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Faroe Islands

Sailing from Fair Isle, Shetlands to the Faroe Islands we came across some nasty weather. People who have been working on ships for 15 years were sick for the first time. I was very sick. It was a very unpleasant night. But by the time we arrived in Torshavn things had calmed down and I was feeling okay. I did contact the doctor, however, and got some pills to carry me through our next leg of the trip.

Torshavn is the capital of the Faroe Islands. Faroe means sheep so they are the sheep islands. We took a walking tour of the old town down by the harbor, Tinganes.

The village of Kirkjubour is an important historic site with a church dating back to the 12th century and an old farmhouse from the 11th century. There is very little wood on this island as well so they relied on shipwrecks and driftwood to build and furnish the farm house.

From October to May the sheep stay in town and in the warmer weather from May to October the sheep go up to the hills to feed. There are about 80,000 sheep and about 50,000 people on the islands.

The next day we sailed to Funningur.

Funningur is the oldest village on the islands. Irish monks arrived in about 625AD. The Norse (Vikings) arrived around 800. Today the Islands belong to Denmark. During WWII Denmark was occupied by Germany and the Faroes were occupied by Britain. So the Faroes had to have their own flag on their ships in order to distinguish them from the Danes.

Funningur is a village of about 40 people on Eystory Island. We took the zodiacs from ship to shore and the whole village came out to show us around, provide some history, feed us fish soup and pancakes, and in the afternoon we all danced traditional dances and sang hymns in the church. Plus they made a promotional film about it all since they are hoping to attract more tourists. Quite a day!

On our way north…

Rounding up Scotland

Random snaps of Aberdeen (click for larger view)

The sculpture garden

Dunnater Castle outside Stonehaven. Built 1400-1600. In use until 1718. I had to hike down a million steps and then up half a million steps to get there.

Ceiling of restored dining room
View from the dining room

Falls of Feugh

Inside the Cairngorms National Park. Braemer is home to the Scottish Highland Games.

Linn of Dee

Muir of Dennet Nature Reserve

Loch Kinord

It was raining on the gates to Balmoral Castle.

Bye bye

Dundee and Alyth, Scotland
V&A Museum Dundee

See London to Dundee if you need background.

After 10 hours sleep, I woke to a rainy day in Dundee. Still dragging a bit, I went off to see the Victoria & Albert museum down by the river Tay. Architecturally it was a beautiful, interesting place with a large open interior.

I learned that Scotland exported ceramics including Asian themed plates to Asia in the 1880’s. Also the Scottish Imp, made by Chrysler in the 1970’s had tartan seat covers.

The Imp

But the best part was the cafe. I had a delicious pea mint soup and a scone. All while enjoying a view of the river. After lunch it was pouring rain so I went back to bed. I lucked out the following day. It was sunny and perfect for exploring. Dundee is a city of about 150,000 with several good museums, three shopping centers, and a university all in the center. It is very walkable and the people are friendly and helpful. In the morning I was out before anything opened so walked around and found a lot of public art.

Dundee is home to DC Thompson and Co. comic book publishers so several comic book characters were featured around town as well as prominent figures like Queen Victoria who visited Dundee in 1844. My next stop was the McManus Art Gallery.

I really enjoyed the museum. It had art and artifacts from around the world as well as Victorian and Edwardian paintings. There were sections on natural history, history of Dundee and the history of the building itself. The inside of the building was very cool

Inside the gallery

I headed to the other side of town to see the Contemporary Art Museum near the University of Dundee. It was small and there was one in depth exhibit on a lighthouse on the Algerian coast. I bought some postcards in the gift shop and the guy who checked me out was from Wisconsin. Lots of people working, studying and visiting from other countries.

Another big attraction in Dundee was the Discovery ship. There was a museum dedicated to it and you could board the ship. Since it cost 17 pounds, and I was pretty museumed out, I decided to skip it. The ship was built in Dundee in 1901 and its first mission was to carry Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton on their successful trip to the Antarctic.

On Wednesday I stowed my roller bag at the Premier Inn hotel and caught a local bus to Alyth. The driver didn’t announce any stops so I was a little nervous I would miss my stop but after about 45 minutes we arrived at Market Square, Alyth. I found the guesthouse where I had reservations to stay but I got the times wrong. It was 3 pm and check in was not till 4.

I walked down the road to see the Alyth War Memorial and was taking it all in when it started to pour. I managed to find a bus shelter but not until after I was soaked to the bone. Back at the guesthouse I spent several hours trying to dry out.

See My Morning Walk for more on Alyth.

On the road
Lake Michigan

I was thinking about eyes. They take in light. Images pour in. Movement. My brain processes them into things I recognize. My ears take in sounds. Add music and conversation. My brain keeps track of it. I’m driving. My hands on the wheel. The cruise control the gears the radio.

Feet on the pedal. Brain keeps track of sights sounds conversation cars. Surrounded by semis. Speeding up to get around semis. Rain starting. Windshield wipers. Billboards along the road. Leonard singing Hallelujah. Bruce belting tramps like us baby we were born to run…. Billboard flashing. Anti choice. God is here. He sent Trump. Brief thoughts about possible identities of “he”.

Impressive all the things we can do simultaneously.

Art Museum

Saw an interesting exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Some of it thought provoking. Some of it just depressing because of what it represents. All the horrible history. America in denial:

“In Native America: In Translation, 10 artists consider Indigenous histories, cultures, and representation through a contemporary lens. Photography, a medium historically used to suppress and stereotype Native cultures, is reclaimed by these artists, who are, in the words of the curator Wendy Red Star, “opening up space in the art world for new ways of seeing and thinking.”” (From museum pamphlet)

Inside of museum

Lake Michigan was crazy with big waves. Too cold to surf.

Halifax Part Two

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From the Public Gardens we made our way up the hill to the Citadel.  It is a star shaped fort that has been restored to its glory during the period from 1869 to 1871.  The 78th Highlanders were in garrison at the time so it is now populated with “soldiers” in traditional Scottish dress.  They conduct tours and provide “color”.

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There were several museums inside the fort.  One was a military museum that spanned multiple wars including World War II.  I especially like this lamp.

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From there we walked down the hill, much easier than up, and looked for someplace to sit down and have a beverage.  It was hot.  Very hot.  We found a Starbucks and air conditioning and eventually I was ready to continue the tour.

We discovered that they make crystal in Nova Scotia.  We saw several crystal shops and even came across these glass blowers.

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We had a decent lunch with some good beer and hit the Maritime Museum.  I learned that Halifax played an important role in the Titanic’s history.  Four ships were dispatched from Halifax in April, 1912, with a minister, an undertaker, a cargo of ice, coffins and canvas bags aboard.  In total they found 328 bodies.  Of those recovered 209 were brought to land and the rest were buried at sea.  Fifty-nine bodies were shipped by train to their families and the rest were buried in three different cemeteries in Halifax.  Religious services were held for all.  There were several recovered artifacts on view at the Maritime Museum.

 

 

Detail from the grand staircase on the Titanic

 

Titanic Deck Chair

Titanic Deck Chair

The next day we rented a car and drove down the coast.  Noah had decided we needed to immerse ourselves in French so we only listened to French radio.  He understood nothing, and I caught bits and pieces.  But the music was eclectic enough to keep us both happy.

We started out trying to find all the lighthouses and the map promised us many.  Turned out either they weren’t there or we couldn’t find them.  We found a few but only one we were at all impressed with.

The countryside, however, was spectacular.