Stromness and not just another pile of rocks

Stromness.

Saturday July 18/15. Slept in. what else are you going to do on a Sat. morning in a new port? Caught the 1000 o'clock Bus to Stromness  and enjoyed the drive in the lashing rain. Couldn’t see didliy out the windows so really just assumed the scenery was stunning. Arrived in Stromness at the bus terminal which was next to the Ferry terminal which was in the harbour. Went walk about and to the Chandler y where we bought the cruising guide to the Outer Hebrides because we were going there. Did a Geo cache had a nice lunch and pint and got back on the bus to Kirkwall. Could see more on this ride and we passed a bunch of neat stuff. Arrived back in Kirkwall, returned to the boat had dinner and then went back up to the centre of town.

The Kirkwall Pipe Band was doing an on street practice and it was free and we wanted to see it so we did. The town just closed off the centre and the band came out to play and put on a very nice show for about an hour to an hour and a half. Piping, drumming, marching and doing Pipe band stuff. After that was all over we returned to the harbour and had a visit on Sea Pilgrim.

Sunday July 19/15. Bacon and eggs for breakfast! Don’t get this very often so made the best of it and enjoyed. 1100 went up to the Cathedral for church. Two cruise ships were in and the town was full of tourists. Almost not let in to the church but said I was there for the service but the other three following me dressed in rain gear weren’t! The lady didn’t believe me so we all got in. Trouble finding seats as the place was full! A realiy nice service in a stunning setting especially when the sun came out and beamed through the stained glass window.

After church we caught the bus to the road leading to the Standing stones of Stenness and the Ness of Brodgar. We got off the bus. We did up our jackets, we put on our wooley hats, we put on our rugsacs and walked down the road. Left right left right left right a whole bunch of steps later we arrived at an animal keep out gate. I managed to figure it out and gained entry to the Standing Stones.

The Standing Stones of Stenness are 13 standing stones in a circle around a central herth(fire pit) erected by super beings called neolithics. They had to be super beings with magical powers or how else could they get the big stones to stand up? Took some pictures then wandered over to a community site. It consisted of 5 buildings made out of stone. (had to use stone as the BeforeNeolithics used up all the wood). Then Sally found an unexcavated village site. Yea Sally! Now called Sally’s undugupmaybe Neolithic site. We left there and walked.

To the Ness of Broddgar.

The Ness of Brodgar is an Archeological Neolithic site discovered in 2010 when the property owner wanted to put in a garden. The garden putterinners put a shovel in the ground and struck a stone. They uncovered the stone and found that it covered a grave!(scary stuff that finding dead people) Called in the authorities and viola so much for the garden a new Archeological discovery!

The Orkney’s are an Archeological Super store. You really really can’t dig a hole without striking something old, older, very old, Medieval, Viking ,Celtic, Pictish ,and then you get into the Ancient, Prehistoric , Neolithic and so far Beforeneolithics. They might even find something older than before Neolithic?

Back at The Ness of Brodgar. After the discovery the dug a couple of test trenches did a geofiz(magnetic, ground radar wizardry stuff) to determine the size of the site. It’s about the size of 5 football fields (Soccer to North Americans) Then they started to dig and uncover an enormous (really really big complex  of structures paved walk  ways, stone tools pottery and other stuff. They have now been digging for 6 to 8 weeks every year since. That’s all they can do without getting exhausted. They think it will go on for at least the next 50 years! Also they’re now calling it the Egypt of the North it’s that big and important.

After a whole lot of left,rights we arrived. To find a closed gate! “What the heck” I said to myself, not really I included Sally. So we stood there like a couple of lost souls(which we were because the bus wasn’t coming back for a long time). The allotted time came around when magically the keeper of the gate unlocking device appeared and let us in. The next thing that happened a tour bus arrived and disgorged it’s cargo of tourists who just got in the way of me taking some award winning photos. Then an Orkney ranger appeared out of her castle to guide us around and explain what we were looking at. This went on for a good hour and a half and by that time forget the bus it had long gone so we managed  or I should say Sally managed to get us a ride back into Kirkwall.(I think it was her legs).

We had dinner of Wine and left overs and then went for a walk on the pier and looked at the George Foch a full rigged Danish sailing school ship and spoke to some of the crew.