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.