Day 18: In which we exchange Shetland for Glasgow

 This morning had a sad view outside our window as they were dismantling the tents from the Tall Ships, as we were dismantling our Shetland home.  Packing, eating, worrying about time, and trying to down as much caffeine as possible were the main points of the morning.

Our taxi was booked for 9:45, and when that came and went we were very concerned.  It turned out that even though Laura emailed the council and received assurances Commercial Street would be open by the time we came to leave, the council steered us wrong.  The poor taxi driver had to hustle from the Victoria Pier taxi stand to our flat's door to tell us so.  Thank heavens the driver, John, was able to help us with our baggage as that is not something Denise and I can handle any more.

One bonus about having to hobble our way to the taxi stand is that I got to wave goodbye to the webcam in Market Cross.

 From the taxi stand, we got one last view of our window.

 

The drive down to Sumburgh was lovely and Laura counted 32 Shetland ponies on the way.  The driver helped by pointing them out along the fence line.  We were all very sad to be leaving wishing we could stay longer.

Check in at Sumburgh Airport was easy enough and we were assured there would be a ramp for us to get on the plane.  We downed more coffee in the cafe then came to a hiccup in the security line.  There wasn't a problem with our luggage, or going through the scanner, no, it was that Denise found another relative in the person who scanned us.  We wound up being the last people on the flight in the departure lounge.  By the time we got there, we were being called to board the flight.  Yes, there was the ramp which made things easy.

Unlike our flight to Shetland, our flight back to the mainland wasn't so smooth.  Turbulance wasn't the problem but it was more Loganair.  First, we were instructed to go into the wrong seats by the flight attendant.  While it didn't affect Denise and me, Laura, as she tried to get into her proper window seat, got shunted to the aisle seat by a one of those overly polite but totally obstinate people who refused to move.  When Laura pointed this out to the flight attendant she was condescendingly told "it's all right dearie," as if she was the one causing the problem. Laura was not amused as one of the basic rules of flying in today's world is not to argue with the flight attendant.  

It was later discovered the woman who took Laura's seat was a headliner at one of the Tall Ships concerts.  We can't help but be suspicious as to why no one in authority was willing to let Laura have the seat she paid extra for.

At Glasgow, the ramp malfunctioned but the OCS attendants were very helpful getting us down the stairs of the plane.  We were zipped through the airport, zipped through getting our luggage, and zipped over to the airport taxi.  I have never gone through an airport that quickly in my life.  Pearson Airport really needs to take lessons.

Our drive to the Marriott was quick and we all flooped (that's like flopped but the lack of grace of it requires an extra o) in our rooms for a few hours.

To my surprise, the ladies had already organized with the hotel's restaurant a meal that I could eat.  We owe a great thanks to Lauren and Destiny for not only getting our specialized meal, but also for not rushing us as I ate.  Tonight's desert was sticky toffee pudding.  I made sure I had room for all of it, and two cups of coffee.

The ladies had petit fours for desert and didn't share any chocolate with me, while they stole bites of my pudding.  I know better than to stop them.

It's off to bed early tonight as tomorrow is the grand tour of mainland Scotland, featuring the two most famous lochs, Lomond and Ness.

Day 17: In which we prepare to say goodbye to Shetland

 Today started with the fact we had to pack everything for our flight out tomorrow.  Laundry and packing is hardly how one wants to spend the last full day in Shetland but as everything ever in Lerwick shuts down on Sunday, there was nothing to distract us.

Except the Tall Ships, we watched as the rest of them left throughout the day again to the familiar tune of the foghorn.  The harbour looks very empty now.

It seems that packing up and leaving is a theme for the day.

