...Sitting in an Internet cafe in an old Victorian spa town (sulphur springs -- like Saratoga or Ballston Spa). We have left Orkney and are headed back toward Glasgow, to arrive there Saturday evening.
I loved Orkney. Much more flat, farming country (they make the best commercial ice cream in the world there, Orkey ice cream), the landscape more like myown home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont. We saw the Stones of Stenness -- huge standing stones more than twice the height of a person -- Maeshowe, the finest chambered tomb in northwest Europe; and the Ring of Brodgar which originally had 60 stones with exactly 6 degrees between each two. Also saw Skara Brae, the Flintstone-esque village all made of stone. All wonderful and amazing to see what these early people (we're talking 5,000 years ago) could build. Visited an Italian chapel built out of a quonset hut by Italian POW's during WW II. Beautiful trompe l'oeil painting on the wall to make it look like there was 3-D sculpture; plus beautiful 6x6" wood bas-relief carvings of Jesus' demise. Awesome.
We are all gaining weight as we constantly are stopping at places for scones with cream, or having desserts such as meringue hazlenut strawberry/whipped cream cake, Orkney ice cream, Sticky Toffee Pudding, and the list goes on. We're all a bit weary of the vegetables served wtih dinners: boiled potatoes, peas or broccoli, and carrots. I haven't seen a salad in 10 days. We've eaten salmon, haddock, cod, sea scallops with the foot attached....monkfish, smoked fish of various kinds, lamb, and Highland beef steak (yum). Breakfast is getting tiresome too, eggs and bacon, eggs and bacon, porridge, or eggs and bacon...
Well, that's all for the moment.
I loved Orkney. Much more flat, farming country (they make the best commercial ice cream in the world there, Orkey ice cream), the landscape more like myown home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont. We saw the Stones of Stenness -- huge standing stones more than twice the height of a person -- Maeshowe, the finest chambered tomb in northwest Europe; and the Ring of Brodgar which originally had 60 stones with exactly 6 degrees between each two. Also saw Skara Brae, the Flintstone-esque village all made of stone. All wonderful and amazing to see what these early people (we're talking 5,000 years ago) could build. Visited an Italian chapel built out of a quonset hut by Italian POW's during WW II. Beautiful trompe l'oeil painting on the wall to make it look like there was 3-D sculpture; plus beautiful 6x6" wood bas-relief carvings of Jesus' demise. Awesome.
We are all gaining weight as we constantly are stopping at places for scones with cream, or having desserts such as meringue hazlenut strawberry/whipped cream cake, Orkney ice cream, Sticky Toffee Pudding, and the list goes on. We're all a bit weary of the vegetables served wtih dinners: boiled potatoes, peas or broccoli, and carrots. I haven't seen a salad in 10 days. We've eaten salmon, haddock, cod, sea scallops with the foot attached....monkfish, smoked fish of various kinds, lamb, and Highland beef steak (yum). Breakfast is getting tiresome too, eggs and bacon, eggs and bacon, porridge, or eggs and bacon...
Well, that's all for the moment.
I hope everyone is well and that it's hot there! Swim for me. It's pleasantly warm but not hot.
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