We Made It To Scotland!

We had 3 days at sea before arriving back in Torshavn, Faroe Islands.  The sea days went quickly and we were blessed with mostly smooth sailing - the winds came from behind us and we sailed with the swell.  Other than a small bingo winning, the highlight of the 3 days was the Godmother's Brunch on Thursday.  We were fortunate to be invited to dine with Claudine, Rollie, Neli Arias, and others at the brunch.  It was a delightful 3 hour meal!

In Torshavn, we took the Saksun & Kollafjord excursion.  Riding along the coast to Saksun, there were many waterfalls.  These waterfalls are fed by rain water run-off rather than snow melt as in Iceland.

Saksun is an old farming community with a farmhouse dating to the seventeenth century.  The buildings were made from wood salvaged from ship wrecks.  The whole setting was beautiful including the old church.

The next stop was the village of Kollafjordur to visit a church which is of typical construction for the area.  When we arrived at the church, a wedding was concluding.

Once we were able to go inside, our excellent guide told us about the history of the church and sang a pretty hymn for us.

The last stop was an overlook of Torshavn.

On Sunday, we arrived in Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands, Scotland.  We were there 2 years ago and walked the town.  This time we took the South Island Panoramic excursion.  We drove over several of the islands via causeways that were constructed in World War II.  The Germans had sunk a British military vessel and the causeways were constructed to block the entrances to the various harbors.  As the tide was low, we were able to see the remains of some ships.

The first stop was the Italian Chapel.  The chapel was built by Italian POW's.  They were given a  couple of huts and the remarkable feature was the interior which was hand painted.  The details are amazing and it's all painted - even the "bricks".

Next, we were taken to the village of St. Margaret's Hope.  We walked around the small garden and the village.

There was a nice playground but, apparently, the bounce pad hasn't made it to Scotland yet!

I should also note that the islands have many, many sheep and cattle.

When we returned to the ship at the end of the excursion, we took the shuttle bus into Kirkwall.  I bought another hat at the same shop that I had purchased one from 2 years ago.  Apparently the bug liked my jacket more than the new hat!

We then went to lunch at the Real Food Cafe where we had eaten the last time.  The collage shows that, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

In the evening, they had one of our favorite events on board, the Salute where much of the crew comes on stage.

Today we are docked in Leith near Edinburgh.  We will be taking an excursion to the Scone Palace.  Then it will be another sea day before we arrive in Hamburg.

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry