22 October - part 2: Kirkwall, seen through Norwegian eyes

From the Italian Chapel we drove to Kirkwall and Saint Magnus Cathedral.

Saint Magnus Cathedral

Saint Magnus Cathedral was founded in 1137 by Earl Rognvald, in honour of his uncle Saint Magnus.
Saint Magnus was Earl of Orkney, reigning jointly with his cousin Haakon, who also was Earl of Orkney. At first he relationship between the two earls was good. Their reign, from 1105 until 1114, was said to be a just and pleasant one.

The Orkneyinga Saga is not clear on why the cousins turned on each other, but the result was that they were prepared to fight. Battle was averted and the two earls were persuaded to make peace. However, at the meeting where they were to finalise their treaty, Haakon betrayed Magnus and had him executed.

After his death a bright, heavenly light was said to have been seen above Magnus' grave, accompained by a "heavenly fragrance". Soon the cult of Magnus grew and stories about miraculous happenings around the Earl's gravesite began to spread. 21 years after his burial, Magnus was proclaimed a saint.

The Norwegian connection

As you may have guessed, both Saint Magnus and Rognvald were Norwegian. Rognvald was born in Agder, Norway, around 1100 AD and received earldom from the Norwegian king, Sigurd the Crusader, in 1129.

However, Rognvald did nothing about claiming his share, until King Harald, Sigurd’s successor, ratified the claim. Rognvald then assembled a fleet and set sail for Orkney, with the intention of overthrowing Paul Hakonsson, the existing earl of Orkney.

Naturally, Paul would not give up his earldom without a fight. After meeting fierce resistance, Rognvald's father instructed Rognvald to tell the people of Orkney that once he became earl, he would raise the finest church the north had ever seen. This church was to be in memory of his saintly uncle, Magnus, a man whom the islanders regarded with great respect.

While Rognvald was capturing the hearts of the Orcadian people, behind the scenes he had Earl Paul kidnapped in Rousay. Even though his exact fate is unknown, he disappeared completely and the cathedral was erected.

Orkney under Norwegian archbishop

Between 1154 and 1472, Orkney was ecclesiastically under the Norwegian archbishop of Nidaros (Trondheim).

Inside the cathedral we found a statue of Saint Olaf, which was a replica of one modeled for the Cathedral of Nidaros. The statue was gifted by The Church of Norway in 1937, celebrating the cathedral's 800th anniversary.

We also found a Norwegian flag, a magnificent Norwegian bible and tapestry given by the Hordaland Council, Norway.

Orkney Museum

Having indulged in the significance of our forefathers on the history of Orkney, we proceeded to the Orkney museum to find more connections to Norway. The museum contained many interesting facts, covering a large time span.

After having covered so many historic sites in Orkney, a lot of the information about the early days was old news to us by now, and we also found it more inspiring to read about these things at the historic sites. With this said, I do have to emphasise that the museum gave a good summary and gives an excellent overview for those who don't have the time to travel to all the individual sites.

For us, the newer parts of the exhibition were more interesting, especially the parts from the 19th and 20th centuries. Once again we could see parallels to Norway in the way the Orcadians knit and how they too found oil.

The Earls Palace and The Bishops Palace

Moving on we took a look at The Earls Palace and The Bishops Palace. Both were closed for the season, but we enjoyed admiring them from the outside.

The Bishop's Palace is the older of the two ruined palaces. The palace was built in the mid-12th century for Bishop William the Old, a friend and crusading companion of Earl Rognvald, the cathedral’s founder.

The palace was originally intended to provide accommodation for Bishop William and his entourage. Shortly after the construction work on the cathedral began, the Bishop and his staff moved from their old seat of power in Birsay to their new home in Kirkwall.

In 1568, the ownership of the palace passed to Earl Robert Stewart. Patrick Stewart, Robert's son, later planned to include the structure in his scheme to build the Earl's Palace, a massive residence in Kirkwall.  Known as ‘Black Patie’, the tyrannical Patrick ruled the Northern Isles with an iron fist from 1592 until his execution 23 years later. It was declared at his trial that he used slave labour to build his residences.

