Ring of Brodgar
I was pleased to be able to visit another neolithic ring of stones. Here there are 27 stones remaining out of the original 60. This is the third largest ring of stones in the UK. The bus had parked a little way away from the stones and there was a short walk up the hill to the stones.
One of the standing stones had been hit by lightning and split
Some of the other stones.
Standing Stones of Stennis
On our left were the Standing Stones as we zipped by them on the bus back to Kirkwall. Unlike the Ring of Brodgar there were no tourist buses just a handful of visitors.
Further down the B965 we could see Azura at the dock.
After leaving the open top bus at Kirkwall bus station we had lunch at The Reel on Broad Street. This was understandably very busy but we did manage to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine while we waited for our lunch;
and we managed to sample some more local Orkney beers (after sampling one in Lerwick).
While we were having a lunch a solitary piper was playing at St Magnus Cathedral just up the road to greet guests at an upcoming wedding. Towards 3 pm we joined the guests walking up Broad Street towards the cathedral and waited for the bride.
Perhaps the bride was a little surprised at having quite so many people to cheer her into the cathedral.
On the way back to the bus station we passed the local Ford dealer who had sold a new 5 litre convertible Ford Mustang.
Once back at the dock, rather than queuing on the gangway I went down the quay to grab some pictures of Azura and later go into the small building next to security to have a look at the stalls selling local crafts and produce.
Back on board as Azura was preparing to leave, a pipe band entertained the port side of the ship, getting lots of applause after each tune.
As we sailed out of Kirkwall, here are some views as Azura headed for the open sea.
This evening was the final black tie evening and it was the Marco Pierre White menu coupled with the march of the P&O chefs who appeared just after 9:30 pm.
It was disappointing that Troubador were scheduled to clash with the Take That tribute band. The Take That tribute guys were only doing a half show as they were scheduled to appear with another act in the Manhattan. The good news was that Troubador sang songs from Billy Joel, The Drifters and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons among others in their excellent set.
At 11:50 pm, just off Aberdeen, here’s the view of the night sky.
The concierge rate for sending postcards was £1 with a closing time of 2:30 pm.