A quick post tonight as we are heading out early tomorrow to the island of Eday.
It rained most of the day today so we decided to do "inside" things such as shop (my Christmas is done!), museum and laundry. Not many photo ops.
The Big Tree on Albert Street. This tree is said to be more than 200 years old. It was part of a trio of trees planted in the front yard of Mr. Thomas Sclater's house. When he began sawing the trees down, the Town Council stopped him and paid him five pounds sterling to keep the tree alive.
A side door at St. Magus Cathedral in Kirkwall. We chose not to tour the cathedral today as we plan to go to church on Easter Sunday here. St. Magnus is a big deal, though, with a pilgrimage path called St. Magnus Way here on the isles. Magnus Erlendsson was his name and early on he refused to pick up arms and fight. He quickly recovered from that weak moment and went on to have a successful Viking career of murder, pillage and mayhem. He eventually converted to Christianity and was martyred with an axe through his skull on the Island of Egilsay. His remains, including the axed skull, are buried in the Cathedral.
It is obvious the Picts inhabited the islands; however, very little of their presence remains. This stone is a magnificent example of the symbols the Picts used to ... no one knows what the symbols mean or how they were used. Were they only decorative? religious? personal?
Game board scratched into stone. The two playing pieces are cow knuckles. I didn't know that cows have knuckles.
An example of Norse graffitti etched into the walls of Maeshowe Cairn after being broken into and looted by the Norsemen.
Creepy faces carved into stone which once sat atop a column at St. Magnus Cathedral.