OLD AGE IS NOT FOR SISSIES

NOTHING IN LIFE IS TO BE FEARED

Does the Fort in Fort William and “Outlander” Still Exist?

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I had heard of Fort William  in Scotland before this trip. Any of us who watched the “Outlander” series heard of Fort William, but that was it for me. I had only heard of it. Fort William was the last stop on our Norway to Scotland cruise. It is located in Lochaber in the Scottish Highlands between Glenfinnan and Glencoe.

We woke up anchored near Fort William and had to take a tender to visit the city and surrounding area.

Our view of Fort William from the ship.

We spent most of the day traveling in the Glen Coe area. The views were awesome.

Photo on Wikipedia

A glen is a “U” or “V” shaped valley. If it is flooded then it is called a fjord. The valley was shaped by glaciers during the Ice Age. Glen Coe is the Coe River Valley.

Photo on Wikipedia

Looming over Fort William is Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the United Kingdom. It’s name is Gaelic, and Ben is mountain while Nevis could mean malicious or venomous. There is another translation, though. Nevis could also mean “in the clouds” or heaven. Its summit is a collapsed dome of an ancient volcano.

Ben Nevis – Photo on Wikipedia

In the shadow of Ben Nevis is Neptune’s Staircase,

Photo on Wikipedia

a series of eight staircase locks that lifts ships over 60 feet, the longest staircase lock in the British Isles.

It is part of the Caledonian Canal which connects east and west Scotland, a cross Scotland barge canal.

The canal was completed by 1822, and Neptune’s Staircase by the same year.

Also, there is something here for Harry Potter fans. Fort William is home to Hagrid’s Hut in The Harry Potter movies;

Photo on Wikipedia Fandom

and one can see where they filmed the train scenes, especially when the Hogwart’s Express crosses the great aqueduct.

Photo on Wikipedia

All of this is near Fort William. You can even ride the same steam train which was used in the movies. We saw the aqueduct but didn’t ride the train.

The aqueduct is very near Glenfinnan where Bonnie Prince Charlie rallied the Jacobites. We visited a memorial to the highlanders who fought for Scotland’s independence. The memorial monument sits near where the steam train crosses the great aqueduct.

Next we went on to Glen Coe, and this is when we wished we had time to hike.

Photo found on Pixabay

This is an outdoorsman’s dream. There were beautiful mountain trails, forest trails, and seaside trails.

Photo found on Pixabay

It was May when we visited with the rhododendrons in full bloom, but here they are considered an invasive.

In one location forest crews were removing and burning them.

Speaking of forests, this is an area where commercial forests exist.

In the Glencoe Visitor’s Center I loved the mobile in the cafeteria. I’m a pine tree farmer so it was special for me.

We drove out to the Glen Coe Valley on A82.

The Munros that surround the valley were formed by volcanic activity but shaped by glaciers. A Munro is a peak over 3,000 feet. Ben Nevis is a Munro.

The scenic drive through the valley included summits, waterfalls, and lochs. A loch is a lake whether fresh, salt, or brackish.

The following day we cruised to Glasgow and returned to the states.

As you probably noticed, we did not visit the fort in Fort William. It is because it no longer exists. It was destroyed long ago.

Ten Reasons to Visit Scotland’s Isle of Skye Again

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Our visit to the Isle of Skye located in the western highlands of Scotland was magical. We only spent a day here, but we want to go back. It was the type of island where we wished we had stayed on the island itself for at least a week. I would describe it as quaint, eerily beautiful, and magical–the kind found in fairy tales.

The Le Boreal anchored in a bay which required a tender service to get us to shore. Right off, we noticed a ruin on a hill that probably was some type of ancient fortress used to protect the entrance to the natural basin where we disembarked.

The houses around this basin were quaint and picturesque.

The wild floral display is rhododendrons, which they consider an invasive.

We first drove to the castle, but the scenery on the way was magnificent.

The island is rural and agricultural.

Their main economy is also tourism, fishing, and forestry.

The views were awesome!

