Skye is a Beauty.

September 4, 2023September 4, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 6 Comments

We are so very lucky. The weather is perfect for Skye. The sky is blue. No breeze. And fortunately for us , not as crowded as we thought.

We set off for the Fairy Pools. We’d heard the roads were super busy but we had no trouble. We parked and then the trouble began. It’s a 1.5 km walk in and 1.5 out. A lot of it downhill to start then flat then uphill.

I started but just couldn’t do it. So sat patiently in the sun while Steve headed off.

He made it in good time so off we went through the most beautiful countryside.

Coffee called and we found a lovely little cafe. There are not too many villages. They are small little places but lots of farm houses around. More populated than Shetland or The outer Hebrides will be.

Next stop ……. Another castle. Dunvegan. It belongs to the MacLeod clan. By other castle standards it’s little – but it’s a little beauty. I could stay there – in summer.

Inside the entrance the stairs climb to the main castle rooms.

The dining room is intimate. Only seats 16

There are several old cannons for protection.

And the gardens are beautiful. There’s a walled garden, a water garden , a rhododendron garden and a wild wood.

Portree is the capital and is a buzzy hub compared to the rest of the island. It boasts a cute harbour with coloured buildings.

This is a photo of a photo. There are no clouds today.

There are lots of ice cream shops, little shops with the usual tourist offerings. But it’s the boats and water we are drawn to.

We drive north and stopped at The Storr. Storr’ means ‘big’ or ‘giant’. In Celtic mythology, Skye was once the island of warring giants. After a particularly vicious fight, an enormous giant was slain on the Trotternish ridge. I love all the myths and legends from these islands.

It’s hard to photograph this Rocky outcrop.

The coastline here is stunning. Especially in this weather.

We head up the Quiraing. This is a land slip on the northern part of Skye. You drive up a winding road to the summit and stop to look back at the spectacular view.

Today being a beautiful blue day I spotted some locals removing the hay bales and the wooden wreath from where Alan married Sophie. I’d seen a banner as we drove up. And there at the top saw Alan himself. Newly married moving the hay to the wedding reception or Ceilidh ( kay-lee)

The best man in kilt moving the flower arbor

The best man stopped and chatted and had the best legs in a kilt I’ve seen.

We could have continued over the Quiraing but headed back from where we’d come to continue up the coast.

The drive was beautiful. We were listening to radio Skye and they gave instructions on how to drive. The roads here are narrow so there are little passing bays every 300 metres.

The manners of driving. If you are slow like most of the vans then pull over and wave those behind you on. Some people didn’t get the message. But here it’s best to go with the flow. Which we did. It wasn’t very busy and we passed little townships , lots of sheep , beautiful coastlines , a beach with some hardy souls swimming and despite the blue skies the water would be cold!

Sitting comfortably in the house where they brought up 10 children.

We arrived at the Museum of Skye. A series of Croft houses showing how people lived. A little similar to those on Shetland. We’re becoming quite knowledgeable about Crofting here on the islands.

From here we continued around the top of Skye to the Fairy Glen.

Fairy Glen. Pretty pools and rocky outcrops.

We arrived at our Hotel Uig. A great place with a beautiful view and we had a lovely garden room with table outside our door where we could have a drink looking at the sunset ( and dry some washing. ) It doesn’t get dark here until around 8.30!

Dinner was in the dining room and I had the most delicious caprese salad which is my favourite Italian salad which was good as straight after we got got talking to people I’d met in the car park earlier.

Turns out they are from Messina in Sicily. We shared a drink and lots of conversation. Such a lovely couple. They love to travel and we suggested they come to Brisbane and they invited us to their beach house in northern Sicily.

This is why travel is so great. It opens the world to people and places.

Outer Hebrides: islands of contrast.

September 3, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

We caught the ferry at 9.50 after a big breakfast at our hotel. If breakfast is included we eat up and skip lunch.

The ferry takes 2 hours from Uig in the nothern part of Skye to Tarbert on Harris around the middle part of the Hebrides.

From the top of Skye to the dot – Tarbert

It’s around 11.30when we arrive so after a look at Harris Tweed we head north to Stornaway the capital of the islands.

Arrived in Tarbert for the ladies craft fair. Not much else happens here

The drive up is via the only main road and takes about an hour. Stornaway is much livelier than Tarbert with its harbour, narrow streets, little shops and cafes.

The castle and museum is the draw card in this town. We make our way there and like all museums it’s is free.

