October 2024 – A Traveling Fool

October 27, 2024

Viking British Isles Explorer Cruise: A Neolithic Orcadian Village – Skara Brae

After a quick lunch in the stateroom back at the ship, we headed out for the afternoon excursion of Skara Brae and Skaill House. We drove through Kirkwall on the way and approached our destination from the inland side. I recognized Skaill House from across the loch even though, when I had been there before, we had only been on the ocean side. It is a large, sprawling house — mostly two stories, but with a three story tower. I quickly raised my phone and took a photo.

The tour coach ended up parking just north of the house, not too far from the visitor center. We got off of the coach and immediately headed along the path to Skara Brae. Since it is below the ground, there isn’t much that can be seen until you are right on top of it. Then, what you see is mesmerizing.

This was how regular people lived in this part of the world at least as far back as 3180 to 2500 BC. Skara Brae is on the Bay of Skaill on the largest island in Orkney, known as Mainland. It consists of ten earthen houses, with stone interior walls, clustered together. Some of them have the remains of stone furniture and even sewer systems.

It is the best preserved Neolithic village in Europe. It also happens to be older than both Stonehenge and the Pyramids. I am fascinated by Skara Brae both because of its age and the fact that the buildings were the homes of regular people. Not palaces or tombs.

Skara Brae was discovered when a nasty storm hit Scotland in the winter of 1850. The top of the hill containing the houses was ripped off revealing parts of some of them. Excavations began to reveal the rest of them.

The houses were built into mounds of domestic waste known as middens, which created some stability for the mortarless stone walls while also acting as insulation. They are not certain what was burned in the firepits as peat was not readily available as fuel until after Skara Brae had already been abandoned. Possible fuels could have been animal dung, dried seaweed or driftwood. Trees have never been in abundance on Orkney.

Looking at the photos I took, you can see that the furniture includes dressers, storage boxes, cupboards, and even rudimentary beds. The doors to each house were made of stone slabs which used bars made of bone to shut them. Beads and painted pots were left behind in many of the houses, which suggests that the inhabitants may have left in a hurry.

One of the buildings, House 8, is different from the rest. It has no dresser or storage boxes and has been divided into smaller areas. There also appears to be a flue as well as fragments of bone, antler, and stone. It is thought that this house, which also is a stand-alone structure not surrounded by midden, was used to make tools.

House #1 is the most complete. It has a fire pit in the center. A dresser is against the wall bordering the sea. When facing the dresser, the men’s bed is at the left and the women’s bed at the right. You can see storage boxes scattered around and also see some cupboards built into the walls.

It is believed that the people who built Skara Brae primarily raised cattle, sheep and pigs. Evidence shows that barley was cultivated. Fish bones and shells were also found.

Artefacts include lumps of red ochre (indicating the possibility of body painting), and awls, needles, knives, beads, shovels, small bowls, and ivory pins. These items were made of animal, fish, bird, and whalebone, as well as walrus ivory and orca teeth.

Additional excavations in 1972 reached layers that had remained under water and therefore contained items that would have been destroyed if not having been preserved in the water. These included a wooden handle and a piece of rope made from a twisted skein of heather.

On my previous visit to Skara Brae, it had been raining quite heavily there too. This made the paths and grass upon which we needed to walk to be able to look down into the houses rather treacherous.

On this trip, I was able to take my time and thoroughly photograph everything. It was cold since I was near the sea, but it wasn’t raining. I spent a lot of time both in the real Skara Brae and visiting the reproduction of what one of the houses might have looked like when it was inhabited. It actually seemed rather cozy. It would have been interesting to know how many people lived in a house.

Next time – 17^th Century Orkney – Skaill House

October 20, 2024

Viking British Isles Explorer Cruise: Prehistoric Orkney – And You Thought Stonehenge Was Old

I have divided Orkney into three posts as there was so much to see there, spread across two excursions. This first part has to do with Maeshowe, the Standing Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar, and the Ness of Brodgar. This was the morning excursion, which ended with a visit to the town of Stromness.

I am really fascinated by ancient civilizations and archaeology, so this was my second trip to Orkney. The islands there have been inhabited for at least 8,500 years (Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, etcetera). Orkney became part of the Pictish kingdom by the late Iron Age.