After Earl Patrick's death the palaces continued to be the residence of the Bishops of Orkney sporadically until 1688, when they became the property of the Crown. By 1705, the palace had fallen into disrepair and was no longer fit for habitation. By 1745, the roof had been stripped and the slates sold. The structure has remained roofless ever since.

Mass football in the streets of Kirkwall

After a day packed with history, we had dinner at Judith Glue Shop and Real Food Cafe/Restaurant. The food was great, and both before and after our meal we enjoyed looking around the lovely little shop.

On the wall of the cafe was information about the Kirkwall Ba' Game. The Ba' is played every Christmas and New Year's Day in Kirkwall. It is a traditional game of mass football which is played in the streets of the town between the Uppies and the Doonies. Up to 200 players participate.

The Ba' disappears into the scrum, before it suddenly appears out of the scrum and someone makes a dash through the crowds of spectators. To the casual onlooker this can happen at any moment, but the seasoned Ba'- watcher can often see what is happening long before the Ba' suddenly erupts.

The town takes on an appearance of seige during the period of the Ba', with shutters and barricades on all the shops and houses on possible Ba' routes. Young children and elderly people are well advised to keep clear.

The game is not as dangerous as it may seem: "However, due to the great sense of the camaraderie of the game, very few players get hurt badly so that if the scrum collapses, or someone is hurt, or passes out, the game stops to allow them to be extricated." Well, that was a relief.

22 October - part 1: Tomb of the Eagles and The Italian Chapel

After breakfast we checked out and said goodbye to our lovely hostess Shona at the INN Guesthouse. We had enjoyed our stay so much we ended up staying with her all the three nights we spent in Orkney.

Blockships from World War I

On our way to the Tomb of the Eagles, we drove through magnificent landscapes and a number of islands connected through the so-called Churchill Barriers, a series of four causeways linking the Orkney Mainland in the north to the island of South Ronaldsay via Burray and the two smaller islands of Lamb Holm and Glimps Holm.

As we crossed the barriers, we saw some very fascinating shipwrecks just outside the roads. It turns out these were blockships deliberately sunk in the smaller channels during World War I to further prevent the possibility of the Germans gaining access into Scapa Flow.

Building the Churchill Barriers

However, during World War II a submarine did manage to sail through Kirk Sound, navigating past the blockships at high tide and getting to Scapa Flow undetected. At Scapa Flow HMS Royal Oak was sunk by torpedoes, killing 834 men.

Following this incident, the Churchill Barriers were built to prevent any further attacks. A shortage of local labour was causing delays, so in 1942 Italian Prisoners of War were shipped in to work on the huge building project. Out of the around 2000 people working on the project, 1300 were Italian prisoners.

The barriers were built primarily as naval defences to protect the anchorage at Scapa Flow, but now serve as road links.

Tomb of the Eagles

The visit to the Tomb of the Eagles started at the visitor centre, where two of the guides gave us a thirty minute personal talk about the two sites we would be visiting, namely the Bronze Age site and the Neolithic Tomb of the Eagles.

We were shown artefacts found at the sites and were allowed to handle the least delicate ones. As we were looking at three of the around 30 human skulls found in the tomb, I was fascinated by how good teeth they had. Clearly no sugar, juice or fizzy drinks for these guys.

A tomb full of human bones

Even more interesting was how the bodies were prepared before burial in the tomb. Marks found on the bones indicate that the bodies have been left outside to be picked clean by birds and animals, before the skeletons were taken to the tomb.

The skulls were placed in one chamber while the rest of the bones were placed in another. It is not known why the bones were separated like this, but it must have been a bit of a shock for Orkney farmer Ronnie Simison to find a chamber full of human skulls in the tomb he found on his land .

After the farmer discovered the tomb with 16 000 human bones, he notified the authorities and was told they would excavate the site in a year or two. 18 years later no one had turned up and he therefore did the excavation himself, after having observed the professional archeologists excavate the Bronze Age site.