Finally, we arrived at our first destination, the Eilean Donan Castle, otherwise known as the Kyle of Lochalsh, which we toured. Its name means Island of Donnan, a martyred saint.

It is one of the most photographed castles in Scotland and sits on a tidal island where three lochs meet.

You gain entry by a footbridge which connects the castle’s island to the mainland.

The original castle was built in the 13th century and was later occupied by the Mackenzie clan and their allies Clan MacRae.

However, during the 18th century, the Mackenzie’s role in the Jacobite Rebellions led to the castle’s destruction. A McRae-Gilstrap rebuilt it from its ruins in the 20th century. Gilstrap is one of my family’s surnames, but I have no idea if we are kin. If we are, though, then they have all the money.

Gaining entry is interesting and circuitous. One makes a hard left just as one enters and climbs stairs.

Then the stairs do a switchback as one climbs higher and higher. I guess those defending had the higher ground.

Our first room was a hall for receiving, but because this is still private property owned by descendants of McRae-Gilstrap, the family wishes there to be no photographs.

The views from the castle, though, were awesome.

Our day was cool enough for a thin down jacket, while back in Tallahassee it was already in the 90s.

Next, we spent an afternoon of free time in Portree, its largest city and capital.

Portree on the Isle of Skye, Photo on Wikipedia

Also, a working port,

there were views up on the cliffs…

and down in the harbor.

We spent a good bit of our day at the Eilean Donan Castle and hanging out in Portree, but there was so much more to see such as the Old Man of Storr and Neist Point. I’m afraid we just scratched the surface.

The Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye, Photo from Wikipedia

We also did not get to see any of the Fairy Pools, but those probably required hiking. I’m not sure Chuck was up for that anyway. His heel was still giving him trouble.

Isle of Skye Fairy Pools, Wikipedia Photo

Take a moment to click here. The blog post is entitled “9 Images that Prove Why the Isle of Skye in Scotland is Landscape Photography Heaven on Earth.” His photographs of the other sites on the Isle of Skye are why we want to go back.

A Time Traveler’s Guide to the Orkney Islands

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We continued island hopping with our next stop on the Orkneys. There are several significant archaeological finds here; and we visited three of them–Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, and the Stones of Stenness.

A 5,000 Year Old Home in Skara Brae

The night before we arrived on the Orkneys, we listened to a lecture about their newest find, the Ness of Brodgar. Its Director of Archaeology described its significance and also gave us some background to help us better understand the Neolithic in this area.

The Ness of Brodgar is a current archaeological excavation n the Orkneys. It includes a Stone Age Cathedral.

The Orkney Islands are north of mainland Scotland. Though it was late May, our temperatures began in the high 40s and did not get over 68° throughout our stay. We docked in the city of Kirkwall, the Orkneys’ main port.

The Orkneys and their relation to the northern coast of Scotland.

Skara Brae

Our first excursion was to a 5,000-year-old Stone Age village called Skara Brae. We could see inside their homes, which were virtually intact after being buried for several thousand years.

And we could see down their streets which were simple paths.  The village sits on the Bay of Skaill.

Skara Brae predates the Pyramid of Giza and Stonehenge. It was inhabited for several centuries with a population of between 50 and 100.

A dresser, hearth, and beds in a Skara Brae home.

The archeological site was unearthed during a storm in the 1800s. Below is a photo of the Bay of Skaill.

The Bay of Skaill in the Orkneys

Ring of Brodgar

Next we visited the ceremonial enclosure called the Ring of Brodgar. Below is an aerial view found on Wikipedia.  It will help you see the scale of the henge.

One of the largest stone circles in Britain, it once had 60 stones standing six yards apart and a dike.

Today, there are only 36 left.

It is believed to between 2,000 to 2,500 years old. The brown seen in the photos is heather.  It will bloom again in July, but the brown itself are the blooms from last year.

The Standing Stones of Stenness

Afterwards, we drove past the Ness of Brodgar, which was closed, to the Standing Stones of Stenness. Unable to get any photos because of the driving rain, here are two from Wikipedia.

