Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland

 The seas weren't as bad as was forecast, just a bit of pitch and roll.  It was another late arrival so we really slept in and took advantage of the one hour extra too!  After a quick breakfast, we went to hear Terry Bishop give the "(Almost) Entire History of Scotland" in 45 minutes.  Always a pleasure.  Then Michael went to the fitness center and I went to the next lecture by Lt. Col. Rothschild about the commercial side of space travel.  

We had to do a quick Immigration check again, then off on our sightseeing tour.  The weather, as has been usual lately, was gray and a little wet.  We did a quick drive through town, which is very pretty.  Lots of stone houses, of course, and some are a very good size.

Most homes have stone walls as well.

Our first stop was the ruins at Jarlshof.  To get there we had to go past the airport.  Actually, we didn't go past it, we went right through it as the road goes across the runway.  There is a gate, much like at a train crossing, but it was a bit exciting.  There isn't much air traffic, but still ...

Looks like a nice airport.  It is also used by the helicopters that ferry workers to and from the oil rigs in the area.

We're in Shetland and there were ponies; Shetland Ponies.  There are also Shetland Sheep which are smaller than average sheep and come in many colors ranging from white to browns to black.  Couldn't get a photo of them from the bus.

The ruins in the area go back to 2,500 BC.  There are newer ruins built over the older ones showing the different people who lived here from Neolithic through the Vikings in around 800 AD.  

Finally, the sun came out.

A square manhole cover?

We didn't get back to the ship until around 5 pm so we decided to have dinner at the Pool Grill as you can just come as you are for that.  It was pretty cold, but the staff brought me a blanket for my legs.  We were the only ones there as it was still early (and cold) but it was so nice to have just a basic dinner of salad, baked chicken leg, and baked potato with all the "stuff".  The food here is delicious, but once in a while you just want basic comfort food.  This fit the bill perfectly.

I was going to try to get to Liar's Club, which was the substitute for a show, but it didn't start until 9:30 and I just couldn't make it.