Hi guys! This past week, my family and I decided to take a trip to the island of Viðey. Shepherding ourselves over to the ferry that would take us the 500 meter stretch away from the mainland at about noon, we were excited. On the journey over, my brother and I stood on the outside ferry deck trying to balance ourselves as the boat crested some pretty sizable waves (I managed a whole 30 seconds without falling/holding on to the railing).
After arriving, we crossed the isthmus farther down the island to see some of the artistic columns, part of Richard Serra’s Milestones exhibition, scattered around the adjacent cliffs. As we were crossing the rocks, though, we got a surprise! A group of seals was out in the water, and swam closer to us when they saw us crossing. Soon a group of about five or six were splashing in front of us. We stopped to look for a while before moving on, and were surprised to see them following us. Running up and down the beach, my sister excitedly took videos and pictures.
Continuing on, we scouted out for routes to get close to the different columns. About 10 to 15 feet high, they were scattered around the island, and we made our way to most of them, before heading back to see the Imagine Peace Tower to get back in time before the ferry left. While not as cool as when it is illuminated at night, standing near the Imagine Peace Tower offered a great view of the city, as well as the chance to read more about its original creation on some of the informational posters around the island.
Viðey was definitely a fun place to visit, and somewhere I’m excited to go again. While slightly limited in time this go around, I’m hopeful that visiting during the (warmer!) Summer will give me a chance to explore in more detail some of the other interesting places on the island, such as Viðey house as well a monument from WWII.