In 875, Orkney was colonized and annexed by the Kingdom of Norway. This was around the time that my Norse ancestors turned up in Orkney. The king at the time was Harald Fairhair (Harald Hårfagne). Rognvald Eysteinsson was the first Jarl (or Earl) of both Orkney and Shetland. He was a close relative and ally of Harald Fairhair. His nicknames were “Rognvald the Wise” and “Rognvald the Powerful”. He died in about 890.

After a few centuries, the then fully Norse Orkney (the Picts had been assimilated) was absorbed into Scotland in 1472 following the failure of the Norwegian king to pay a dowry to James III of Scotland for his daughter, Margaret of Denmark.

Orkney consists of Mainland, the North Isles and the South Isles. The people are referred to as Orcadians. The climate is mild; the soil fertile; the most important sector of the economy is agriculture.

The ship was docked at Kirkwall, the largest city in Orkney. It has an airport with regular flights to various parts of Scotland. St Magnus Cathedral was built in honor of the martyrdom of Magnus Erlendsson, who was killed in April of 1116 by his cousin Haakon Paulsson. The people in power all seem to have been related in some way.

The last time I had been in Orkney, it was raining quite heavily as we ventured into the area where Maeshowe, the Standing Stones of Stenness, and the Ring of Brodgar were located. During that earlier visit, I could barely see Maeshowe, much less photograph it.

Maeshowe is a chambered cairn and passageway grave that was probably built around 2800 BC. This specific type of tomb, with a long, low entrance passageway (about three feet in height) leading to a square (or rectangular) chamber from which there is access to a number of side cells, was only built on Orkney. It is, however, somewhat similar to Newgrange in Ireland so there might have been a link between the two cultures.

The Norsemen left behind their graffiti when they first discovered and entered the tomb sometime in about the 12th century. Of course, their graffiti was in runes. It still said the usual “Harald was here” though.

Begun in about 3100 BC, the Standing Stones of Stenness are possibly the oldest henge site in the British Isles. Originally there were thought to have been 12 stones. There are four left. My attempts at photographing them the first time I was there ended up with some rain-streaked, blurry shots taken through the tour coach window. This time I actually got a couple of decent photos.

The Ring of Brodgar is the only major henge and stone circle in Britain that is almost a perfect circle. The interior of the circle, which was erected between 2500 and 2000 BC has never been excavated. It is the last of the great Neolithic monuments built on the Ness of Brodgar.

Surrounded by a ditch, the circle consists of 27 stones out of its original 60. Despite the torrential rain experienced during the first visit (in 2009) we were actually allowed to walk around amongst the stones. Since the rain was mainly horizontal, due to the high winds and lack of trees, I hid myself behind one of the stones and photographed what I could from there.

On this trip, we were greeted by a herd of cattle. We were not allowed to enter the circle. But we could walk around the perimeter of the entire site and photograph it from all angles. I got some shots of nearby burial mounds too.

Upon leaving the Ring of Brodgar and heading towards the village of Stromness, we passed the Ness of Brodgar excavation. This site (from 2004 to 2024) has uncovered about 40 structures. It was built roughly between 3500 and 2400 BC. They were just about to start covering it over again with the same dirt that was previously removed from the site.

The problem is that, while the stones used at Skara Brae are hard beach stones, the stones used here are quarried stones that are being eroded by being exposed to the elements. The only way to protect it all is to cover it up. They have loads of photos, data, and items they have unearthed that they can study for many years to come. Then, when the technology to possibly preserve the site and building remains is at hand, one of those future generations can dig it up again and still have something to see.

At Stromness (population roughly 2,500), I bought a couple of watercolors of the Stones of Stenness and a painted fridge magnet of the Ring of Brodgar. Since I didn’t have a lot of time in between this excursion and the afternoon tour to have lunch, I also picked up a sausage roll, some crisps, and an energizing chocolate bar to consume in my stateroom before heading out again to see more really, really old stuff.

Next time – A Neolithic Orcadian Village – Skara Brae

October 13, 2024

Viking British Isles Explorer Cruise: Ullapool & A Beautiful, Scenic Drive in the Scottish Highlands

We weren’t due to arrive at Ullapool until noon. Our passports were being returned to us at 10am to 11am. They had been held onto until we were away from Ireland (and Northern Ireland). I slept in until 8am, had breakfast, and was in the line to get my passport by 10am. I had a lecture I wanted to attend at 10:30am by Russell Lee – “Beyond Braveheart: The First Scottish War of independence”.