Educational display about the Mesolithic period

We spent another half hour looking at the information and artefacts at the visitor centre.

In addition to the rooms that focused on the tomb and the Bronze Age site, the centre also had a separate room which focused on the Mesolithic period (the Middle Stone Age, from 10 000 to 5500 BC). The exhibition contained informative displays and artefacts, and also showed the process of making different tools. I have included a photo of the different stages of harpoon head construction.

The visitor centre was extremely family-friendly. The kids were encouraged to explore and find out things for them selves through a number of hands-on activities. Our boys had so much fun they didn't want to leave.

The Bronze Age building

From the visitor centre we walked to the Bronze Age site, consisting of  a building complete with stone trough, water system and hearth. Next to the building was a mound of burnt stone.

It was interesting to take a look, but after having seen Skara Brae we found this site a bit small and we did not feel the need to stay for long.

 

Entering the tomb

After a brisk walk we reached the Tomb of the Eagles. In addition to the human bones found in the tomb, talons and bones of an estimated 14 white-tailed eagles ('sea eagles') were found. This is the only tomb in Orkney with such a density of eagle bones, hence the name of the tomb.

One of our guides at the visitor centre told us that another tomb had a number of dog skulls, so the people at the Tomb of the Eagles visitor centre had nick-named it 'The Tomb of the Beagles'.

In order to enter the tomb, you have to go through a very narrow tunnel. A small board with wheels is provided at the site, so you can easily roll into the tomb. Very convenient.

Once inside the tomb we took a look at the individual chambers using the flashlights provided at the site. In one of the chambers were a number of plastic skulls to represent the skulls originally found there. A bit macabre, but also suitable - the hoard of human remains and eagle bones and talons found in this tomb is unlike anything found elsewhere in Orkney.

The scenic walk back to our car

After we had finished inspecting the tomb, we chose the scenic walk back to the visitor centre, and it was magnificent. The steep cliffs and the waves crashing against the reefs below were spectacular and quite a contrast to the serene, rolling hills with farms surrounded by peacefully grazing sheep and cows further inland.

We were also lucky and saw three seals in the bay way down below, which of course delayed our departure considerably. The seals are so cute it takes a while to muster the willpower to move on and leave them behind.

Italian Chapel - beauty in a time of despair

Having left the spectacular scenery and the seals, we headed back to the Churchill Barriers and the Italian chapel.

When the Italian Prisoners of War were building the Churchilll Barriers, many camps had to be established to house the POWs, including one at Lamb Holm.

After Italy capitulated to the allies in September 1943, the workers were given more freedom and were actually paid properly for their labours.The Italians requested a proper place of worship and were allowed to build a chapel on Lamb Holm. They were given two Nissen huts joined end to end to convert.

Italian prisoners building a place of worship in their spare time

The condition for building the chapel was that all work was carried out outside working hours on the barriers. The work on the chapel was performed solely by a group of Italian prisoners, all contributing with their skills to create a worthy place of worship.

The corrugated interior was covered with plasterboard and the altar and altar rail were constructed from concrete left over from work on the barriers. The entire interior of the chapel was painted to depict brick walls, carved stone, vaulted ceilings and buttresses.

Frescos of angelic figures, stained glass windows and an altarpiece depicting the Madonna and Child surrounded by cherubic figures with the scroll inscribed ‘Queen of Peace pray for us’ complete the interior paintwork.

Scrap material transformed into beauty

All the materials for the decoration were scavenged from wherever possible. Wood was sourced from a wrecked ship for the tabernacle. A rod-screen and gates enclosing the sanctuary were expertly fashioned from scrap metal. In addition six candelabra which stand on the alter were made by these skilled craftsmen.
 
As work progressed inside it was decided to construct a more attractive façade for the front of the huts and an ornate frontage with pillars, Gothic pinnacles, archway and bell-tower were built. Directly above the door on the front of the archway a head of Christ was sculpted from red clay, complete with thorn crown. Finally a thick layer of cement was applied to the entire outside of the Nissen huts to protect it from the Orkney weather.