In later afternoon, a blessed distraction arrived in the form of Helena and Nigel.  They'd been down to prepare their AirBNB and stopped in for coffee, sweets, and a chat.  Conversation was not lacking for topics, and it was almost a whole hour before Denise brought up something genealogical.  I think that's a record for this trip.  They are an easy couple to spend time with as they're so affable and fun to talk with.  Sadly, they had to go as they still had to make their way to Walls, which is 35 minutes away.  Then again, it might only be 20 minutes away considering how people here drive.

Laura had to run out for a few errands and found a shocking sight: all of the half of Commercial Street we are on, as well as Market Square, were totally empty.

Shetlanders, if the past few days have proved anything, know how to throw a party, but they also know how not to overstay their welcome.  Lerwick was empty!

As we have to be up early, we have to close down early so goodnight.

Day 16: In which we find more family

 Today was supposed to be a day to reorganize ourselves for our departure on Monday, but we had a surprise visitor, directed to us by Elizabeth Angus.  He was inquiring about how we were connected in the Bairnson family.  His name is Raymond Irvine and Elizabeth Angus was sure we related somehow.

At first we thought it would only be a phone call but then he volunteered to come over and bring some research, of course, Denise was thrilled by this. We didn't think we would ever entertain visitors here in our little flat, but now we've had two: both Elizabeth and Raymond.

What was only supposed to be a 45 minute visit stretched into two hours.  Raymond is a font of information.  His organizational system impressed me (and that's a hard thing to do) and the sheer amount  of data amazed Denise.  

 There was a lot of to-and-froing of names and dates when finally the connection was found.  Raymond is another fifth cousin, like Betsy, Marina, and so many others here in Shetland. Denise and Raymond share fourth great-grandparents: Thomas Bairnson and Ann Aitken.  Denise just wishes she could have gone through all of Raymond's research but he only brought over two rather full binders.

As Raymond had guests from mainland Scotland, the genealogical meeting had to come to an end but information was exchanged to keep in contact.  

About the time we broke up the conversation, due to fog and dangerous conditions, the parade of sail was cancelled and the Tall Ships race postponed to tomorrow.  Thus, we have watched the Tall Ships leave the harbour, alerted by the foghorn every time one left.  

 

It hasn't dampened the party though on Victoria pier!

Next, the ladies headed out to mail a very large box of books and knitted items.  Thank heavens the UK has Saturday Post.

Now on a bit of a side trip.  There is a pretty famous cat in Lerwick by the name of Tommy.  He's sort of an unofficial mascot who is welcome anywhere in Lerwick.  He's even interrupted and been recognized at town hall meetings. Laura has been determined to find him, but as a cat's going to cat, he's been equally determined to be elusive.  Considering Laura brought him presents, (two bandanas, one featuring the Beautiful Joe Heritage Society) she was very disappointed in not finding him.

With some messages back and forth with Tommy's servants, it was arranged to drop the bandanas off at the Thule Bar: a favourite haunt of Tommy's and where his best friend, Maureen, works.  Maureen could not have been more pleased with the bandanas and promised to pass them on as soon as possible.  She even took a picture of herself, Laura, and Denise, but as it was on Maureen's phone, I cannot post it here.  When it eventually goes up on Tommy's Facebook page, I will edit this post to include it.

Finally, one last trip to Blyde Welcome for some coffee and sweets.  Much to our disappointment, the coffee shop is not open on the Monday we leave.  As a thank you for their great treatment of us, we left a card with a Canadian pin for the owner, Celia.  This afternoon, I had two cups of coffee, because we had a free drink, and watched one by one as the boats left Lerwick Harbour.  We're still watching now, and listening to the concert going on.

What was supposed to be a rather quiet day turned into one of surprises, that's for sure.

Day 15: In which we go visiting and have tea and sweets

 Today Lerwick was quieter than we expected.  The initial crowds from the Tall Ships have thinned somewhat but they're going to increase again tomorrow for the ship parade and leaving dock.

The ladies went out for important reasons (shopping) and to pick up some presents for people at home.  They saw something very entertaining on the way to the shops.

I missed a puffin in downtown Lerwick!

