Stairs, Eider ducks and women

The sun found us again and woke us up from bed with its gentle rays. We rushed to get up, as you never know what it will be like in a few hours.

The island of Vega is known for 3 things. Eider ducks, which are as abundant here as almost nowhere else in Europe. Women who collected the very fine down of the Eider ducks, and some still do. And for via ferratas, which are only found in Norway outside the Alps. For non-mountaineers, there are even stairs to the mountains.

But back to the Eider ducks. In the past, up to 4,000 women on the island were busy collecting down after the breeding season and making blankets out of them. As a thank you and to ensure that the Eider ducks return every year, the women prepared nesting boxes in the winter and protected the ducks from predators.

This symbiosis even earned the island a listing as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Today there are only a few dozen women, as the ducks are very rare due to hunting, and as a result, a down blanket costs around € 5000.

Due to the beautiful weather, we took out hiking shoes and bicycles and set off on a journey. First a short hike. Then 12 kilometers against the wind and uphill to the climbing or stair mountain. Almost 1500 steep steps up and then the 12 km back.

In the evening we were hungry, tired but satisfied. More specifically, the children were hungry but still full of energy to play games. Anita and I just wanted to sleep.