The castle is old and the museum extension new but have been sympathetically joined together

The museum tells the history of the Hebrides from the earliest inhabitants to the present and how the land and sea have shaped them.

They have a very good screen section with people from different parts of the Hebrides talking about their lives. I learned a lot about island life and by the end felt I knew Sophie, Callum, and some of the other residents. One thing is clear. Living here gets under the skin.

It may look remote ( it is) lonely ( it’s not) but they are definitely a community who pull together. People leave but often come back.

The museum also houses 6 of the 12th century Lewis chess men found here. They are in perfect condition and each piece is constructed to tell a story.

The buildings in Stornaway are old and mostly dark on a grey day they look particularly dark

We drove out of the town towards the Calanais standing stones. they are dated to be 5,000 years old, older than Stonehenge and many stories surround their erection.

You can walk around them and touch them.

I thought if I touched one I might be transported back in time. A bit like Claire in Highlanders.

We continued driving, stopping here and there to admire views or houses. These islands are about absorbing the land.

Our hotel the Harris is an old world one with staircases going up and off in different directions. Creaky floors , doors that stick just a little, hot water that takes 15min to travel up to our attic apartment and of course no wifi in the attic.

So we spent time in the comfortable lounge before a lovely dinner in the lovely dining room . I seem to only eat seafood here. Salmon, cod, scallops or prawns. No haggis for me.

Isle of Skye

September 2, 2023September 2, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 1 Comment

We left Edinburgh by 9 and we’re heading north through places with familiar names.

Stopping in Perth we had to visit the Black Watch Museum. One of Scotland mist famous Highland regimens.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Watch

We are in the land of highlands, tartans, clans, whiskies, castles and palaces.

Along the road there are signs pointing to the castles that each area seems to have. And if you’re a Highlanders fan and love Jamie you should come to this country.

We drove on towards the Isle of Skye through beautiful scenes of mountains , green fields , heather , trickling streams, lochs, but no Loch Ness monster, waterfalls and camper vans. There are lots here.

Had a little walk through the bush to find the waterfall.

Our first big castle was Eilean Donan castle on Kyle of Lochalsh. Before you cross over to Skye. It was getting late. Around 4.30 – we were able in for free. It’s a moody, dark castle in the most beautiful spot.

Walking around I like to imagine the people who lived here back in the 15thC. The life they had and here are we today with our cameras on iPhones walking the same ground.

We crossed the big bridge to Skye. This has made it easier to travel there leading to overcrowding. The number of small vans on the road is pretty amazing.

We booked at the Guesthouse in the first town over the bridge. Kyleakin. Our guest house is newly renovated and quite comfortable though I do wonder if owners ever actually stay in the rooms themselves. We rate it 2 🛌 🛌 Nicely fitted out room with a comfortable bed . But tiny bathroom, no toiletries, no shelf over the sink or in the shower. Breakfast was a tray in the room with packets of cereals , tea etc. not much really. It was really impersonal. All keyless no contact with owners only the sounds of other guests.

That night we treated ourselves to a special dinner at Kinloch Lodge. It’s a beautiful old house with bedrooms facing a large stretch of water and st sunset was magnificent.

The dinner was expensive but so delicious. Our waiter was from Terrigal in NSW Aus.

Such a beautiful setting at Kinloch Lodge

We’d heard there were loads of midges on Syke but I risked it and left the window open. It’s lovely weather and not as cool as I thought it would be. We’ve been lucky!

The Leith Water Walk

August 28, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 6 Comments

Saturday. The sun is shining. Everyone is out. Locals as well as tourists are making the most of this beautiful day. The festival officially ends this weekend so it’s a good chance to see things.

We chose to do a quiet activity. No loud musicals or street theatre. We caught the bus 26 to Roseburn Just a few km from the city centre. It’s a world away.

We got off the bus and crossed an old stone bridge which lead down the slope to the Water of Leith , a small creek which winds around the city to the port of Leith.

We started walking along a softly padded path under trees alongside the water. Immediately I felt relaxed and a million miles from the busy festival city.

There were Saturday joggers, lots of dog walkers and a few tourists like us.

We followed a few ducks as they splashed along and admired the luck of the people who lived on the opposite side of the water.

I was imagining being invited to a garden party in summer drinking a gin and listening to the splashing water.

It wasn’t long before we came to a bridge crossing the waterway then climbed about 80 steps to the Museum of Modern Art.

