Page 97 - 2003 - Atlantic Islands

mountains and the volcano looked short (or were invisible) because their tops were

just insubstantial clouds of fog and rain. The lower slopes were rugged and cindery

and sported several colors, like greens, reds, browns, mauves, and beige.

The town spread out before us with its colorful small houses cast about the

greensward. It was hard to believe that our own neighborhood of St. Nicholas was

bigger than this whole country - in population and area. We have 312 houses and

Tristan has just 317 inhabitants.

The green sod and lava rock fences made us think of Ireland (of course the constant

misting did nothing to dispel this impression either). From the boats, the soil looked

thick and rich and that turned out to be so in town and at the “potato patches” but

certainly not deep enough to produce peat. Besides, this volcanic island has probably

not been above the surface of the sea long enough to form peat.

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