The legacy from the Italian POWs

The Churchill Barriers were completed in September 1944 and the prisoners were shipped out. However, one of the prisoners remained behind for two weeks to complete the font which he was working on. When the prisoners left, the chapel had only been used for a very short time. However their work was not for nothing, the chapel is Orkney's most visited attraction.

I felt fortunate to experience such beauty and to learn the story of how the chapel was built. What fascinated me most about the chapel, was how the prisoners managed to create something so beautiful within the prison camp. The skills of those who made this was truly amazing. To me this shows how art and religion can contribute to keeping up hopes and spirits in difficult situations.

21 October: Visiting The old man of Hoy

We had planned to take the ferry to the island of Hoy in the morning, but when we got to the ferry terminal in Stromness, it turned out the ferry only took foot passengers. We had to drive to the ferry terminal at Houton in order to take our car, but first we had a quick look around Stromness.

In Stromness we saw many signs of Norwegian influence, for example wooden houses, the road called 'Faravel' and a house called 'Hamar cottage'.

Something even more exotic were the palm trees in Stromness. I was surprised they could survive so far north, but this was something we observed in a number of gardens. Fascinating!

The hike to the Old man of Hoy

After a nice ferry-trip to Lyness on the island of Hoy, we drove to Rackwick to start our hike to the Old man of Hoy. And the Norwegian connections continued: Hoy means 'High Island' from the Old Norse 'Háey'.

The Old man of Hoy is a 137 metres high sea stack, which is probably less than 400 years old. On maps drawn between 1600 and 1750, the area appears as a headland with no sea stack.

The sea stack was first climbed in 1966 and is yearly climbed on average 20 -50 times. In 2008 three men base jumped from the stack. One of them died 11 days later during a jump in Switzerland.


The hike took us past a few small farms with lots of sheep, before we reached a plateu which we followed along the cliffs edge for a little while before cutting across to the Old man himself. The wind was mild and we enjoyed hiking in the sunny weather.  No chance we would want to climb the stack though, and even less base jump from the top of it!

Craa Nest Museum in Rackwick

When we returned from our walk to the Old man of Hoy, we took a quick look at the Craa Nest Museum in Rackwick. The museum is housed in the oldest building in Rackwick, which is a traditional croft and steading, dating from the early 18th century. The building was last occupied in 1940 and has retained its original features, such as the kiln, open fireplace and flag floors. It shows how people lived a few hundred years ago.

The house is built from beach stones and has a typical flagstone roof, which is thatched with straw ropes. Inside there are box beds, a dresser and the typical utensils that would have been used long ago.

On our way back to the ferry, we drove past the Dwarfie Stane, a chambered tomb carved out of a 8,5 metres long block of red sandstone. It is thought to date back to 3000BC and it features some interesting Victorian graffiti including Latin and Persian lettering. Unfortunately we did not have the time to go take a closer look - we had to make it to the last ferry of the day or be left on the island until the next day.

20 October - part 2: Viking Vandals in 'The heart of Neolithic Orkney'

From Skaill House we drove to Maes Howe for a guided tour of the finest chambered tomb in north-west Europe. Externally the tomb looks like a large grassy mound. Access to the tomb is through a 10 metres long stone-built chamber, before you reach the small, central chamber which is only 4.7 metres across.  The tunnel is so low that even our boys had to walk stoopingly to get through it.

The burial tomb of Maes Howe

The tomb is more than 5000 years old and is built from of massive slabs of sandstone, each weighing several tons. Off the central chamber are three side cells, where the floors, back walls and ceiling all are single stone slabs.

Even more impressive is the fact that the 10 metres long access tunnel was made from four massive pieces of stone - one for the floor, one for the ceiling and one for either of the walls. I was amazed at how they were able to quarry and build a construction like this with the simple tools they had available to them at that time.