Now I love history, which means that I was not at all happy with the film Braveheart and its rabid inaccuracies. For instance, Braveheart was not William Wallace’s nickname, it was Robert the Bruce’s. Kilts were not worn at that time. They did not come into fashion until much later. The Scots did not wear blue paint into battle. That was the Picts and many centuries earlier. Actually the Picts went into battle totally naked and were heavily tattooed. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Fortunately Russell Lee felt pretty much the same as me about the inaccuracies. A good share of his lecture was spent correcting them.

After the lecture, there was time for a leisurely lunch. Then everyone going on an excursion met back in the theatre (at 12:20pm for my group) to wait for each group to be called to board the tender.

I had been to the village of Ullapool (roughly 1,500 inhabitants) before and had loved its beautiful setting. Ullapool had been founded in 1788 as a herring port. It is still used as a fishing port, a yachting haven, and a ferry port (as well as a stop for cruise ships). We were tendered to the docks and met by a piper. This was our first stop in Scotland, so we received the traditional Scottish welcome. I know people tend to either love or hate bagpipes. I love them. I even have recordings of a bagrock group or two (rock music and even some jazz played by bands incorporating bagpipes along with the usual rock instruments). You haven’t fully lived until you have heard a duet between an electric guitar and bagpipes.

I had wanted to visit Castle Leod, home of Clan Mackenzie, but it was sold out before I could sign up. In addition to the castle being sold out, an excursion to an island avian sanctuary was also sold out. So I had a walking tour of the town, an excursion to a garden, a hike at Knockan Crag (labeled as “demanding”), or a scenic drive through the area of Assynt from which to choose. I picked the last one.

Since the previous day in Belfast had been so strenuous, it was probably a good thing that I spent most of my time on this excursion looking out of the window of the tour coach at the gorgeous scenery of the Scottish Highlands.

Assynt is a very sparsely populated area in the southwest of Sutherland in Scotland. One reason for the sparse population is what is known as the Highland Clearances. This took place between the years 1750 to 1860 when a very large number of tenants in the highlands and islands of Scotland were evicted from their homes. Some were just kicked out and many were transported to other countries. This came about when the landlords needed to increase their income because of debt. A large number of the landlords felt that grazing sheep was more profitable than having tenant farmers.

Our first stop was Knockan Crag. This was where some of my shipmates had gone hiking. It was the first thrust fault to be discovered in the world. Due to horizontal tectonic activity, older rocks had been pushed up over younger rocks. There were some lovely views from up there.

A small hamlet named Inchnadamph is known for its “Bone Caves”. These contain relics of reindeer, Artic fox, Eurasian lynx, and brown bear – all dating to 47,000 BCE. They have also found the only remains of polar bears yet discovered in Scotland. Plus there are some human skeletons dated to the 3^rd millennium BCE. We didn’t stop and explore anything there, however, just sort of waved as we went by.

We stopped to take photos of the ruins of Ardveck Castle and Calda House. The castle had been built in around 1490 by the Macleods of Assynt. Clan Mackenzie attacked and captured Ardveck in 1672 and took control of the Assynt lands. In 1726, the castle owner’s wife wanted a new place to live. Calda House was built. A fire destroyed the house in 1737 and a storm badly damaged the castle in 1795.

We were apparently behind time when we arrived in the village of Lochinver. We were only given a half hour to be there. I spent a good 25 of those 30 minutes in the line for the loo. Not much time for any exploration before I needed to be back on the tour coach again. Lochinver was on a sea loch and is a fishing port. I managed a photo of a war memorial and of some heather before heading back along the road to where the coach was waiting.

Back on the ship, we had a lecture by Dennis Fitzsimonds on “Pre-Historic Shetland, Orkney and Caithness” at 6:30pm. At 7:30pm, Dr Caroline Malloy gave a talk on “The Orkney Islands – Archaeology, Climate Change and Preservation”. Despite having a very late dinner that night, I still managed to get what appeared to be the last of the escargot (I ate three of them before remembering to take a photo). With that, I also had some crab legs, mussels and roasted sweet potato. I went with a Riesling for my wine and some Crepe Suzette for dessert. One of the few times I indulged in a dessert.

