Thirty-two years ago, at about this time of the evening (6
pm if memory is correct) that Kathy and I were married at Brooklyn United
Methodist Church. Today we reminisced
and re-affirmed that it was the right choice for both of us. We also calculated that three anniversaries
in the past twelve years have been celebrated in Europe.
We lazed around the lodging for the morning, reading and
knitting. Dan made breakfast! In early afternoon we drove to Kirkwall and
had the best meal of our two weeks at the Kirkwall Hotel. We even remembered to take photos of our food! Dan opted for a Highland Park 18 year old,
after a tough decision… one could have had a 30 year old… at the price of 25
GBP ($32.50)! Kathy had steak pie with new potatoes, and Dan had grilled
haddock with potatoes and a side of Cullen Skink, a delicious soup of smoked
haddock, potatoes, and onions. Kathy did
splurge with her favorite dessert, Meringue… it was lovely and tasty! And of course it was all finished off with cappuccino.
Then a stroll down one of the shopping streets in Kirkwall,
where Kathy found two yarn shops that were a surprise for her.
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| Using a knitting machine... |
After shopping Dan explored the Bishop and Earl’s palaces,
ruins from the 1100’s and 1600’s. Both
are well preserved and cared for now, and remind one of the ostentation of both
the Bishops of the Church in early medieval times and the extravagance of the Earls
who ruled the Scots and controlled their lives.
The Stewart Earls who took over the Bishop’s palace after the
Reformation and built the Earl’s palace as an addition to that already large
structure.
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| View of St. Magnus Kirk from tower of Bishop's Palace |
And the Earl's Palace:
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| The Great Hall... huge fireplace on left |
As one can see on the latter photos, it started raining when
we were outside (rain drop on lens) but that didn’t spoil the time of
looking. Our time in Orkney has been
wonderful!
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