We arrived at it garden entrance. Set up with tables we stopped for coffee.

People sitting in the warming sun were locals with dogs : what a great place to walk to and meet friends.

Graduated paint colour as you walk down the hall.

We took the lift up to the gallery floors. A special exhibition was on. It was colourful and meaningful.

The main doors took us to the sculpture gardens and the main gates.

Crossing the road we arrived at the Modern 2. This was a school going back years. In fact I read a book where the school had a mention as some of the plot took place there! So I was ready for the beautiful building with the turrets.

Following the path down through the gardens we turned left through some iron gates and continued on the Leith Walk.

Around the next corner- a little waterfall.

The water meandered along coming to the very picturesque Dean Village.

Taking a break in a children’s playground we found another piece of history.

If you come to Edinburgh you really must do this walk. You can do a long version or this section.

We arrived at Stockbridge which was jumping.

It’s a little village with pubs, restaurants & cafe and yet another charity shop. I’ve noticed these charity shops everywhere . A bit like our St Vincent’s de Paul. But lots of different types of charities. With some great looking clothes and items in their windows. If you like vintage these shops are for you.

We rested our feet at Hectors with a beer and a fish cake for me and a pie for Steve. Not just any old pie. A pie that won an award. every pie seems to have won an award.

Did I say we love our apartment. It’s so handy to everything including buses to all parts of the city. So home we went for an hours rest before dinner with Bill & M-F at the Brassiere near us.

But first another bus ride and a laid back guitar player. Very cool.

Delicious prawns and a gin and we were off to Usher Hall again to hear Simon Bolivar.

This is a world renowned orchestra from Venezuela. And it’s a young orchestra. Aged up to 28.

They started with a piece composed by a Venezuelan Paul Desenne, a man who helped establish the orchestra.

The next was a composition by another Venezuelan Gonzalo Gray-who was in the orchestra and it featured the cuatro. This is like a small guitar.

Jorge Glem came on stage and had wonderful presence.

The conductor obviously knew him well and boy could he play. It was such a lively piece. The Venezuelan people in the audience were on their feet cheering. It was infectious.

The audience demanded an encore and he played the most amazing arrangement-based on a Viennese waltz which turned into a Venezuelan bear. Maracas were out. Feet are stamping. Fabulous.

After interval they played a more Mahler Symphony 1in D Major. Beautiful energy in the playing. And then the audience demanded more.

So they delivered. The musicians brought our their symbolic medals on a Venezuelan coloured ribbon hung them around their necks. And the rhythmic beats started. The drums, cymbals the hand clamping. The shouting, the standing , sitting. An in stage party!

The orchestra wearing their medals and ribbons

You couldn’t help smiling when it was all over. We met our friends again outside and said a fond farewell. For 2 weeks. We’ll be seeing them in NY for our Galapagos swim trek reunion.

Bills car with Steve & M-F squeezed in the back

Home to bed with feet still tapping !

Take a Tour of the Royal Britannia !

August 26, 2023August 27, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 3 Comments

Fans of the Royal family or not there is always a fascination with their castles, palaces and this ship.

Decommissioned in 1997 as a working ship for the Queen, it’s clocks were stopped at 3 minutes past 3 when she stepped off the ship for the last time.

I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. As usual everything was well organised. No crowds to battle. Tickets are sold in entry times to stagger the people coming on board.

It took us first to the Captains bridge. All the important equipment for driving this ship! Beautiful shiny instruments now looking outdated.

We explored the crew’s areas. The mess for the officers, the seaman’s quarters.

Of course the Royal bedrooms were understated elegance. The Queen and Prince Phillip had adjacent rooms with single beds. Mmmm.

The only Royal bedroom with a double was the honeymoon suite. Charles apparently requested a double when he and Diana married. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for them.

The sundeck room was fun with its bar and games and great views.

We followed the numbered trail around the ship with our little audio handheld set pressed to our ears.

The officers’ dining room looked quite formal except for the wombat sitting in the fan ! Thrown there at one drinks session and never taken down.

As we moved around the ship there were lots of family photos. I think the Royal family loved being on board.

We saw the laundry, the hospital and the formal dining room room where many Presidents and Heads of State have been entertained

By this time Steve would have enjoyed a beer. So he sat at the Officers bar. Unfortunately these were fake beers.

The ship is docked at Leith – the port about 20 minutes by tram from the centre of Edinburgh. Such a great tram system. One tram does a route from Leith through the city and then out to the airport.

