Lerwick, Shetland Islands

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Well, so far Scotland has Ireland beat for weather!  We actually did NOT get drizzled on today, AND we even saw a spot of sun!  But yes, it was chilly.

The Shetland Islands are part of the UK and lie about 200 km north of Scotland.

Imagecredit:http://supershetlandsheepdogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/map.jpg

They were under Norse rule until 1469.  At that time they were given to Scotland in place of a dowry for a Danish princess.  There are about 100 islands, and only 16 are inhabited.  Lerwick is the capital with a population of 6,958 people.  The total population for the Islands is 23,167.  The main island is called "Mainland" (very original!).  The average temperature here in August is 14.5C.  They are famous for their Shetland Sheepdog and miniature Shetland Pony breeds.

Imagecredit:https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/01/d4/fb/01d4fbff75a1bcd1acf565f9298199fc.jpg

It was a very short tender ride from the ship into port, very easy, and when we landed there were several dozen locals in full Viking dress on the pier to meet us. Quite fun and welcoming.

The town was asleep when we arrived, I think our ship overran the place.  We walked through the town and the homes have such lovely gardens.

From there we followed the shoreline to find the paved path along the tops of the cliffs to the headland called the Knab.  We were joined on our walk by a local lady who was full of information.  Anton enjoyed throwing the ball for her dog Kayla.

Imagecredit:https://members.virtualtourist.com/_assets/4/5828250-Walk_to_the_Knab-Lerwick.jpg

We walked over to Clickimin Broch.  What is a "broch"?  They are drystone structures (stones without mortar to hold them together).  They have a double wall with a narrow-stepped staircase running between the walls. They are exclusive to Scotland, and they date back 2500 years.  No one knows if they were homes or defensive structures (or even if they had roofs!).

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Clickimin Broch dates from the 7th century BC to the 600s AD, and stood 12-15 meters tall.  There are smaller structures surrounding it.                              

Since the boat was so close, we decided to pop back for an early lunch, but discovered that the cafe did not open for half an hour, so we grabbed a burger and fries at the grill.

Back on land, we did a quick stop at the Shetland Museum, which was well done and better yet, free.

We then hopped onto a local bus for a 15 minute trip to the next town, Scalloway. The bus was packed because apparently other people had the same idea.  Once in Scalloway, we had 20 minutes to walk around, then catch the bus back. At least we got to see a bit of the countryside.  This is the library in Scalloway, built in 1902:

Once back in Lerwick, we asked where we could find a Shetland Islands flag.  "Try Westside Pine".  We did; it was closed.  We could see the exact flag we wanted there in the window....We literally tried dozens of other shops to find a flag, guess where they all told us to go?  Not even the Tourist Information had them, sigh.

This evening after supper there was a violinist playing a good variety of music, we liked him much better than last night's guy! It was the best show Frankie has ever seen on a cruise ship, she liked him so much she bought his CD.  His name is Gregory Scott, and his claim to fame is that he is the tallest violinist in the world.