Day 7- August 17

I had a good night's sleep and woke up feeling so much better! Woo hoo! Bruce constantly assured us that we would experience some Orkney sunshine today, but it was overcast when we headed out for the day. "By lunchtime" he promised us yet again. Alright, Bruce, we're holding you to that!

We went first to the Italian Chapel, which is three islands away from where we were staying. Orkney is comprised of around 63 islands, and these three happen to be joined by stone causeways. When we arrived at the chapel, we learned to story of how they were originally built to keep submarines out of the Scapa Flow during the war. Italian prisoner's of war were forced to build them, and while they were stuck here, they built a chapel. It was really quite beautiful considering it is made of concrete- they painted the interior to look like bricks and frescoes.

Just down the road, Beth and I spotted the Orkney Wine Company and we made a request to stop there. Since they obviously don't have the climate to grow grapes on these islands, they had made wines from such things as raspberries, rhubarb, rosehips, and bramble. We were able to sample some, but they were all too sweet for me. The raspberry wine was a favorite amongst the group though and several people bought bottles to drink later that night.

We stopped in Kirkwall, the largest town on the Orkney "mainland" for some time to explore and shop. It was a cute town and Beth and I were surprised by how chic everyone was. The group met up again to get lunch at the grocery store before heading to some amazing ancient sites. Orkney has been inhabited for some 5000 years and there are remains from these old communities scattered all over the islands. Farmers just stumble over them in their fields! We visited the Standing Stones of Stenness, only four of which remain, but impressive nonetheless. There are other single stones found all over in the area (like in people's backyards!). The Ring of Brogar was truly amazing. The sun finally came out (as promised) and we were able to marvel at the near complete ring of stones set amongst the purple heather. I was so pleased to see standing stones without the rain driving me away!

Next, we went to Skara Brae, which is the remains of a 5000 year old village that was uncovered on the beach not long ago when a storm took away the sand that had been hiding it. It's comprised of stone buildings, all connected with covered passageways. Since the furniture was made of stone as well, there is a very clear picture of how people lived in these homes, though of course many details are a mystery. It's very hard to fathom just how old something like that is!

Our last excursion of the day was to Marwick head where we took a walk along the cliffs. Sadly, the puffins which nest there in the summer had moved on, but the views of the sea were stunning and it felt so good to stretch my legs and enjoy the beautiful weather!