Breathtaking! Although I only got to see the milky way in the sky because of a power outage, it was worth it.
The reason I could see them is that my eyes do adapt to the night really well. I can still see around me when it is really dark while most people start remarking that it is getting dark. A side effect is that when I'm well adapted to dark places and a car passes by I get blinded by the head lights.