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| Italian Chapel |
Today was the worst weather of the trip! The rain was continuous and heavy, and there was a strong, cold wind blowing that was full in our face for most of the 20 mile trip north to Kirkwall. There is almost no shelter on the Orkneys. We also had to cycle over the "Churchill Barriers" which are causeways linking the smaller islands, built to protect Scapa Flow from U-boat attack in the Second World War. Since we were getting quite wet, we looked for places to stop. There appeared to be nothing open in the town of St. Magaraet's Hope just before 10, so we cycled on to the Fossil Center tea room on Burray, and dried off there for a little.
The one sight that we particularly wanted to see on the way was the Italian Chapel, built by Italian prisoners of war who were constructing the Churchill Barriers . This is magnificent. The chapel is constructed out of two Nissen huts lined with plasterboard painted to look like bricks and tile, and the decorations and paintings are beautiful. Painted mirrors look like stained glass windows.
By the time we got to Kirkwall we were soaked through. We had booked a twin room - all that was available - at the Shore Hotel on the harbor. The owner who was at the front desk when we arrived took one look at our sorry state, and upgraded us to an apartment on the top floor, including a kitchen and lots of space so we could dry us and our belongings off. So we spread out, poured the water out of our shoes, and relaxed. We spent two nights at the hotel, and the staff were always friendly, kind, and efficient. We had lunch in the lounge bar, toasting in front of an electric fire, and now dry and warm, set off sightseeing in Kirkwall.
Kirkwall is a small town, but has a most impressive cathedral, St. Magnus Cathedral. It is a red sandstone building, originally built in the 11th century. Noteworthy are the colorful entrance ways of red and white sandstone, the intricate curved arches, and the mort brod, a hanging burial sign (instead of a marked gravestone) that looks like a pub sign. Before entering the cathedral we watched an informative introductory video shown by the Society of Friends of St. Magnus Cathedral in a nearby building.
We shopped for an umbrella and a wool sweater for Lynn, and then, since it was still cold, wet, and windy, went back to the hotel, and stayed in to have dinner there too.Elevation
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