Orkney Explorations Day 2

August 5:  What do you wear on a good summer day in the Orkneys?  Answer, only three layers.  The weather was actually quite good compared to the previous day.  We spent most of the day exploring contemporary Orkney - Kirkwall, St. Magnus Cathedral, Earl's Palace, Bishop's Palace, Churchill Barriers, Italian Chapel, and the village of St. Margaret's Hope.  We finished the day with a pub dinner in Kirkwall and a concert with Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham, traditional Scottish musicians, playing a fiddle and accordion respectively.

St. Magnus Cathedral

Earl's Palace

Bishop's Palace

Italian Chapel, built by WWII Italian POWs 

Interior - beautifully done faux painting

One of four Churchill Barriers to keep out German U-Boats

Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham performed in the Orkney Theatre, at the Kirkwall Grammar School.  It reminded us of the concerts that the Sisters Folk Festival holds during the winter months at Sisters High School - a local audience, a warmup performance by young fiddlers (age 10 to 16), and a raffle during the interval.  They even sold ice cream in paper cups during the interval, something not done in Sisters, though.  The concert was part of the guys' 30th anniversary tour.  Aly and Phil are consummate folk musicians and played amazingly - jigs and reels that start out at one tempo and then get faster and faster.  They also had some great remembrances to share with the audience.  For instance, they said they once dedicated a song to someone who had just turned 111 years old; they later corrected themselves by saying the gent was not 111, but ill.  Phil also told of his meeting of the Queen once, at Balmoral.  When she asked how it was to play an accordion, he recalled having an out-of-body experience and saying "why, are you thinking of taking it up?"  He then continued by saying "have you ever tried rubbing your stomach and patting your head?"  He said the Queen said "no."  They shared similar anecdotes that had the whole audience in stitches.   The venue staff gave them a 30th anniversary cake before the encore.