And a big applause for the buses. We have worked them out and you can get a tap-tap-cap fare where after 2 rides the fares are capped for the day at £4.80 in total. So we’ve been jumping on and off the buses. Great bonus with a sore knee.

Being in Leith had me singing the Proclaimers’ song ‘Sunshine on Leith’ – it’s beautiful and is one of my choir songs. This clip shows scenes in and around Leith filmed in a cafe there.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Iesps9w4HFw&si=9uAUjKuyYmtiZ_xt

From Musical to the best of Irish Comedy to the Tattoo.

August 26, 2023August 27, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 3 Comments

There is so much on in this Festival city. Everywhere you walk someone puts a brochure in your hand.

One of the Irish comedians. It was F#^#%ing funny.

We went to The Best of Irish Comedy. In a basement with a bar, of course, and a very funny MC who reminded the people in the front row perhaps they should have chosen seats further back. Lots of ribbing for them.

There were three comedians. The first a young woman who was great – very funny.

The second, a young man, a bit of a storyteller in a very funny way.

The last act was a man with a stammer I thought he was pretending. But no, he had quite a stammer. Which became the theme of an ongoing joke. He was funny but I found it a bit excruciating. I kept wanting to give the words to him.

Deciding what to see is the problem. When we got the program a few months ago we were choosing blind! That is, we didn’t know anything about any of the Fringe shows.

We knew the Oslo Philharmonic, the Simon Bolivar Orchestra. But with the Fringe it’s pot luck. We booked a few winners and a few we should have left alone. Not that they were bad. They just weren’t us. It’s probably better to come and check out things here. There a much more to take in than looking in a programme!

Today we saw Big Fish. an American short musical. It had appeal, but for us in a crowded theatre we felt out of it for young people loud, music thumping and actors singing loudly. And the most uncomfortable seats!

We fitted a drink in on the roof terrace of Harvey Nicholls. Beautiful views. Nice gin.

Then off to the a Royal Mile. Across to the Old City.

Yes, the Tattoo. We were looking forward to this so much. There were so many people. But we managed to find a little Mexican (!) place for a quick bite. Then a slow walk up the Mile …..

It was very well organised. Thousands of people. They have little mobile bars set up in the Castle forecourt. So people were milling around. We made our way up to our seats. Nice & high so we could take everything in.

Then the show started. Bands of all kinds from Norway, Switzerland, USA, Scots College Sydney, Irish fling dancers, drummers and dancers from Trinidad, more Pipe bands, precision marching. And all the time projected colours and images into the castle walls.

Each year there is a theme. This year “Stories”. Unfortunately there was no commentary like you get on the tv version of the Tattoo. It would have been good to have someone tell you who was on. I was right as Steve knows about bands and which countries they were from. Our friends found the theme Stories hard to follow.

I tend to just go with the flow. And loved it. The whole experience. We chatted to the people around us. There was quite a party atmosphere. We had New Zealanders, Sydneysiders, English, Japanese.

The show finishes with all the performers on the forecourt. Marching , singing, dancing. And fireworks.

We made our way down from the Castle. It was so busy but orderly and friendly. And home by midnight! Poor Bill and M-F had a 40 minute drive to their little village outside of Edinburgh.

Festival Fever with a Friends

August 23, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 3 Comments

It’s always fun to meet up with friends to share a great experience so we thank Bill and Marie-France for driving up from Sussex to spend a few days in Edinburgh.

We were meeting them at midday for lunch before our Acoustic Blues at the Jazz Club.

So we set out early to go to the Writers Museum and St Giles’ church first.

The Museum dedicated to Scotland’s 3 famous authors : Scott, Stevenson & Robert Burns

We had passed it yesterday on our walk but didn’t have time to call in. Today we did. A very beautiful constrained tribute to these three authors. Back in Australia it is Book Week for Children and our grandson loves Dr Seuss! He dressed as The Cat in the Hat and it fits well with my visit to the Writers Museum.

He may grow up to read Stevenson’s
Treasure Island.

We continued onto St Giles’ Cathedral, founded in 1124 by King David I, has been a working church for almost 900 years.

Just one of the many stained glass windows.

A little more walking brought us to the top of pretty West Bow Street to Howies Restaurant. I had read about it being great food and its special £17.95 lunch and made a booking. It was perfect for a reunion with Bill and M-F. We met Bill a few years ago on a swim trek in Galapagos and then met M-F when last in London.