Our guide told us that the gently sloping passage to Maes Howe is carefully aligned so that at sunset during the three weeks before and after solstice, the shortest day of the year (21 December), the light of the setting sun shines straight down the passage and illuminates the back of the central chamber. This event is also recorded by a webcam installed in the central chamber during this time period, making it possible for us to watch it minute by minute. Those who are not very patient (like me), can watch timelapse videos of the event instead. 

Viking vandals

During the 1861 excavation, Maes Howe’s entrance passage was inaccessible, so an access shaft was driven down through the top of the mound. Once inside, however, the archaeologists discovered that they were not the first to break into the tomb. The walls of the Stone Age chamber were covered in with runic graffiti.

According to the Orkneyinga Saga, a group of viking warriors had sought shelter from a terrible snowstorm in the winter of 1153. Leading the men was Earl Harald, who was making his way from Stromness to the parish of Firth.

Another episode in the tomb is thought to have involved Earl Rognvald and his men heading to the Holy Land on a crusade. The Crusaders also left their mark on the walls, claiming that they were the first to have broken into the chamber.

The 30 runic inscriptions found in Maes Howe, make it one of the largest collection of runic inscription that survive outside Scandinavia. It also serves as a potent reminder that Orkney was under Norwegian rule until 1468.

A peek inside the tomb

Visitors are not allowed to take photographs inside the tomb, so I have embedded an interesting little video I found on YouTube instead.

 

The Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar

After visiting Maes Howe, we went to see the Stones of Stenness and then the Ring of Brodgar.

The Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar are two of Britain’s best-preserved prehistoric monuments. They were built between 5,400 and 4,500 years ago. Their function is not known, but it is assumed that they were involved in activities and ceremonies celebrating the relationship between living and past communities.

The Stones of Stenness was an elliptical ring, believed to have consisted of 12 stones, though excavations in the 1970s suggest that the ring was never "completed", with at least one and possibly two, of the 12 stones never erected. Four of the original stones remain, towering up to six metres tall.

The Ring of Brodgar was built in a true circle, almost 104 metres wide and the third largest stone circle in the British Isles. Although it is thought to have originally contained 60 stones, this figure is not based on archaeological evidence. Today, 27 stones still remain, varying from 2.1 to 4.7 metres high.

20 October - part 1: Norwegian flags in 'The heart of Neolithic Orkney'

After a lovely breakfast at The INN Guesthouse (and booking our rooms for another night), we headed off to the old Stone Age settlement of Skara Brae (pronounced ˈskærə ˈbreɪ), one of the best preserved groups of prehistoric houses in Western Europe.

The flag of Orkney

As we were getting tickets in the Skara Brae Visitor centre, we discovered pins, armbands and tea towels with the Norwegian flag. There was lots of Viking stuff for sale too, but I still found it very strange that they were selling pins with the Norwegian flag, so I asked. It turned out it was the Orkney flag - what I thought was an inaccurate shade of white, was actually yellow. The flags are so similar, I was fooled at first.

 The flag of Orkney symbolises the islands' Scottish and Norwegian heritage. There was controversy when the flag was first launched in 2007, but it now seems Orkney finally has an official flag after years with only an unofficial flag. According to our sources, people here are very proud of their heritage and regard themselves as first Orcadians, then British.

We were also fascinated by the Orkney accent, which has got more of a melody than the Scottish accent. I would say it resembles the accent we Norwegians have when we speak English. It seems the Norwegian connections are very strong even today - they do a parade in Kirkwall every 17 May and the ladies we spoke to knew that this is the Norwegian Constitution Day.

The Neolithic village of Skara Brae

Skara Brae was uncovered by a storm in the winter of 1850. The protection offered by the sand that covered the settlement for 4000 years left the buildings and their contents incredibly well-preserved. The walls of the structures are still standing and the passages are roofed with their original stone slabs. Even more impressively, the interior fittings of each house are intact and give an unparalleled glimpse of life as it was in Neolithic Orkney.