Next time – Prehistoric Orkney – And You Thought Stonehenge Was Old

October 6, 2024

Viking British Isles Explorer Cruise: Belfast – Hillsborough Castle

Back at the ship, I had enough time to swallow down some pain pills, grab my cane, and get some lunch before heading back out again to visit Hillsborough Castle. This is the official royal residence in Belfast. There were other groups exploring the gardens, but ours was the only group in the castle itself at that time. This was another private tour.

I always take a collapsible cane along when traveling, just in case. Fortunately, this would be the only time I would need it on this trip. All of that standing and listening during the last two hours of the Titanic walking tour had been a bit much for me. A nice dip in the thermal pool or a lounge in the whirlpool when I got back from seeing Hillsborough Castle would help. It actually was too, and I was much better by the following morning.

Hillsborough Castle is more of an 18^th century Irish Big House than a castle. But the Hill family who built the house and founded the town, called it a castle to try to make both the house and themselves seem to be more “old money”. Hillsborough wasn’t built as a country house. It was always a townhouse.

In 1925, Hillsborough was sold to the British government to be the residence of the Governor of Northern Ireland and then the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. It had these roles for over 50 years and was called Government House.

The house was the location of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985. In 2002, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh stayed there as part of the Golden Jubilee tour. US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair both visited the castle in 2003. Peace talks were held there in 2010 between the British and Irish governments and representatives of Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). In 2014 Hillsborough Castle became a royal palace when Historic Royal Palaces took it over and began restoring both the house and grounds.

Our tour of the castle unfortunately didn’t allow any photography indoors. We began at the State Entrance Hall. This has been the entrance hall to the building since it was built in the 18th century. According to the castle’s website: “By entering the castle through these doors, you are following in the footsteps of royals, politicians, pop stars and many other distinguished guests, including Her Majesty the Queen and other members of the current Royal Family.”

The Ante Room formed part of the original house, which was built in the mid-18th century. It was created from a much smaller hallway in 1936, following a devastating fire in 1934.

The Throne Room was built as an extension in 1797. It was originally three rooms, which were combined to create a grand Saloon in the 1840s. Queen Elizabeth II received guests at a ball to celebrate her coronation here in 1953. Still the grandest room in the house, the Throne Room is now decorated with green silk damask fabric and used for investitures, citizenship ceremonies, weddings and an annual concert given by King Charles III.

The Red Room was originally the Drawing Room of the house and has been the setting for historic political meetings since the 1970s. It was in this room that Queen Elizabeth II met President Mary McAleese of Ireland in 2005 – the first time that the two heads of state had met on the island of Ireland. Royal visitors would have entered the gardens through the French window. In the 1960s it had to be lowered so that the petite Princess Margaret could step over the sill comfortably.

The State Dining Room has been in constant use since the house was built. The doors to the kitchens and ancillary areas are shielded by leather screens so that servants could enter and leave discreetly. During state dinners, the host is expected to sit at the center of the dining table with their back to the fireplace. Queen Elizabeth II continued this tradition during her first visit as Queen during her Coronation Tour in 1953.

The State Drawing Room dates from around 1810, but was rebuilt in 1936 after the fire in 1934 that destroyed many parts of the original building. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Irish Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement here in 1985. The present decorative scheme is based on the inter-war ideal of a country house drawing room, in colors favored by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Contemporary works by Irish artists have been chosen for the walls, including paintings belonging to King Charles III.

I especially liked the State Drawing Room. Despite its large size, it was quite cozy with the furniture grouped in intimate seating areas. In addition to the paintings by Irish artists, there was also a painting done by King Charles III. My favorite was a large painting of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, that had been done when she was 90 years old. As a painter myself, I really admired how the artist executed the painting and how they evoked the late Queen’s personality.

The gardens were quite beautiful and laid out in such a way that the feeling was that of being in the countryside rather than in town. I was very glad to have seen Hillsborough Castle. There wasn’t a tremendous amount of people there that day, so I could take my time and periodically sit down to contemplate it all. It was a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon.

That evening, we had a talk from Russell Lee on “Mary, Elizabeth & Mary – A Tale of Three Queens”. I had one of my Lemon Drop Martinis, relaxed, and enjoyed it thoroughly. His talks were quite entertaining as well as informative.

Next time – Ullapool & A Beautiful, Scenic Drive in the Scottish Highlands