Do NOT Let Their Lies Change History
Spread The Truth Loud
Spread The Truth Now
Tag: history
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My Trip to Scotland: Part 7 – Italian Chapel, Smoo Cave, Ardvrech Castle, and Ullapool
On our way out of Orkney on August 5th, we stopped at the Italian Chapel. It was built by Italian prisoners of war during World War 2. This unassuming little Catholic chapel was beautifully painted inside.
There was a sculpture outside the church.
Sands of Wright and Dam of Hox were pretty.
I also tried some Irn Bru. This caffeinated orange colored drink, known as Scotland’s other national drink after Scotch whisky, was good with a slight bubblegum like flavor.
Some pictures at Kyle of Tongue in northwest Highland.
Smoo Cave was neat! But the walk down to it was steep.
Smoo Cave is a sea cave and a freshwater cave. Unfortunately, it’s been a bit dry, so the waterfall in the cave wasn’t flowing. It was still very pretty.
So was the surrounding area.
We stopped at Ardvrech Castle and the Calda House by Loch Assynt. At least what was left of them. The castle was built around 1490 by the Mcleods. The Calda house was built in 1672.
Then it was off to Ullapool for the night. We didn’t get there until almost 7:30 and wanted to go to the Seafood Shack for dinner. They close at 8:00 and we were warned that they close early when they sell out. We dropped our bags and walked quickly. The langostinos were wonderful. They look like miniature lobsters. Sorry, I didn’t get pictures of the food. There was no wind and that night and the midges came out in force. (Tiny, gnat-like flies that bite. It was the one time we didn’t have the bug repellant with us. Figures. We ate as quickly as possible and fled to our room.
On the way back, I spotted this sign down the road from our bed and breakfast. I’m a huge Lord of the Rings fan and couldn’t resist taking a picture.
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Post 6: My Trip to Scotland: Part 6 – Ness of Brodgar & Ring of Bodgar
After seeing The Stones of Stenness, Maes Howe, and Skara Brae, I didn’t think it could get better. But it did. We got to go to an active archaeological dig!
Ness of Brodgar covers 6.2 acres. Excavation on this Neolithic site began in 2004 and ended this summer. We were lucky enough to be there on the last open house before they closed the site. Isn’t that cool? Some of the structures were started around 3300 BC, but the there is evidence of activity way before that.
We made a brief stop at the Kirbuster farm museum. The Fire Hoose is from 1595. Note the stone roof.
Robert Stewart, half-brother of Mary Queen of Scots, became Earl of Orkney in the late 1500s. This is what’s left of his palace in Birsay.
But the real highlight of the day was the Ring of Brodgar
They don’t know much about Brogar, but they think it was built between 2600 and 2400 BC. It is older and bigger than Stonehenge. It may have been used to observe the moon.
36 of the original 60 stones have survived. The tallest is 4.7 meters tall.
The circle is 104 meters in diameter and is encircled by a 135-meter henge.
BTW, while I was there, an article came out about the alter stone at Stonehenge. Seems it wasn’t quarried from Wales as originally thought. It came from North Western Scotland Orkney area.
Wrapped up our last night on Orkney Island with dinner from the sea. Wondering what those things around the scallops are? They are the reproductive organs. Did you know that scallops are hermaphrodites?
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Post 4: My Trip to Scotland: Part 4 – Stones of Stennes & Maes Howe
Since my first art history class in collage, I’ve been fascinated by paleolithic and neolithic art. Stone circles like Stonehenge were important to the first novel I wrote. (still unpublished) So when I say August 4th was the day that I was most looking forward to, I mean it. (Don’t believe me? Look at the header on my homepage.) This trip was a dream come true. We were transported in spirit back thousands of years and treated to wonder after neolithic wonder.
The first stop was at the Standing Stones of Stenness. This is the oldest henge in the British Isles and is only five miles northeast of Stromness on the mainland of Orkney. It originally held 12 stones, but only four upright stones are still standing. They are 6 meters high. The people who built this did not have fancy machinery and trucks. All these stones were hand quarried and hauled there. Local outcry stopped the farmer from pulling them down in 1814! He was tired of ploughing around them. Unfortunately, the Odin Stone was already destroyed.
According to local tradition, a couple who held hands through the hole in the Odin stone would be bound in marriage.
Maes Howe doesn’t look like much from the outside, but there is magic within. Built around 3000 BC, Maes Howe is a burial chamber that is accessed by a nine-meter-long tunnel. When it was opened in 1861, the excavators discovered it had been previously visited over 800 years earlier. How did they know this? The interior is covered in a collection 30 runic graffiti and animal carvings.
According to stories, in 1153, a group of Vikings took refuge during a snowstorm.
Some of the inscriptions read: “Ofram the son of Sigurd carved these runes” “These runes were carved by the man most skilled in runes in the western ocean” “Ottarfila carved these runes”“Tholfir Kolbeinsson carved these runes high up” “Orkis’ son says in the runes he carves”
There were a few other, more ‘colorful’ inscriptions, but you get the idea. Basically, bored guys haven’t changed in thousands of years.
These are a few pictures of the landscape around Maes Howe.
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My Trip to Scotland: Part 1
This past August I had the pleasure of traveling to Scotland. The trip idea emerged when Glasgow won the bid for the 2024 World Science Fiction Convention. Well, the con was great, but only a small part of my trip.
My husband and I arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland in late morning on August 1st. After an overnight flight, we were exhausted, but didn’t want to waste any time.
What better way to start the trip than with a hearty lunch. We shared a meat pie that was divine and a bowl of Cullen skink, which is a thick creamy soup made with smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions. Yum!
This is an old city, full of beautiful stone buildings and history, like the Writers Museum.
Then we walked our little feet off from New Town to Old Town and up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh castle.
Castle Rock, where Edinburgh castle sits, is was formed by a volcano several hundred million years ago. The castle itself was originally build in 1103 AD.
Spotted this narrow pathway and had to take a picture.
And a sculpture of Sherlock Holmes in honor of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The Fringe festival had just started, so we grabbed a pint and headed off to one of the many shows. The problem with a city on steep hills is that a building’s front door and back door aren’t on the same level. It took a bit of navigating to wind our way to the venue we wanted, but made it on time.
Stay tuned for more of my adventure in Scotland!
While your waiting, pick up a book.
Sometimes a blessing can be a curse.
Young Maya bears the mark of the moon goddess, a sign that would doom her to be sacrificed in her village where the death god is revered. Forced to dye her golden eyes dark, Maya lives in constant fear of discovery. To save her family and the village’s future, she must find the courage to stand up to the high priest before he can bring the death god into this world.
