June 20, 2006

• Back from Scotland

  We are back from our vacation and I am finally organized enough to have time to blog and share some pictures. I LOVED Scotland, especially Orkney which was just breath taking at every turn! Add all the history and I could spend weeks exploring. Orkney is a set of islands in Scotland, off the northern tip. It is so high up that we had almost 22 hours of daylight while there. It is just weird to see the sun in the sky at 11 pm!!

  
  

  Orkney has a rich and long history, with some of the oldest human settlements ever found. Skara Brea is dated at 5000 years old..pre-dating even the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids. Following these neo-lithic people, who apparently lived in this area for hundreds of years, were the Vikings. So just all sorts of interesting things to see at every turn. We explored one old tomb from the neo-lithic period that was “re-discovered” by
  Viking crusaders from Iceland. These Vikings used it to shelter from a storm and spent their hours carving rune graffiti with things like “I am the best rune writer ever”. Humble, too! There were even puns and jokes and the guide told us they had evidence they were very well educated.

  
  

  Anyhow, we had the best weather possible, everyone kept commenting on how lucky we were to hit their best weather of the year. Joe just told them we brought California weather with us. Another humble type! So without further ado, here are some Orkney photos I took. It was hard to not take great pictures!

  
  

  

  
  

  This is the type of view everywhere you go. Rolling countryside, grazing sheep and cows, water and an absence of trees. Apparently, it is difficult for trees to grow due to the winds.

  
  

  

  
  

  This is the home of the friend we stayed with. Most all buildings are made in this style and most of the walls you see are stacked stone, very similar to the stone walls you see in New England. As you may guess, it rains a lot, so everything is very lush and green.

  
  

  

  
  

  The yellow plant is called broom and grows wild, all over, adding splashes of color to the green fields. It was just beautiful to see from the plane window.

  
  

  

  
  

  Here is one of the excavated neo-lithic homes in Skara Brae. The square in the center is the fire pit, to the left is a bed area where they would use furs for warmth. The roof would have been canvas over a frame, that was then covered with earth and grass except for a hole to allow smoke out. The rooms were surprising large inside and comfortable feeling. Each home was connected to the others by underground tunnels so they didn’t have to go out in storms.

  
  

  

  
  

  Another area of Skara Brea, they think this was likely a shares building, perhaps a workshop of some type.

  
  

  

  
  

  A view of the ocean from Skara Brea. I can see why this area was picked so long ago as a place to live. Storms or not, it is just stunningly beautiful!

  
  

  

  
  

  The main island has the largest town, Kirkwall. I saw this sign while we were getting some gas for the car. I guess this is a popular area for the river otters to play.

  
  

  

  
  

  Here is the Ring I blogged about earlier. Wow! Originally it was 60 stones, something like 32 are still standing and center is filled with heather.  Apparently at least a few have been hit by lightning and cracked and/or knocked down over time.

  
  

  

  
  

  This amused me. In the middle of a sheep field, along the fence was this ‘mini’ house someone built. It is about 3 feet tall and the sheep seem to like it to lounge against.

  
  

  

  
  

  This is in Kirkwall. There is a lovely cathedral there and two ruins: the Bishop’s Palace and the Earl’s Palace. This is a pic of the Earl’s palace, taken through a hall window in the far wing.

  
  

  

  
  

  Here you can see the Earl’s palace with the Magnus cathedral in the background.

  
  

  

  
  

  Oh, and with the island of Shetland not too far away, it is not uncommon to see Shetland ponies around. These were by an elementary school.

  
  

  Next I will highlight our visit to Edinburgh and our adventures there. Hugs to all!

  • 6:11 pm
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