First, they went across to Jamieson's where Laura had to resist buying some yarn of each colour.  Instead, she bought some mementos for people at home and a grand total of two balls of wool.  Denise bought some gloves.

Next, they were off to the post office to post 24 postcards.  Watch your mail, people who wanted one!

On to The Chocolate Box, where Denise indulged in some rhubarb chocolate; Laura bought some presents, and a few goodies for herself. They had to go today as the shop (as well as a few others in Lerwick) are going to be shut to watch the parade of ships tomorrow.

In the afternoon, we were off for a visit with a friend I first met online in 2009, member number 3 of the Shetland Family History Society, Elizabeth Angus.  We were catching a taxi to her house, but the roads are closed where we are so we had to walk to the Queen's Hotel for pickup.  Laura got another picture of the boats and Jimmy Perez's house on the way.

As Elizabeth arranged the taxi, she came with it, which was a nice way to ride back to her house. On a side note, I would like to mention she doesn't look like she's aged a day in nine years.  If only we were all so lucky.  Also, she's a former home economics teacher at Anderson High School so we were assured some good lemon cake, chocolate cake, and shortbread!  It was as good as we expected.

 I was at Elizabeth's house nine years ago and met her husband, Gussie, who has since passed.  Somewhere in the old posts of this blog from our last Shetland trip, is a picture of me dressed up as a viking in Gussie's guizer costume.  As a couple, they were very involved in the life of Lerwick, Gussie being a local councillor and piper, and the pair of them deeply involved in family history.  Elizabeth is still here, there, and everywhere, sharing her expertise in all thing genealogical and historical.  Amazingly, she walks to all her volunteering, even if it's on the other side of Lerwick.

One thing I remember about Elizabeth's house is the amazing view.  It looks out over the water and gets the best view of ships coming and going.  To make sure the ships are correctly identified, she has binoculars on the sill of her living room window.  We even caught one of the cruise ships leaving harbour.

Elizabeth and Denise talked up a storm trying to figure out who was who in old photographs, family lineage, and trying to learn if they're related.  Current research says no, but there's always more genealogical research to do!

I was served some delicious Norwegian coffee, and Elizabeth is the consummate hostess. Anyone would be fortunate to be a guest in her home.

I'm a thorn between two roses in this picture. 

As it was time for us to depart to avoid the dinner rush and traffic in what few streets were open in Lerwick, I refused to say goodbye.  I just said farewell.  Like the pickup, Elizabeth rode in the cab with us and walked us to our door.  She is a charming and lovable friend and we will be chatting through email soon.

A wonderful afternoon was had by all.

Tonight is a night in, but as Elizabeth is always thoughtful and genealogically-minded, we received a message about a Bairnson relative who lives in Lerwick.  Denise will call them tomorrow.  We also look forward to the music and fireworks tonight that we should be able to hear and see from our window.  One slight problem: the fog has rolled in so thick, we cannot even see Bressay anymore.

Somewhere behind that boat in the picture should be the island where they're setting off fireworks tonight.

One last thing, Laura received an email from our neighbour showing us how not worried our dog, Thora, is about where we are.  I thought I'd share.

Day 14: in which the day revolves around food and sleep

 This was a sloooooow day today after yesterday's excitement.  All three of us were quite exhausted, so there was much lounging and some napping happened.  At one point, Denise went out to pick up a few things, and even came back with chocolate but I've been told none of it is for me.

Our big outing was at 5pm for an early dinner at No 88.  Again, the amazing manager, Karen, organized a meal I could eat.  It was very tasty but if I have to pick a meal, I would have last week's again, and again, and again.  It's too bad I'm not here another Thursday to go back!

To further extol on the virtues of Karen, she kept stopping to check in or to talk with us, despite having a full house and an anniversary party in the upstairs event room.  I'm not sure how the woman does it all, but she does it all very well. We never once had the feeling we were being rushed, or taking up her precious time.  She's just a friendly, lovely person, in exactly the right job.  Kuddos to Karen, staff, and the kitchen!

