Scotland, Part 2

Our second week in Scotland began in Orkney. To get there we took a car ferry across open water from Scrabster to Stromness.  It was hard to get a good photo of this enormous ferry, but here is a likeness in Legos.

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but one of the notable occurrences of this adventure has been the apparent cure of my lifelong struggle with motion sickness. (Those who have traveled with me before know that I always had to sit in the front seat in a car or a bus and that I took Dramamine with my vitamins in the morning if I was going to ride in a car, train bus or boat during the day.) Well, it’s GONE! And this ferry ride was the biggest test, and I passed!!

Orkney is a collection of islands off the north coast of Scotland, a treeless landscape that has a stark beauty about it.

We stayed in a cottage (Airbnb) on the edge of Loch Stenness. Two attractive features about the places were a ‘summerhouse’ out back where we could have our wine and watch the sun go down while being serenaded by Scottish music on the CD player inside

and a sweet old dog who hung out at our back door each night waiting for plates to lick…

Orkney contains many prehistoric sites.  These Neolithic monuments predate the Pyramids and Stonehenge and include the Ring of Brogar, a ring (as wide as a football field) of standing stones (27 of the original 60-80 remain).

We took a guided tour led by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable Scotswoman who really helped us to understand the significance of this site and the work that is being done to preserve it.

Close by are the Stones of Stenness, another collection of fewer but older standing stones.

Also nearby is Maeshowe, a chambered tomb built around 3500BC that looks like a large mound from the outside, but is remarkably intact inside. Entering it is reminiscent of crouching down to get into the Pyramids.

Finally, there is Skara Brae, a Neolithic village that was uncovered by a windstorm in 1850 and shows how these people lived in well-constructed subterranean homes.

Orkney was an important Naval Base for the British during both World Wars.  The archipelago provided a natural harbor for British fleet that is referred to as Scapa Flow. During WWI, to thwart U-Boat attacks, the British scuttled dozens of old ships and fishing boats between the small islands, many of which can still be seen, especially at low tide. During WWII, Churchill determined that a more secure barrier was needed after a U-Boat breeched the harbor to attack the battleship HMS Royal Oak. He brought Italian POWs in to build stone and concrete barriers between the islands.  Dubbed the Churchill Barriers, these now serve as causeways that accommodate cars from one island to another.

One of the most poignant reminders of that time is the Italian Chapel, built by the prisoners for their use.  While the facade looks Baroque, it is really two quonset huts that make up the structure.

The interior is evidence of the exceptional craftsmen and artists (the POWs) who built this, and their devotion to their religion.

After leaving Orkney the way we arrived (by ferry), we drove south. After the barrenness of the islands, the heather covered hillsides were absolutely lush.

Here’s a closeup of these lovely purple flowers:

We arrived in Inverness in the rain and were grateful that the Colloden Battlefield Visitor Center provided a very detailed exhibition of the critical defeat of Bonnie Price Charlie and the Jacobites in 1746, with the resulting spread of British influence over Scotland, without our having to go outside to the battlefield itself.  The Rick Steves guidebook suggests that if Bonnie Prince Charlie had preserved and taken the English throne, the US might still be part of the British empire! Unfortunately, the weather kept us from exploring the city of Inverness on our one overnight there. Maybe next visit…

The drive south to our final stop in Stirling was beautiful, rolling hills and forests and really good roads! On the way, we made a detour to the town of St Andrews. No, Rick did not play a round on the iconic course (no time…), but we did glimpse it and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, and had time to buy a couple of souvenirs.

We then took a Rick Steves walking tour through this charming town, through narrow lanes

past the University where princes and commoners study together

and to the ruins of a castle and cathedral, both casualties of the Scottish Reformation, but interestingly preserved for tourists today.

Who’s that guy looking at his phone??

Stirling is sometimes called the patriotic heart of Scotland because so many important battles in the various campaigns for Scottish independence were fought here. The Stirling Castle, which we both agreed was more impressive and approachable than Edinburgh Castle, served as the stronghold to keep invaders out of the Highlands. Set high on a volcanic perch above the River Forth, it has been said that “He who holds Stirling, holds Scotland!”

Just outside Stirling are the William Wallace Monument and the Bannockburn Heritage Center, both commemorating significant military victories, and an engineering marvel, the Falkirk Wheel.  This contraption is like a slow-motion Ferris wheel that lifts boats 80 feet (!) between two canals. Rather than using rising & lowering water (like traditional locks), boats float into a water-filled gondola and the Wheel takes them up or down.  It’s hard to capture in a photo, but it’s remarkable in reality.

We made one more stop on our way the the Edinburgh Airport at Rosslyn Chapel. This private chapel of the Sinclair family is known for its iconography (featured in The DaVinci Code) There are speculative theories concerning the connection to Freemasonry, the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail.  Who knows? But it was interesting to see.

I have a few final reflections on the Scottish people.  They do speak English but you’d never know it, especially when they are talking to each other! And they are eternally pleasant and patient. We never heard a cross word or saw a dirty look, EVER! And they do have some funny idioms…
“She’s done a runner” means “Well, it was there when I last looked, but it’s gone now.”
“She put too much butter in the puddin'” means her performance was a bit over there top…overheard from some guys leaving Fringe Festival event in Edinburgh.

We’re off to Ireland. Sláinte!