While the uninhabited islands now known as the Falklands
(with two main islands and 750 smaller ones) were discovered by the Portuguese
in the 16th century, they were not colonized until the French and
British, unbeknownst to each other, established ports on different islands.
And, at one point, Spain claimed them as well. All withdrew, and the first
permanent settlement didn’t take root until the 1840s when, in an effort to
establish a colony, the British sent a group of military pensioners over with a
shipment of kit houses and gave them each 10 acres to cultivate.
You have to understand the UK is 8,000 miles from the
Falklands and that Argentina (who call the Falklands Islas Malvinas) is 350
miles away. In 1883 the UK started the fight between the Falklands (British)
and the Argentinians. Argentina considered the Falklands to be a part of the
Patagonian landscape. On April 2, 1982, armed conflict between Great Britain
and Argentina over ownership of the islands erupted. The 74-day war ended on
June 14, 1982 with the UK being victorious. The General Belgano was an
Argentinian warship that was hit during the war, but the thought is that it was
in neutral waters. During the war there were 649 Argentines, 258 British and
two citizens of the Falklands killed. There are still many mines left over from
this war.
Today the population of the islands is around 3,000,
two-thirds of whom live in Stanley, the capital, which in many ways resembles a
small English fishing village with pubs and shops. Outside of Stanley, the
penguins are the islands biggest draw. Gentoo, king, rockhopper, marconi
magellanic and many other types roost here, along with one of the world’s
largest colonies of black-browed albatross. The Falkland’s are a birders
paradise, with rare species such as the flightless steamer duck, white chinned
petrel and sooty shearwater gathering here in great numbers.
We did not take a tour here, but took the tender into town.
It was a long tender ride as we anchor outside the bay where Stanley is and
come into the bay by tender. The weather was as expected, cold and rainy and
windy. We got started on our tender and the engine stopped. He did get one going
and off we went. Here is my view from the tender.
We went from the dock to the information hut and got our map
and off we went. The architecture is very interesting. It is a very small town,
with not much going on.
The streets are pretty and we stopped at the cathedral to
take a couple of pictures. Next to it was a memorial to the time the British
came and it was surrounded by whale bones.
Across the street was a dock with the Cormorants on it, that
look like penguins. You will see in the background some names on the cliffs
made out of stone. They are names of British battleships that have visited the
Falklands.
We then went by City Hall and a small museum.
Walking back we saw some more of the architecture and an interesting
sign in the store we were in.
After shopping we ended up at a pub. Of course we saw people
we knew, this time it was the Canadians, Deana and Jim. The bartender said, no
tap beer, no local beer as it will give you the shits. So I had a Scottish Beer
and Steve had a British one.
Always in quest of a lighthouse I snapped this picture from
the tender. Not sure it is really a light house.
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