Ahoy there me mateys! Welcome to the newest installment on me Log, Wayfare Wednesdays! As ye scalawags know, yer Captain always be spending me time dreaming of the next far off ports and searching of a good adventure. So I thought I would give the crew some insight into the fascinating people, places, and things I saw while ye all were wallowing in port in some filthy tavern, swilling grog, and missin’ the sights. Ye know in case ye miscreants ever get the chance to plunder visit these destinations in the future . . .
archaic : an act or course of journeying (source)
As some of ye may know, I recently had a line on a rumor of a bit of Viking treasure, Scottish ruins, and Elizabethan artifacts. The sea was a’ calling. So off I went. After eighteen days of adventurin’ in Iceland, Norway, Scotland, and England, I be back to share me tales. I shall be splittin’ these stories into several installments due to yer befuddled, swill-saturated noggins. The first foray was Iceland then Norway. Next stop – Scotland!
If ye missed day one of Iceland click here. For day two of Iceland click here.
For day one of Norway (Bergen) click here. For day two of Norway (Geirangr) click here. For day three of Norway (Lofoten) click here. For day four of Norway (Tromsø) click here. For day five of Norway (Honningsvåg) click here.
For day one of Scotland (Shetland Islands) click here.
Scotland was the land of castles, history, and lovely scenery. We (me and the ma) spent three full days there. The second day was the Orkney Island of Kirkwall. Kirkwall is the capital of the Orkneys. There is so much history and delight here. This will be long. We saw:
Skara Brae
This is a 5,000 year old village dubbed the “Scottish Pompeii” because it was only found 150 years ago and is extremely well preserved. The homes were hidden under sand dunes. So freakin’ cool. I enjoyed crawling in the tunnels of the replica home. This site was one of the main reasons I wanted to go on the whole trip. Took a billion photos here too but they really don’t show the awesomeness.
Skaill House
This is the 17th century mansion built by Bishop George Graham in 1620. All twelve of the lairds lived here. It is now a museum. Absolutely beautiful.
Ring of Brodgar
This is a ceremonial circle of 27 remaining standing stones and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I was kinda obsessed with how walking around the ring completely changed the perspective and took about a billion photos. Only a couple shown here though!
Kirkwall
Kirkwall itself was a lovely little town that I wish I could have explored more. Lots of cool things but not enough time!
St. Magnus Cathedral
This is a lovely Romanesque cathedral that was lovely inside and out.
Bishop and Earl’s Palaces
This be a complex with two ruinous palaces. The Bishop’s Palace dates to the 12th century while the Earl’s Palace is from 1600 to 1607. We didn’t get to go in because of time constraints but dang are they beautiful even from the outside.
The Orcandian Bookshop
And for ye bookwyrms out there i.e. me entire crew.
Keep a weathered eye out for more of me wayfare adventures. Next stop Edinburgh! Arrrr!
x The Captain
Side note: The Wayfair Wednesday featured image (source) is of two sailing vessels “dressed overall” with their international signal flags. Signal flags are the flags used to contact other ships. Well unless ye be a pirate in which case the Jolly Roger and yer cannons speak well enough. A ship dressed overall “consists of stringing international maritime signal flags on a ship from stemhead to masthead, from masthead to masthead and then down to the taffrail. It is a sign of celebration, and is done for occasions, anniversaries, and events, whether national, local or personal.” (source) Well, Wayfare Wednesday is certainly a celebration, occasion, and event no matter how ye look at it. Arrrrr!
This is a fantastic post – I love your pictures, thanks so much for sharing 😀
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Thanks for visiting!
x The Captain
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Ohhh! Does the second picture in the Skaill House sequence portray a secrete passage hidden by a bookcase? If so, it would be amazing… 🙂
Thanks for sharing!!!!
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The second picture did have things hidden behind the bookcase. I don’t believe it was a passage though (I wish!). It seemed to be a spot to hide documents and records of dastardly deeds. Thanks for the comment!
x The Captain
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That Bride Cog Recipe sounds real strong, man! Were you able to try some?
Love the arches at St. Magnus Cathedral.
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No bride cog for me! I think it would knock out the drinkers. Maybe they choose to get the bride that drunk so she could better handle the wedding night. Or maybe it was so she could get the groom sloshed and then she could dictate how she wanted her nights to go. I prefer the second. Actually I prefer partnership meself . . .
x The Captain
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I do believe the Ring of Brodgar may be the standing stones Billy Connolly famously danced naked around on one of his travelogue shows. I hope you kept your clothes on – it can get chilly in the Orkneys… 😉
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Apparently Billy Connolly did indeed dance naked around the stones. I did not. I was too cold. But even naked men dancing around the stones couldn’t have ruined me enjoyment of them. Majestic and awesome. Thanks for visiting!
x The Captain
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Those are some amazing pictures! The Scottish Pompeii village looks really cool. I could have spent ages there. (Or the bookshop. Or the museum. Or… well, on your entire trip. 😉 )
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I adored it there. I seriously wanted to explore every single Scottish island whether they be inhabited or not.
x The Captain
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The uninhabited ones might be even more fun. Looks lovely. I really need to make the time for a long visit across the pond.
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I really do love exploring the US and the national parks in particular. But the history across the pond just can’t be beat.
x The Captain
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I like seeing old culture, so the history part of Europe is fascinating to me. But I also want to visit the cliff dwellings and Aztec and Mayan ruins on this side of the pond, too.
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I have seen some cliff dwellings in New Mexico and Chichén Itzá in Mexico. Soooo cool. So aye, both recommended.
x The Captain
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Oh, awesome! We haven’t done enough mindful vacationing — we like to travel with a group of friends and so often we just go with the group to wherever instead of taking a hand in the planning stages. I think that will be a goal for me for the next decade (crazy that we’re almost there) — being more active in planning where I’m vacationing.
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Aye, join in the planning. Very good goal. I don’t mind just roaming sometimes. Depends on the group of friends and how OCD they be. Me one best friend has to have everything planned out. The other nothing.
x The Captain
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My favorite is the Ring of Brodgar. I’ve never heard of any of these, but it looks like a great place for immersing yourself in history😁 Thanks for sharing!
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I seriously could have walked around the Ring of Brodgar for a long time. I wanted to also sit and stare. But I was on a time crunch so I only got to walk completely around it once. I still consider that a win.
x The Captain
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All beautiful. Well, maybe not the tiger rug. Lol
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The rug is bad enough and then they had to add the ruffle! It offends me sensibilities. Arrr!
x The Captain
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Beautiful photos! I’ve only been to Edinburgh which is an amazing place but I need to see more of Scotland
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It really is another stunning country. Ye will just have to go back!
x The Captain
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