Orkney is full of stone-age monuments and spectacular coastline, so that's what we did on our two days there. Calvin handled all the activity pretty well, even the restaurants, so that was good. We saw the highlights of the biggest island (called Mainland), but if you were going without a baby you could easily spend another several days hiking and taking boats or planes to the smaller islands. If you're ever planning a tour around Scotland, seriously consider hopping over to Orkney for a while. We had a really good time, the people were very friendly, and since it was owned by Norway until the 1400s there's a feeling of vikingness that's different from the rest of the country. The one downer was the food, which was a bit of a crapshoot. The only Orcadian specialty we saw on a menu was some kind of cured herring. If your local delicacy is an interesting way to preserve fish, then in my book you've got some problems in the cuisine department.
We put up a bunch of pictures, here are some highlights of the trip:
Calvin's first boat!
Stone circles of various diameters!
Fearsome local wildlife!
Coastal walks with wind and birds and cliffs!
Pensive brooding in the Orkney tradition!
Calvin's adverse reaction to sunlight at high latitudes!
3 comments:
Hey, now. Don't go dissing the pickled fish.
Actually, on second thought, do. Some of the worst food I ever ate in my life was in Ireland. Pickled fish and white gooey starch. Yum.
I love that last picture of Calvin with his tongue out. Nice! :-) I like reading about your little adventures. The scenery is great.
I am thoroughly pleased that I now know that Orcadian is the adjectival form for Orkney. Thank you for this piece of wisdom.
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