The Stones of Stenness is the oldest stone circle in Britain, dating over 5,400 years old, older again than both Giza or Stonehenge. It may be the British Isles oldest henge.

Only four of the original twelve stones remain. A large stone hearth sets inside of the circle.

St. Magnus Cathedral

Finally back at the ship, we had time to walk into the city of Kirkwall, but inclement weather and a chronic injury to Chuck’s heel kept us on the ship. At the top of my list to see had been St. Magnus Cathedral, which towers over the city. It was built to honor the Viking Earl of Orkney and to house the Orkney bishops.  Again these photos are from Wikipedia.

Construction began in 1137 and lasted over 300 years.

Technically, no longer a cathedral, though, it is a Parish Church of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Being a Presbyterian myself, it was on my list to see.

Twenty Awesome Views of the Shetland Islands

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The Shetland Islands once belonged to Norway, but later became part of a marriage agreement between a Scottish king and a Norwegian princess. Located about halfway between the two former kingdoms, there are over 100 islands with more than 900 miles of coastline. Come join me for a quick pictorial tour.

First, I apologize that there was such a long break between my posts on Norway and Scotland, but life gets in the way.

After touring on the Flam Railway, we crossed the North Sea to the Shetland Islands, which are part of Scotland. The islands are located at the northern tip of the United Kingdom.

We sailed into the port at Lerwick. They tell us that much of these port scenes are in the television series called “Shetland”.

First, we toured the islands by bus.

The islands are beautifully green as this is May. It is sparsely populated.

The road followed a ridge with sweeping views of the land to the sea below.

Agriculture appears to be their primary economy.

We did finally get to see their most famous residents, the Shetland ponies. If you’ve ever owned one, then you know that they are not the most pleasant horse species.

We stopped at an overlook to view this cove.

It was a cove with sunning seals.

The Celtic language is a language all its own. For example, a tower is called a broch.

There are many brochs in Scotland.

The temperature today, even in the sun, did not rise over 53°. The morning was quite cool, especially with the cloud cover and wind. Layered clothing helped.

In the afternoon we visited a site called Jarlshof. Jarlshof is a 4000 year old village by the sea.

We first toured the oldest part, which was about 4000 years old. Their houses were round.

There were even pathways between their homes.

Then we toured a newer part of the settlement that the Vikings left behind.

The Viking homes were rectangular in shape.

Also built at this site was a more up-to-date Laird’s home.

All ruins though as each settlement was built on top of the last.

Can you imagine what it was like when someone looked out this window and saw a Viking ship? Actually, this is a door. I guess they were a much shorter people.

Are There Fiords or Fjords on the North Sea?

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Last Fall we saw fiords down in New Zealand, but now we are on the other side of the world where the same geological phenomena are called fjords. Join us for a pictorial tour of the Flam Railway in Norway.

Flam is a port on a fjord on the North Sea. From there we took a scenic railway up into the mountains.

Last night we cruised from Bergen up the coast of Norway in the North Sea. We will visit ports for the rest of our holiday.  First stop is the port of Flam.

A North Sea Sunset

Due to Chuck’s condition this is best for us now. We do not have to pack or unpack for a week.

We are on a small French cruise line called Ponant on a ship called Le Boreal.

There are only about 200 passengers on board.

It was a very comfortable ship though much too cold to swim.

This morning at breakfast, we cruised through a large fjord to Flam.

The scenery in the mountains was beautiful.

There were waterfalls everywhere. Though not as many as we saw in a fiord in New Zealand last year. You can read about it here. I don’t think we’ll ever see that many waterfalls in one place ever again.

These Norway waterfalls were spectacular, too!

The Norwegian villages were quaint and pretty.

We made two stops to stretch our legs.

Finally, we got back to Flam, and we made some of our best buys for family souvenirs. The Norwegians are known for their jewelry, especially pewter and silver necklaces and earrings. Their woolens are nice, but I was jaded after discovering New Zealand’s blend of merino wool and possum fur. Their possum isn’t like ours. It doesn’t look like ours, and its fur is soft.

We left Flam and sailed back through the fjord back into the North Sea. This is goodbye to Norway, and we hope to return someday. We only visited a small part of their country.