I had beef this week, as opposed to last week's lamb, ice cream, and, of course, really good coffee.

Denise had lamb, but Laura had the beef like I did.  Desert was the same poached pear and passion fruit sorbet the ladies had last week.  The desert lasted all of about five minutes.  Denise also discovered rhubarb and ginger gin, which sent Laura down the rabbit hole of where we can get in once back in Canada.  We found out the LCBO in Collingwood carries it!

 Laura had an espresso martini.  It's coffee in a new way for her.  In case we forgot for a moment where we were, there was a huge map behind Laura to remind us.

We toodled home and noticed a few stores staying open late to take advantage of the crowds from the Tall Ships. Some of the crew members have to wear their dress uniforms when on shore, so we could always tell who was on leave.

Tonight there will be music from Victoria Pier, which we will listen to with our windows open.

Day 13: in which Laura and I go on a boat and Denise stays on dry land

 For the record, I have to say "boat" quietly around Denise because the sailing gene that both her parents had did not reach her.

Since arriving in Shetland, we have received numerous recommendations to go on a Noss boat tour.  What we did not realize is that there are several options for Noss boat tours, but we settled on the longest running one, Seabirds-and-Seals.  The company lived up to its name as we saw a multitude of seabirds, and a few seals up close.

Lerwick is very crowded with all the foot traffic from the Tall Ships, so we weren't sure about how long it would take to get to our boat.  The email said to be there by 12:15.  All our worries were for naught as we just had to go down the walkway set aside for those getting on boats on Victoria Pier, down a gangway, and step right on.  I didn't have any difficulty getting on and off the boat, much to my relief and being there early meant I got my choice of seats!

Denise came with us and was comforted by my ease on the boat, and stayed to see us off.

The first part of the tour would be of interest to those who watch Shetland.  We sailed right past the Lodberrie, which is better known as D.I. Jimmy Perez's house. 

Off to the high seas, which were really not that high.  We got a lovely sea view of Lerwick out of the harbour.  We also got a good view of the Island of Bressay, whose ferry we've been watching from our window.  We get a small view of Bressay from our flat but this was much better.  Also, we saw the Bressay lighthouse up close. It was another one designed by Robert Louis Stevenson's father, and the one he built right after completing Muckle Flugga on Unst.

The Seabird (capitalized as that was the name of the boat) experience started with some seagulls on the rocks.  As we live in Thornbury, we're no strangers to the calls of seagulls.  Soon we saw the first of many Shetland Shags who actually glow an odd green though Laura failed to capture that in the picture below.

Next we passed Orkney Man's Cave, which we were supposed to go into on the way out but someone beat us there.

I should mention, we were advised when we boarded where to sit if we didn't want to get soaked.  The spray was constant!  I'm glad I sat where I did and avoided coming home covered in salt water.

The seabirds in Shetland are pretty clever, as they must've recognized the boat.  Our host was throwing special bird biscuits up in the air to convince them to come closer.  The bravest birds were the great skuas who came rather close to the Seabird, but failed at catching a biscuit.

Behind the great skuas came the gannets.  We were lucky to see as many was we did as they were the opposite of decimated (9 out of 10 rather than 1 out of ten) were killed last year by the avian flu.  Gannets can have a wingspan of up to 6 feet, and dive very gracefully into the water.

Despite the loss of so many gannets, I think every single one of them who survived came back to nest on Bressay and Noss.  They were everywhere on the cliffs.  The most interesting fact about the gannets is their blue eyes, but, according to our host, if they survived the avian flu the eyes go black.

Guillemots also made an appearance but they were camera shy.

Baby guillemots are called jumplings, because they literally jump out of the nest when they're ready to leave.  It's like, "I'm outta here mum!  Hasta la vista!"