After watching a short video about the village and looking at the exhibition at the visitor centre, we went outside to look at a replica of one of the houses.

This ancient home was fitted with stone beds, dressers and seats around the central hearth. Despite the fact that everything was made from stone, the house still felt like a home.

From the replica house we followed a short footpath to Skara Brae. Along the footpath were stones inscribed with a number of historic events. The stones were spaced according to their distance in time and accentuated the feeling of traveling back in time.

A close knit community

All the eight houses at Skara Brae were well-built of closely-fitting flat stone slabs. They were set into large mounds of  household refuse and linked by covered passages. I was charmed by the way the village was built to protect its inhabitants from the weather, which I imagine can be quite rough out on the coast of Orkney. 

Each house shares the same basic design, consisting of a large square room (36 square metres), with a central hearth, a fitted box-bed on either side and a shelved dresser on the wall opposite the doorway. The dresser was probably used for storing and displaying prized objects. In addition there were small tanks set into the floor, perhaps for preparing fish bait.

What fascinated me most about the artefacts found at Skara Brae, was rather what had not been found: No weapons have been found. In addition the settlement was not in a readily defended location, suggesting a peaceful life. This is the first time we've heard a story about peaceful life while we've been in Scotland. I guess they were too busy keeping warm and gathering food to be fighting.

To give you a better impression of the Neolithic village, I have added a YouTube video below.

"The Heart of Neolithic Orkney" was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in December 1999. In addition to Skara Brae, the site includes Maeshowe, the Ring of Brodgar, the Standing Stones of Stenness and other nearby sites.

Skaill House - twice a museum

After a wild winter storm had hit Orkney in 1850, William Watt, 7th Laird of Skaill, went to the shoreline to inspect the damage. The laird discovered the remains of an ancient dwelling and he spent the next few years excavating the site. What he had discovered were the remains of Skara Brae.

As part of the excavations, many artefacts were discovered and William Watt set up a private museum at Skaill House, in what is now the dining room. On our way back from Skara Brae we visited the house, where we also could get an impression of how this family home was in the 1950’s.

The house was nice, though not as impressive as some of the big castles and stately homes we've visited while we've been here. A couple of the things that fascinated me in the house were the big tiger on the carpet in the drawing room and the hidden compartment in the book case in the library.

12 October: Norwegian connections at Duff House

Friday around noon I returned from a business trip to Norway, where I got the chance to catch up with many of my colleagues. I also spent a couple of days extra visiting family and friends, and I really felt I was able to make the most of the days spent in Norway.

Friday evening my sisters stepson and his girlfriend came to visit us. He had contacted me while I was in Norway, asking if they could come and visit us on Friday. What a pleasant surprise!

Lunch outside Duff House

After a lazy/relaxed (you choose the appropriate word) Saturday morning we headed off to Duff House. The kids were thrilled when they discovered that the estate included a big play area. The weather was great, so we decided to eat a late lunch at one of the tables next to the play area, before admiring the inside of this impressive building.

A house for showing off success

Duff House was designed by Scottish architect William Adam (1689-1748) and is considered to be an Adam masterpiece. The house was commissioned by the wealthy businessman William Duff, Lord Braco, later 1st Earl Fife, as a family home to replace a smaller more modest residence nearby.

The foundation stone was laid in 1735 and the building was finished five years later. Sadly, the owner and architect fell out over money and the house was never completed. The dispute must have been very fierce, for the owner never spent a single night in the building.

On the third floor of the house is a model of the house as designed by Adam, built by architecture students in Edinburgh. The model shows the two side wings of the house that were never built and an impressive external horseshoe stair on the north face of the building, identical to the one leading up to the main entrance on the south face. The reason for this symmetry, according to one of the guides, was that it was best to have the entrance facing south, but the family did not want to seem to be turning their backs on the town either, hence the additional entrance.

From decline to serving new purposes

From early 19th century, Duff House declined as the 4th Earl (1811–57) preferred Delgatie Castle to Duff House. His taste for the high life led to debts, and gradually the contents of Duff House were sold off.