Lunch was terrific. Haggis for Bill and Steve’ entree!

From lunch we walked to nearby Chambers Street and the Jazz Club. Down the stairs we went into a suitably dark jazz club atmosphere even though it was 2.30 in the afternoon.

An hour of mellow jazz and a G&T followed.

Then off to the Museum of Scotland. What a place! M-F and I went to the special exhibition ‘Beyond the Little Black Dress’

From design classics to cutting-edge catwalk creations, Beyond the Little Black Dress deconstructs this iconic garment and examines the radical power of the colour black in fashion.

It was lovely to share it with the French M-F as she is very interested in textiles and fashion. We had a lot of fun deconstructing the LBD’s on display.

Bill and Steve checked out some other galleries but truely you need a day to see it all.

Steve ran off to the Writer’s festival so I had to make my way back to our little apartment. Not too far. About 2km. I hobbled along until in the traffic jam around the Grassmarket I spied a taxi. I jumped in and encouraged the driver to do a 3 point turn to get out of the traffic and into the direction I wanted to go! he says I’m not supposed to but did!

I was home and resting withered in 10 mins. Because after an hour we headed out again to go back across to the Festival Theatre to see the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Founded in 1958 by dancer, choreographer, and visionary Alvin Ailey, to bring African American modern dance to audiences.

We worked out the bus routes and times and caught it to the Festival Theatre.

The theatre itself appeared more traditional.

It was described as a mix of dance with ballet and modern technique, it exudes an easy, carefree energy. It was exciting. The recorded music was jazz in the first part then the second dance was a mixtape’ of soul, hip-hop and R&B . I liked it – Steve not so much!

Back on the bus through the streets heaving with Festival goers.

Edinburgh Festival Fever

August 23, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

We may have 10 days here but there is a lot to see and do in this compact city.

We set out at 9.30 after a late night unpacking and settling into our little Edinburgh apartment.

We walked down the street and around the corner and 5minutes later we could see Edinburgh castle.

Our apartment is the little red marking bottom left.

We walked in it’s shadow heading towards Grassmarket in the Old Town before heading up a winding street to Greyfriars Bobby.

Steve posed next to Bobby the faithful dog to show he really does like dogs!

We had time for a coffee at Bobby’s just opposite the National Museum of Scotland. I’ll be visiting there later this week.

We had booked a fringe event. The Tale of Two Cities. Our leader Peter arrived and is a very personable friendly Scot. It was a small group a couple from Canada and mother & son from Boston and a young uni student from England – Brighton.

We headed straight into Greyfriars Church and Graveyard. Our storyteller started recounting the story of the Old Town. He took us through then down the hill to Grassmarket. He grew up not far from here. One of 10 children. Life was not easy.

We headed up the very pretty West Bow Street

West Bow curves gently up hill towards the Royal Mile

Peter led us up straits through laneways always with an interesting story to tell.

We came to the Writers Museum.

Peter told a very good tale about the first public loos.

A man took money to extend his rather tent like cloak around a squatting client while he relieved himself.

We arrived at the very busy Royal Mile which leads up to the Castle.

The Royal Mile was busy but we quickly escaped by going down a little lane. We would never have explored this part off the beaten track ! we then popped back out to the end of the Royal Mile and had a great view of the Bank of Scotland.

Then it was down the winding hill toward the New Town. The Prince’s Street Gardens divide the old town / up the town and the new town. The Art Gallery sits overlooking the gardens and the forecourt was awash with noise and people. Festival fever: magicians, jazz bands acrobats. People everywhere sitting soaking up the sun eating cream watching the buskers.

We stopped at the monument to Sir Walter Scott, Scotlands famous author. The monuments here are amazing. The higher the spire the more revered the person. Almost all men of course!

We walked to St Andrew’s square looking along Rose St towards Charlotte Square. Crossing St Andrew’s Square I was impressed with the low fence inside the park. – perfect for stopping and having a sit but no sitting for us. By now my legs were tired and I was longing for a sit down.

One more stop. the beautiful Bank of Scotland which we went into to admire the beautiful domed ceiling.

We finished near Waverley the big station after 3 hrs of walking. After farewells to our group Steve and I headed to the monument for sore feet and dry throats. The Duke of something or other.

We sat for an hour over a beer and soup. Then off to the Portrait Gallery in another beautiful building. Last stop the National Gallery before heading back to West End and our little apartment.