Back to the open water, more gannets came looking for a snack.

Here's where I learned we picked the best possible boat tour for Laura and me.  Halfway through the trip, we stopped in an inlet and had a coffee break.  The wind was chilly so even though I am always happy to see coffee, I was even happier this time.  It was good coffee too!

The Island of Noss, which is on the far side of Bressay to Lerwick, is a nature reserve and has been since 1935.  The last permanent resident on Noss left in 1939 but for 6 months of the year, when the birds return and nest, there are two wardens who live on the island.  

Previously, residents of the island and the house in the above picture, bred Shetland ponies.  Sadly, there was not a one on the tour today, though there were some very brave sheep standing right on the edge of many of the cliffs.

Something I learned today is that a group of shags is called a flight or gulp.  I choose to use gulp because it's more amusing.  Here's a gulp of shags hanging out for us to admire.

The gannets and skuas were rewarded for following us because our host, and the young girl on the trip, threw fish for them to catch.  They were much more adept at catching and diving for the fish than they were at catching the biscuits.  Laura would like to apologize for there not being any pictures as it was far too entertaining to watch live to pull out her phone.  Here are some shags and seagulls to make up for it.

On the way back, we sailed through Giant's Leg.  It is an archway where I think sailors go to prove how close they can get to rocks without actually hitting them.  I could've reached out and touched the walls on the way by.  I didn't though, because I couldn't believe how sharp-edged those rocks were.  I would've thought they'd be worn down by the sea, but no, they were as sharp as ever.

We also made it into Orkney Man's Cave, so called as a man from Orkney tried to hide from press gangs there long ago, or so the legend says.

Supposedly, shags live there but we didn't see any.  On the way in, we did briefly see a seal but it was camera shy like the guillemots.  

It was time to head back into Lerwick where we got a sea-view of the Tall Ships currently overtaking every single free berth in all of east coast of Shetland Mainland.

One slip not available was where the ferry to mainland Scotland was.  We've only briefly seen the ferry, so it was interesting to see another view of it.

Like the viking on the ferry indicates, mainland Scotland is that way.

Now it is time for the second part of the name of the tour.  Already having seen plenty of seabirds, it was time to see some seals.  While there weren't many, the few there were put on a good show, coming right up to the Seabird to say hello.

Finally, it was back to our dock, where Denise was waiting for us.  After she did some shopping on Commercial Street, while we were at sea, she talked her way past security so she could come and greet the Seabird.  For everyone who knows Denise, this is not a surprise.

Once we disembarked, we heard a familiar voice behind us; it was our fifth cousin Marina!  She came to Lerwick for the Tall Ships celebration and we were very excited to see her.  In the middle of some genealogical conversation, Betsy and Arthur arrived!  It was another family reunion on Victoria Pier!  Much chatting happened.

When everyone went their separate ways, we went to get some coffee from Blyde Welcome and when Laura came out of the coffee shop, there was a woman ringing the doorbell of our flat.  Low and behold, member number 3 of the Shetland Family History Society, Elizabeth Angus, had taken the chance to stop by and see if we were in.  She came in for a visit and watched some of the parade down the Esplanade from our window.  There have been arrangements made for us to go visit her for coffee and sweets on Friday.

Overall, a busy, educational, familial, and friendly day.

For the record, I am still having eye trouble, so Laura is typing.  She added in her own comments throughout.  Not being the one typing, I cannot stop her.

Day 12: In which Laura completely takes over the blog for the day.

 Today I hand the blog over to Laura, as all I did was take a brief walk along The Esplanade and Denise bought some goodies for people at home.  Other than that, it was a day of rest considering our very busy day yesterday.  The Tall Ships and a cruise ship in harbour made for a busy walk, so we didn't stay out for long. 

And now it's my blog (Laura here)!  MWHAHAHAHAHA! Today I did many, many things and went many, many places and asked the question "Is that a road or not a road" many many times.