After the family left Duff House in 1906, the building was rented out for various uses including a hotel, and as hospital and nursing home. From 1939 to 1946 Duff House was used as a military base, a prisoner of war camp and as an army barracks. The house was bombed in 1940, and by accident the Germans hit the part of the building where the German Prisoners of War were kept, killing two guards and several prisoners.

The revival of Duff House

After World War II, Duff House remained empty and unused, and fell into a state of disrepair. In 1956 the house was rescued by the State. Historic Scotland spent several years and £2 million refurbishing the house to bring it back to its former glory. Visitors are shown a video of the restoration work before proceeding to see the house and I was impressed by the meticulous work that had been done.

Duff House does not have its original furniture and pieces of art, but has now found a new role as a country house museum.Since the 1990s, the house has played host to a very large collection of artworks on loan from The National Galleries of Scotland. Highlights include works by El Greco, Gainsborough and Raeburn. One of my favourites was Allan Ramsay's painting of Elizabeth Cunyngham, Mrs Daniel Cunyngham - you could almost feel the texture of her dress just by looking at it.

HQ for the Norwegian Brigade

During our visit to the house we got chatting to all the three guides. They were all very friendly and knowledgeable, and with few other visitors they had a lot of time to spend on us. When they found out we were Norwegian, they told us that Duff House  became the HQ for Norway’s Norwegian Brigade in 1942 and the Norwegian flag had been painted on one of the walls on the third floor of the house.

We were taken to a room which is normally closed to the public, where we could see the flag. On the wall opposite the flag, the Norwegian Brigade had painted the monogram H7V, wishing for Victory for King Haakon VII (Norway's king at the time). We also learned that King Haakon VII visited Duff House while he lived in Great Britian during WWII and that the Norwegian soldiers, among other things, helped train the Scottish soldiers in skiing and winter warfare.

Our concert at Duff House

Duff House has a 120-year-old Bechstein grand piano in the Great Drawing Room on the second floor. My boys and I play the piano and we were euphoric when the guides asked us if we wanted to play the beautiful, old instrument. The sound was magnificent and the boys both loved it so much they kept coming back to the instrument to play some more. By now we were probably the only visitors (it was close to closing time) and we got the full attention of the guides. I think they enjoyed our little concert too.


Another great thing about playing the grand piano was that we were allowed to take photos of us playing, which meant that we could also photograph this wonderful old instrument.

Can someone please take our orders?

On our way back home we decided to stop at a country house for dinner. The interior was late eighties, as were the decorations and the music. It seemed the clientele had started going here in the late eighties too, and it was still the same people who came here today.

We didn't want to spend a lot of time looking for a place to eat and the menu looked all right, so we decided to give it a go. Once inside we were shown a table, after first having been asked if we had a booking. Apparently this was a popular place, though when we arrived there were only two other people there.

The difficult task of placing an order

After waiting for one of the four vacant waitresses to come over with the menu, we ended up walking up to them and asking for the menu. While we were deciding what to have, one of the waitresses took our drinks orders, but after our drinks had been delivered, nothing happened. The waitresses were still chatting among themselves and even though a couple of them walked past our table a few times, no one seemed eager to take our orders.

I'm not sure how long we waited, but I think I went over to the waitresses approximately 15 minutes after we all had decided what we wanted to eat. I told them we were ready to order and that the kids were really hungry so it would be great if we could order now.

The truth was that my blood sugar level was really low by now, and that makes me a bit irritable. It had been almost half an hour since we walked in the door and we had not even ordered our meals.

The job description

I was told that the waitress who was busy doing something else behind the bar would take our order as soon as she was free. When I asked if maybe one of the three available waitresses could do it instead, I was told that unfortunately that was not possible as they were not authorised to do this. After further inquiries I learned that they could served the food and take orders for sweets. Fascinating!

We finally managed to place our orders and the food didn't take too long to be served. Fortunately the food was quite nice, so it turned out OK in the end.