A little rest then a short stroll to meet Cathal my Irish massage therapist. He got me going again and that night we went to hear the Oslo Philharmonic.

What a performance. The orchestra were great and the pianist a dynamic young 36 year old woman , born in Beijing but living in the US.

To start though…..The orchestra tuned up and …..We were left waiting for her and the conductor to arrive on stage. Wait. Wait.

Her entrance made us sit up. Very attractive with a thigh high split dress. I whispered to Steve that she and the conductor must have been having a ‘ moment ’ back stage.

She had remarkable fingers flying over the keys in the Concerto for the left hand by Ravel. Composed for a pianist who had lost an arm in WW1. Fantastic piece. .

At the end of that piece she and the conductor – after many bows, left the stage for another few minutes. Then they made another entrance with her wearing another dress this time a bright yellow & very fitted dress. I have never seen someone leave the stage to change clothes while the orchestra sat waiting. I guess she needed the conductor to zip her dress.

Another wonderful piece.

There was then an interval and then just the orchestra performance of Shostakovich. 5th Symphony in D Minor.

Of course after the concert I had to research the pianist and turns out she just might be dating the 27 year old Finish conductor. ( for readers from Australia he was a young David Wenham look a like. )

Going Back in Time. Museums In Shetlands

August 22, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

Pack up time in our very good apartment. It was perfect for a few days stay. We had decided to stay in last night and get some fish n chips. No. Sunday night and nothing much was open. Except Indian.

This morning was another lovely day so we headed to the little main street to see a big cruise ship coming for a day. The street that was so quiet yesterday was awash with people today.

I wanted to visit the bookshop to get a few picture books for my little grandsons so Steve bravely drove down the little Main Street.

We heard ‘Steve!’ We were moving so slowly Steve glanced up and saw a friend from Brisbane. He and his wife were on the cruise. Naturally we parked and had a catch up.

This led to a very late breakfast and a late start at Scalloway. This small community is on the western side of the island about 15 minutes from Lerwick on the east.

A contrast to the two island Yell and Unst.

It has a lovely little harbour and lots of little boats tied up at marina bobbed and glistened in the sunlight.

The museum is next to the castle which is closed for repairs. Fortunately the museum was open as it had a great display on the Shetland Bus. For those who haven’t heard of the Shetland Bus it is a WW2 very moving story about the cooperation between the English, Shetland and Norway. During the war they needed to get fugitives and those trapped in an occupied Norway out. They started to use fishing boats.

Read about it here. It’s a fascinating story of incredible cooperation and bravery.

Read about it here:

https://www.scallowaymuseum.org/the-shetland-bus.html

We drove south through Trondra a series of small islands. You can see the influence of Norway here. Even the houses have a distinct Norwegian appearance. Very well kept, painted bright colours, even made from timber a material in very short supply here the Shetlands.

Next stop was the Quendale Water Mill which has been restored to working condition. It’s a water wheel that was used for milling grain.

The crofters house museum was our next call. We arrived after the lunch break as it said ‘closed for lunch’ 1-2pm. We arrived at around 2.30 and walked in – actually ducked down and in and all was quiet. Finally a man opened the little door to the main crofters room. Rubbing sleep from his eyes he admitted he’d had a wee nap.

He made himself a coffee and then chatted to us for ages about the crofters life. Not that he was one but he has a good knowledge of it. This house is a project taken up by a a New Zealand architect in 1960. He had connections to the Shetlands …… read about it here.

A box bed in the Croft house. Doors for keeping you warm & cosy.

The Croft house was great to see. It wasn’t like a museum display. It was an original house as through someone had just walked out.

Our last stop today was Jarlshof. This is one of the most important archaeological sites in the UK. A whole village was found buried. it’s a wonderfully presented history of not only had one group of people lived here but several subsequent groups.

Neolithic people first settled at this site in Shetland around 2700 BC, and it remained in use until the AD 1600s. Discoveries made here include oval-shaped Bronze Age houses, an Iron Age broch and wheelhouses, Then Norse long houses, built by Vikings, a medieval farmstead, a large broch and a laird’s house dating from the 1500s.

I have learned such a lot in a few days. Shetland has been an eye opener.

We got to little Sumburgh airport quickly by crossing the runway after watching a plane takeoff and stopping at a little petrol station – run by ….. the car hire company. Five minutes later we got to the airport entrance, & parked the hire car when a man came up and said I’ll take the keys! He identified himself as the car hire man so after a laugh together we did hand over the keys.

