Heimaey is home to around 4,500 people, and eight million puffins every summer. Most people here are involved in fishing. The pufflings (baby puffins) take their first flight on August nights but can get confused by the lights of town and become stranded in the village streets. The local children collect them and release them from the beach.
During an annual festival, people are allowed to catch a few puffins to share at the festival, or to eat at home. It is considered a local delicacy that is often prepared through broiling. I mean what delicacy isn’t broiled?
Our guide today was a very fit looking 70-year-old called Haukur (Hawk). He was an interesting character. One of our group asked, “What bird is that?” He replied that he did not know. Later we spotted a whole heap of birds and a member of our group asked him what they were. He replied “Pigeons”. I thought he was joking but on closer inspection they were indeed pigeons. I have no idea why they are here on an island, and so far north.
He told us that in 1627, three Barbary Pirates ships attacked settlements along southern Iceland, in which hundreds of residents were taken into slavery in North Africa and dozens killed; this was the only invasion in Icelandic history to have casualties. It had a major impact on the population, and it took many years for the population to recover.
Our guide Haukur reflected on life by reminiscing that when men are young, they play basketball. Then as they age, they turn to soccer and eventually to golf. Essentially, he said that as we age our balls get smaller!
In 1973, lava flow from nearby Eldfell destroyed half the town and threatened to close its harbour. The winds changed, and ash blew on the town, destroying half of it. During the night, the 5,000 inhabitants were evacuated, mostly by fishing boats, as almost the entire fishing fleet was in dock due to bad weather. As a result, there was a lot of seasickness as well. While evacuating the elderly people they had to go back and retrieve their false teeth. They were all just thrown into a bag and so they didn’t know which teeth were whose. One fellow went back to get a packet of cigarettes but forgot about his wallet next to them.
The lava flow threatened to destroy the harbour but they sprayed the lava with cold seawater saving the harbour. The eruption increased the area of Heimaey by 2.4 square kilometres.
Entire houses were covered by the lava flow.
We walked up about two-thirds of the Eldfell but it was so windy and exposed, I for one decided that was enough for me, as did a few of our other group.
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