby restaurant.

Its lovely, not fishy at all. Maybe 70% pheasant,20% liver and 10% beef.

Kyle at Hvannasund

Vidaroei, where we ate Puffin

The next day we had a very early start to get back to the capital as we had booked a helicopter to take us to the island of Mykenes.

It sounds very grand but its incredibly good value and heavily subsidised. It cost under £30 for the two of us. We caught a bus to the airport and before long we were up and away... It was my first time and I was overwhelmed and very moved by the experience. I think it might be like dying, to just rise up like that, away from earth. No resistance as on a plane. So exciting to go over the edge of a green cliff and to be above the sea and see all that beauty.

Darling Gav was not so happy and very glad when we touched down. Suddenly beneath us we could see a little village of wooden houses, and a big H where the helicopter landed as gracefully as a mayfly. Incredible.

Mykenes (you can see the Helipad to the left)

Mykenes village



Mykenes Church

This island is very fertile and has thousands of puffins flying through the air....seabirds everywhere. The cliffs are sheer and quite something to walk along.

Cliff path

I thought I was relitavely brave but I felt very much out of my comfort zone and ended up crawling along at some points because of the exposure. I was too frightened to continue on along a path that just seemed to go straight off the cliff with a wire railing to hold on to.

A shame because that would have taken me over a footbridge to a little adjoining island and the lighthouse where there is a huge Gannetry. A Phenomenal place, being up with the birds and the sea stretching out towards Iceland to the North and America to the West.  Looking down on the village from up there it looked like a child had made it from lego.We stayed the night in the simple hostel there and got up next day at 6 to walk to the highest point.

Early morning walk

Saw the sun come up from the top and did a very bad 'salute to the sun' trying to remember the movements from yoga. It felt fantastic but I am aware of how creaky I am. My body craves more. We were attacked by Arctic and Great Skuas nesting on the moorland. It was verging on Hitchcock.....really frightening as they dive bombed us.

We caught the ferry back. They negotiate the narrow entrance to the harbour in seemingly impossible circumstances. It is often cut of for days or weeks here. I want to come back to this place. We are sailing back to Scotland tomorrow.

On the ferry back