Orkney Islands, Scotland
Walking down the pathway to Skara Brae, it slowly dawns on one just how old the site is. Stones with the names of historic events carved into their surfaces have been placed as a timeline along the path in a proper time scale. The more time that had passed between two events the larger the distance. While passing “the fall of Rome” having only gone, maybe, 100 meters your mind starts processing the vast time that has passed. Finally, you stroll by “the birth of Christ”, then after a time “the great pyramids”. You look up and still, you are not there. Another 50 meters more and you find yourself looking over the stone walls of Skara Brae. A Neolithic village constructed in 3,100 BC, Skara Brae was lived in for over 600 years before it is believed to have been abandoned. Imagine being the owner of the land in 1850 and walking your beach to find these ancient buildings exposed and eroding out of the bank. Amazingly preserved and all made of stone, we peered into the now roofless dwellings and wondered at the beds and dressers and storage boxes and hearths. Spending time in the reconstruction of how the homes would have looked were the sod roofs still intact was a very special treat. You could really imagine how our ancestors would have lived their lives tucked away out of the wind in their Neolithic homes.
Continuing on we arrive at the stone circle of Brodgar. This ring of standing stones was believed to have been built in 2,000 BC, like Skara Brae before the time of the Great Pyramid. The circle originally had 60 stones arranged inside of a henge or ditch. Only 36 still stand, enough to perfectly see the circle arrangement and imagine quite well what it would have looked like were it whole. Groups paced around the perimeter of the ring (104 meters across) – one of the largest Neolithic henges in Britain. The wind was blowing harshly and a chill was seeping through to all of our bones. We could only imagine what it may have been like to stand on this site some 4,000 years ago and perform religious ceremonies, maybe in all weather conditions. This is truly an awe inspiring place.
Finally, most of us were dropped off at the town center of Kirkwall. Some checked out the local shops or waited in the chilly air for St. Magnus Cathedral to open for visits. Others simply took this time for a stroll on their own back to the ship. Our day was not over yet.
National Geographic Explorer cast off her lines and moved a mere three miles to the next island, Shapinsay. Here most braved the wind and waves for the prospect of a tour of Balfour Castle, its gardens and a proper tea served afterwards. The pleasant gardens and warm and cozy castle made braving the elements worth it. We beat our way back to the ship and warmed ourselves before evening recap. And still our day was not done. Just when most were making their way up to the lounge the call came over the P.A system. Killer whales on the port side, and close! Guests were seen running all over the ship, making their way to the nearest outdoor deck access. The killer whales only briefly passed us by, moving down our port side, across our stern and off into the seas. Quite close, most were able to get a good look at the towering dorsal fin of at least one giant male. Phew! What an exciting way to end an epic day.