Tonight we sail across the North Sea to the Shetland Islands.

Have you Ever Been to Bergen?

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Frankly, I had never heard of Bergen until we decided to take a trip to Norway. Here are pictures of what we found.

Bergen is a city on the southwestern coast of Norway, its second largest.

It is surrounded by mountains and deep vast fjords.

We spent most of our time on the city’s wharf which is called Bryggen.

Bryggen is known for its colorful wooden houses, which were actually warehouses.

It was once part of a great trading empire, and they traded from these warehouses.

Their greatest economic product was dried or salted cod and cod oil.

Chuck with his big catch!

We spent two days in the city and it rained both. Bergen is the rainiest city on earth, raining 240 days per year.

On the second day we visited the home of Edvard Grieg, the famous Norwegian composer and pianist of the Romantic era. He called his home Trodhaugen, the troll’s house.

He thought he rather looked like a troll. He was only 4’7″ tall.

His “In the Hall of the Mountain King” was used by Disney in some of his work, as well as other compositions.

https://youtu.be/dRpzxKsSEZg

We also visited a medieval Norwegian Church.

Known as Stave architecture, it is made entirely of wood.

Only a hand full of these churches are left. They are very susceptible to fire. Instead of gargoyles they have dragons.

What You Didn’t Know about Auckland

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On our last two days in this part of the world, we visited Auckland, located on New Zealand’s North Island.  What we found was a very friendly and beautiful city.  Here are the highlights. 

We toured the city by bus and walked throughout its downtown area, especially near the sea.

Within a block of our hotel was Quay Street, and the building ahead is the Customs House.

Downtown Auckland

Auckland’s Skyline

The bus tour began with a drive around the city’s port basin.

Auckland’s Seaport

We also took a drive through some of its residential areas.

Some of its residential areas are built on hills overlooking the sea basin.

Its skyline included a building locally called the “toilet seat” building.  Can you pick it out?

Driving into Auckland

Sadly, we never made it up into their space needle.

Quayside in Auckland

Our Aussie guide and our Scottish Kiwi bus driver got into quite an exchange when comparing their home city’s harbor bridges..  It seemed to be all in good fun though there is quite a lot of competition between the two nations.

Crossing Auckland’s Harbor Bridge

Our bus drive though was quick to counter with Auckland’s Team New Zealand, and that they currently hold the America’s Cup. 

This was one of their America’s Cup sailing vessels.

Auckland also has a War Museum that is a must see.  It was built after World War I because of all the Kiwis killed during that war.

The museum’s central war memorial room, which names the war and the Kiwis who gave their lives for their country’s freedom.

It was well done and included later wars and the Maori warriors as well.

A Japanese Zero

We even got to see more about the Maori culture.

A Maori ceremonial hall

They were great seamen,

 

A re-creation of the sailing vessel that the first Maori used to come to New Zealand, which before them was only inhabited with mostly birds many of which did not fly such as kiwis, penguins and moas, a bird similar to an ostrich but is now extinct.

This is a Maorian war canoe.

It carried about thirty men.

We especially enjoyed driving around their harbor basin,

Tamalo Drive

which offered a different type of New Zealand landscape,

but no less scenic!

As you’ll remember, while in Australia we never got to see a Kangaroo in the wild. The same was true for New Zealand penguins.

Chuck and his stuffed friend, but Chuck underdressed for the occasion. He forgot to wear his tuxedo.

We left Auckland to go back to Sydney for a fourteen hour flight to Los Angeles. It was October 9, and by then we were beginning to notice the hurricane brewing in the Gulf of Mexico back home. Unfortunately, he grew into a monster storm and got to our area in the panhandle of North Florida about the time we flew into Atlanta. It would be more than 24 hours before the roads were cleared enough so we could drive the rest of the way home.

Hurricane Michael

The Real Story Behind Glowworms

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On the North Island of New Zealand is a cave at Waitomo. So many of my daughters’ generation grew up in the 1980s with a Glo Worm, a stuffed toy which had a pajamaed worm body and a glowing head when squeezed. Both girls loved and slept with them.