I came to Scotland 25 years ago next month to attend Strathclyde for teachers' college.  I will always argue I got better training there that I would have if I had stayed in Ontario.  While at Strathclyde, I met another Canadian, Dana, and we've been in contact on and off ever since.  So it was a surprise to find out that Dana would be in Shetland, after cruising the north and Norway, during the exact same time I was here.  Our paths would only cross for one day on Mainland Shetland, so we jumped at the opportunity to spend the day together.

This is Dana:

We met for breakfast at The Dowry, which was crazy busy.  There wasn't an empty table in the place!  We got briefly caught up, though there would be more throughout the day, and then went for a walk up and down Commercial Street.  Dana is staying in Brae so this was her first time in Lerwick.

We wandered up to where she was parked, which could be one of those stories about going uphill both ways in the snow.  That's how steep the hill was. It did provide a lovely view of the harbour.

We went off to the Shetland Museum.  It was interesting, but I found it just a longer, more involved version of history that I got at Jarlshof yesterday.  I did leave a donation, because everyone should support museums.  Our history, particularly an accurate reflection of our history, is very important.

Afterward, we decided to take a trip up to North Mainland, the part I did not drive through with the epic tour guide, Jolene.  We settled on heading out to the Braewick Cafe which I have heard a lot about from my parents and had yet to see.  We made a few stops as the landscape was stunning.

I have to say that Dana is an excellent driver.  She's been to the UK plenty of times, and has a lot of experience driving on the opposite side of the road.  I was so glad she was driving.

Once at the cafe, we did something very British:

I'm not usually one for taking pictures of my food, but when one has a scone with cream and jam in the UK, one takes a picture.  Despite this, I am not getting into the debate as to what goes first: the cream or the jam.  I'll let the British sort that out amongst themselves.

The outside of the cafe had some amazing views so we had to take advantage of them.

When our bellies were full (like the cafe, when we arrived we got the last table), off we went further north west, following the road as far as it could go.  First was the beach at Stenness but we didn't make it down to the actual beach.  Though there was a crossing point at the fence, there were too many sheep, and too much of what sheep leave behind, for us to risk it.  We used the excuse that neither of us were wearing serious walking shoes.

Here we are overlooking the beach at Stenness, braving the strong winds.

Braving the wind was easier than the little land mines the sheep leave behind.

Back on the road again, we went to the end of another road and found Eshaness Lighthouse.

We also tried to brave the wind to take more pictures of ourselves.

We had middling success as the wind was really out to get us.

Dana was the more prepared one and had a hair tie.  Either that or I've developed a Stockholm Syndrome like relationship with the wind here.

We wandered the cliffs a little, but because of the aforementioned lack of serious walking shoes, we didn't get that far.  I refuse to admit the wind and the chill had something to do with us scurrying back to the car.

 

 Continuing our very detailed plan of where-does-this-road-lead, we found ourselves inventing a new game: is this a road or not a road.  In the northwest sometimes it's hard to tell.  Twice we easily decided not a road.  Several were debatable.  We stuck to the ones where we answered yes.

Considering there wasn't much traffic on the road we did run into a traffic jam.  The others on the road just stared at us like we were the ones in the wrong place.

Sheep in the Yell are stupid.  Sheep in Walls are judgmental.  Southern sheep had some road sense.  Northern sheep tell you where to drive.

We made our way almost to North Roe, but the road lost the game, and so we turned around and headed back towards Lerwick, heading through Brae, and past the Brae hotel where Dana was staying.  There were a few more stops for good vistas.

Dana took me right to the door of 56 Commercial Street and she will likely be the last one to do so.  As of tomorrow, the roads close for the Tall Ships celebration.  

I may have been done for the day but Dana is an avid traveler and she headed off to Scalloway for their July fire festival.  She later told me it was "quite a sight to see."

For the record:
Shetland pony count: 23

I now pass the blog back over to Dad.