Handmade Christmas Toys - 2023

I made this video to showcase wooden toys which were made by woodworker John Belt and painted by Wichita Women Artists.  The video has music, so turn on audio.  You might want to watch in full-screen mode as well. Please watch and let me know if you like it!

2023 Cruise - Days 10, 11, 12, and 13

I have been very lax in posting information about our cruise, so I decided I would make one last post. Day 10 was Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland.  We did not go ashore here as we had visited the city on a previous trip. I encourage you to visit Forever Edinburgh for a terrific overview of the city. One of the most impressive sights is Edinburgh Castle. The castle is the site of the annual Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. 

Day 11 was Inverness.  The name from the Gaelic means "Mouth of the River Ness".  The 18th century Battle of Culloden took place nearby on Culloden Moor.  

The River Ness

Inverness Town Steeple

Day 12 was supposed to be the Shetland Islands. However, once again the seas were too rough.  The ship would be moored away from a dock and passengers would need to be taken by small boat to land.  It was considered too dangerous.  I really wanted to see the Shetland Ponies!  Lerwick is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago with a population of about 7,000 in 2010. Below is a photo taken from our stateroom balcony showing the rough seas.

Below is a picture of the Shetland archipelago as we sailed past them.  Next stop - Bergen, Norway!

In Bergen, we toured a church, the NyKirken, the New Church. The church was built on the site of the ruins of the home of the archbishop which was built in the 14th century. Below is the exterior of the church.

NyKirken (New Church)

Below is a photo of the 'Baptismal Angel', a massive carved angel which descends from the ceiling of the church by means of a pulley system, bearing in its hand the bowl for infant baptisms. The original was donated in 1794 in memory of Heinrich Pütter, but was destroyed in 1944 by the explosion of the German ship Voorbode in the nearby Vagen bay leaving large parts of the city of Bergen in ruins. The replacement was donated by Bergen Cathedral, who had always been the owners of the matching angel, but kept it unused in storage. The mechanism for the angel is now electrically operated. (Source)

 

The last photo I want to share is one of the main square in Bergen.  The weather obviously wasn't suited for sitting out on these chairs, but in good weather it would be fun.  

 

2023 Cruise Day 9 - Orkney Islands

The Orkney Islands "are located six miles north of the Scottish mainland. There are about 70 islands within the Orkney archipelago, 17 of which are inhabited.

Both Orkney and Shetland are unique and unlike any other part of Great Britain. They have managed to retain many of their original, unique customs and traditions resulting from their long and eventful history.

In the early 8th and 9th centuries the Vikings arrived in the Shetland Islands looking for land and for the next 600 years or so the Norsemen ruled both Orkney and Shetland. Surprisingly, although the Vikings had a reputation as fearsome warriors, they settled down and became farmers.

In 1468, the impoverished Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, pawned the Orkney Isles to James III of Scotland in lieu of a royal dowry for 50,000 florins. The Shetlands were pawned for a further 8,000 florins." (Source)

The Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle dates back to the 3rd millennium BC and comprised of a massive stone circle, originally consisting of 60 stones of which 36 survive today.  There are also at least 13 prehistoric burial mounds and a large rock-cut ditch surrounding the stone circle.For more information click HERE.

2023 Cruise Day 8 - The Highlands (Ullapool)

 

Unfortunately, due to the rough seas, we were unable to go ashore at Ullapool. The region surrounding Ullapool is dominated by rugged mountains.  I had never really thought of the Highlands as being mountainous, I thought of them as being "hilly".  The picture to the left wasn't taken by me, but shows the small town (1500 inhabitants) on the shores of Loch Broom .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below are pictures that we took as we sailed past Ullapool.