I had no idea that the concept came from New Zealand, and we got a chance to see the real glowworms of Waitomo renouned for its limestone formations and glowworms also called Arschnocampa luminosa. They live in a cave system which includes the Ruakuri Cave the one we visited.

Wai means water and tomo means hole or shaft in the Maori language. They had known about the cave and the glowworms for over a century.

The glowworms are on the ceiling of the Waitomo Cave. A photo from Wikipedia.

One can tour the caves by boat as there is an underground river, but we toured on foot. We could hear the river though rushing through the cave.

It was important to stay on the pathways through the caves for safety and ecology.

We went through a Glowworm Grotto and marveled at the twinkling glow coming from its ceiling,

It was hard to photograph the worms, as it had to be pitch black to see them glow.

At one point our guide showed us up close the thin strands of slime that the worms emit, a form of excrement, something all of God’s creatures has to do. But still “ewww”.

Yep, those translucent threads are poop.

The limestone formations were also an attraction,

Especially the curtain formations which take hundreds of years to form.

A speleothem called a curtain.

We entered this cave walking down a long spiral ramp.

Going down was easy!

We reached this area north of Rotoruta by bus on our way to Auckland, and this is what was above ground and on top of the cave system.

On the ground above the caves.

The countryside between Rotorua and Auckland was pastoral,

The wooded area is a protected part of the original terrain before they cleared the fields.

Beautiful,

And scenic.

New Zealand is a beautiful emerald green country that reminded us of Ireland.

The Best Way to Visit a Sheep Station

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Well, to visit a sheep station take a boat like we did. I’ll explain later. I grew up around a lot of cattle, but certainly not sheep. In New Zealand, there are over 25 million sheep.

We visited the Mt. Nicholas Sheep Station near Queenstown, a station across the lake and only accessible by boat. This is a high country merino sheep farm.

We toured its high mountain pastures

and marveled at its pastoral panoramic views.

Later, we toured their sheep shearing sheds to learn how it’s done.

This is how much is sheared from one sheep.

One sheep followed us around and was quite domestic.

We even fed her.

While we were eating a picnic lunch we watched some men and dogs bring a large herd down from the upper hills.

The wool is shipped from here by boat, and this was also how we arrived and departed.

They demonstrated how a single sheepdog can work a small herd.

We spent most of the day here and especially enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

Rotorua: The Maori’s Geo-thermal Lands

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Perched on the edge of a caldera on a crater lake, Rotorua is a land of geothermal activity as well as the center of Maori culture. Here’s what we found when we visited this hot springs resort town.

This is Te Puia’s Whakarewarewa Valley where we found geysers which popped up in the most unexpected places.

Notice the small geysers near the residential fence.

and the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute

with traditional wood carving instruction and other cultural skills taught to their students to make sure their culture does not get lost in time.

This Maori gentleman is practicing their art of carving.

I call this city the Roto-Rooter city, because its name is somewhat easier to remember that way. It is pronounced Roto-Ruah.

This is a hot springs health resort, and we especially loved the gardens

surrounding the old hot springs hotel,

The ground is unstable with boiling springs.

which sadly is no longer used.

This is a city of earthquakes, but thankfully we were spared any “big wiggles” from the ground below, though it didn’t make me sleep any better knowing we were sleeping on the side of a caldera.

We learned about the Maori,

They performed a ceremony used for greeting strangers.

their traditions,

An example of their beautiful wood carvings.

and their fierce warrior culture.

They were skillful at a distinctive guerrilla type of warfare. The tongue thing was to frighten their adversaries.

They fed us a meal that was somewhat similar to our Hawaiian Luau.

A Maori feast cooked underground.

We spent two days here and really enjoyed walking throughout the town. It is springtime here in October, and their azaleas were blooming.

And we got to have our picture taken with a Kiwi. No, it is not real because they are nocturnal and to do this with a live Kiwi would be abusive. We did get to see them in a nocturnal environment, but they were hard to view.

The kiwi is a flightless bird the size of a chicken.

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