Orkney 21 Sept

Blog Post for 21Sep09

Got up slowly and had breakfast at the hotel. Meg had the porridge today, without whiskey, but with honey and cream.

We then went back to downtown Kirkwall and finalized out travel arrangements to Inverness for tomorrow. Went to the public library and booked our flight on the Net. We then did a much more thorough tour of the shops than on our first day. Very nice local crafts, jewellery, etc, biut EXPENSIVE. No $350 sweaters appealled to us sufficiently. Lots of beautiful locally knit stuff with local wool. I'd see a gorgeous scarf for one of the girls and think, well, it's a bit much at 30 dollars, and then remember that it was 30 POUNDS!!. Sorry, girls, no scarves.

After a brief rest stop back in he hotel, we drove off to Stromness, the "Mainland's" second biggest population centre. A busy port on the Atlantic but small - 1 street. The Royal Navy has closed the base at Scapa Flow. After a mediocre lunch at the impressive looking Stromness Hotel, we toured the shopping district (all 2 blocks of it). Had to observe the horse drawn hearse with Victorian-dressed attendance transport a real coffin in a real funeral like they did under Queen Victoria.

Ended up at the Stromness Museum. It had an interesting collection of German naval artifacts relating to the scuttling the German High Seas Fleet in Scapa Flow in 1918 and the sinking of the Royal Oak by submarine in October 1939, also in Scapa Flow. Of greater interest was the substantial collection relating to the Hudson's Bay Company and the huge role of Orkneymen therein, especially John Rae. Throughout the town people raised the HBC connection when learning we were from Canada and that Edmonton started out as an HBC trading post.

Drove back to Kirkwall in time for a tour of the Highland Park distillery, one block down from our hotel. Quite interesting and we all got a wee dram to sample at the end, but pricey. Not my favourite scotch but was good to learn how it all happens.

Two funniest signs on the Okney highways: Otters crossing next 200 yds. and the Church at Twatt. Your mother wanted a picture of the latter but I wouldn’t go for it – she just had to make do with thinking “”that’s what she said” as we drove by.

We had dinner at a place called the Shore in town. Met and had a long talk with a couple from Kingston Ontario. The food was good but the place was noisy because “the Norwegian Navy” was in town – a 3 masted sailing ship with teenagers crewing and they were all partying in the place.

Tomorrow’s our last day here. We have until our flight leaves at about 4:30 pm for Inverness tomorrow.