‘Would you like to inspect it ‘ I asked helpfully. ‘Oh no – and I saw you filling up with petrol before‘ he replied. It’s all good. Obviously he thought we looked trustworthy of no one bumps their cars in the Shetland.

Then the down side of our trip.

The flight was delayed for 2.5 hrs. They gave us a voucher for the tiny cafe where the women who ran it said she was ‘ off home soon’ We’d better spend our money. The most nutritious offering was a ham & salad sandwich. Or perhaps a rather hard sausage roll ? We bought crisps, chocolate, a sandwich for me and sausage roll for Steve. Great dinner. We had to buy our own beer as the voucher didn’t cover alcohol. Wouldn’t want us sozzled on the flight.

We now get to Edinburgh-at 10pm. Poor Steven our host, who is meeting us at the apartment with our bag. Hope he’s at a good Fringe show tonight! He’s a saint.

Later: We made it. 10.15 pm. Our host was great delivering our bag and waiting for us. The apartment is just right for 19 days in this beautiful city.

Sunny Sunday in Lerwick

August 20, 2023August 20, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

We woke up the sound of church bells. It’s Sunday and we are near two churches.

The sun is shining and the view from our little attic apartment windows is beautiful. Chimneys of different heights, and rooftops with angles and attics add interest to the skyline.

Steve was going on the boat to the island of Mousa We had missed it when we landed a few days ago so he was trying again. I decided not to ( I might regret it but reading about it, I’m not sure I want to walk on uneven ground or wet slippery paths as described. ) I tried to book on a bird watching tour from Lerwick Harbour but they were all booked out. Advice: no matter what you want to do these days you must book!

So I decided to walk and discover Lerwick in the sunlight. It’s been beautiful. I walked from our apartment to the church across the road and sat studying the stained glass windows.

I walked to Fort Charlotte, a wonderful fort that has never seen a shot fired in anger.

I passed at Lerwick police station and wondered if I would spy Jimmy Perez from the tv series Shetland.

Then I walked down hill through one of the many lanes from the higher part of the town to the waterfront. To cut the steep walk down they have added a series of steps.

I met a man with his goat Lucille. He told me she provided so much milk they had started their own goats milk soap company. I went into the shop and tried the various body butters and chatted to the lady who explained the process. Across the lane way was the Puffin Place where everything in the shop was somehow embellished with puffin pictures. I’m thinking the puffin is a little exploited.

See the goat outside his soap shop. And note the chimneys.

I continued along the road and met Jimmy , no, not Perez but a local who offered to show me around. We bought coffee and chatted but I assured him I was enjoying a stroll. He told me he was being picked up by boat soon to go to a bay nearby for a fishing competition. Now that would be interesting!

Sipping a coffee by the waterfront was peaceful and calming. Who could get stressed at this pace !

I walked the entire water front. Past Jimmy Perez’ house, the Lodeberrie. This is a house jutting in to the water where in years gone by boats would pull up to the house to unload their cargo. It’s now privately owned and the most photographed house here!

Lerwick like many other sea ports is host to the cruise ship! Not many……not enough to flood the town but to deliver some money to the locals. I hope so.

I walked towards the Museum of Shetland on the waterfront and passed the new theatre centre. They advertised a short film ‘ Welcome to Shetland’ ! I decided to see it and the 40 minute film showed a little of the history of this fascinating place. It also focused on the music. The violin or fiddle was a part of every Croft house. It provided the entertainment people needed to relax.

The Scottish music has great appeal – gets the feet tapping and the hands clapping. Traditionally played by men the violin is now favoured by Scottish women.

I was waiting for Steve and he arrived back full of stories about the boat trip to Mousa to see the broch. Perfect day for sailing.

It’s one of the best preserved broch probably because it’s so tall.

Climb it if you dare. Steve didn’t. Too dangerous.

I wasn’t unhappy with my decision not to go. Although he saw seals from a distance. He didn’t see a puffin but saw some shags. and there was a lot of time on the island after walking the islands shoreline.

The Shetland Museum is very well displayed. It shows a timeline of the islands development. The Norse arriving and taking the land. The eventual return of Shetland back to Scotland as part of a dowry paid by the Kings of Norway when his daughter Princess Margereth married King James 111 of Scotland.

Of course the afternoon finished with a G&T in the local pub. The Douglas Arms.

Fish n chippies tonight!

frans travel tales

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