The Expedition

The thunder reminds me of my mjölnir, or Thor’s hammer. I got interested in the symbol after watching the popular Netflix series THE LAST KINGDOM, about the 9th-century Danish invasion of what would one day become the unified kingdoms of England. The main character, born a Christian Saxon, gets captured and held as a slave by a Dane (or Viking). Loved by his captors, the Saxon boy, named Osbert, lives his teen and adult years as the Dane Uhtred. 

Throughout the series, Uhtred wears a mjölnir as a symbol of his belief in the Norse gods. He is known as a man who gets things done no matter what. Now, those things are not always good and righteous things - he serves as a mercenary for King Alfred the Great, but when something needs doing, they call Uhtred, his mjölnir hanging from his neck to protect him. The Norse mythological figure of Thor, god of thunder, uses his mjolnir to strike others down but also to offer blessings. Thus, the symbol seems particularly appropriate for such a conflicted character as Uhtred.

My favorite Greco-Roman god is Hephaestus, the maker, the craftsman, the metal forger, and hammer user. His mallet looks different from the mjolnir, and its purpose is different too. He hammers out beautiful and useful things for the other gods: thrones for the Olympians, jewelry for his wife Aphrodite, armor for the famous warrior Achilles, and even his own robots to assist him. His hammer is a creative tool.

Years ago, when I first started teaching Roman Technology, I had to pull a nail out of a wooden form that I had for setting ancient concrete. One of my students saw me turn a hammer around and use its claw to pull out the nail. She was amazed at what she saw, "You're such a badass, Mrs. Roy!" I laughed at her ignorance of how a hammer works and at my newly-bestowed label. Shortly after this incident, I went to visit a dear old friend of mine who had just taken on a new job as the maker space coordinator at her local library. When I jokingly told her this story, she promptly walked across the room and pulled out a tiny purple 3-D printed hammer. Shortly after I received my special little hammer, I lost a job that I had had for 24 years. I connected these things in my mind and decided that the hammer was my new way of thinking through life. Just be creative and get things done. I moved onto a new job that allowed me to be creative and get things done.

Day 2 / Thursday, June 6 / Traveling and Edinburgh

Due to a plane malfunction and four-hour repair in Atlanta, I got to Edinburgh much later than I had intended. But hey, I’m always in favor of fixing the plane!

This post is all about the fantastic public transportation in the UK. I took the bus into the city from the airport - easy to find, easy to pay (and cheap), and so fun to ride. And even better - the bus driver used my favorite UK greeting, “hiya.” This bus was a double-decker so I could have climbed the stairs too. Plenty of spots for luggage, and from there, I just enjoyed the views. Then I walked for 30 minutes to our AirBnB to meet Deb Holcomb-Freitag, my shipmate and travel partner.

It's interesting to me to hear my UK friends complain about the cost of public transport, strikes, breakdowns, etc. To me, public transport is AMAZING because we don't have it in Baton Rouge. Well, we do, but it's so underfunded and thus, underused, and thus unreliable. I always feel bad for those sitting at bus stops in the Louisiana heat. It must be very hard for working people to us. This comparison has reminded me that comparisons across cultures don't always work. Sometimes, there's just too much difference.

To wrap up the day, we spent the late afternoon walking around the touristy area called the Royal Mile, near the famous Edinburgh Castle. Lots of Americans and many other nationalities present. (Taylor Swift starts a three-night run tomorrow).

Day 3 / Friday, June 7 / Glasgow and Falkirk

Today, Deb Holcomb-Freitag and I left no bus, train, subway, or taxi unridden. First stop...the University of Glasgow!! Not only is this university town my school’s namesake, but it’s home to the Hunterian Museum which holds the best collection of Roman artifacts in all of Scotland.

I knew next to nothing about the University so I was pleasantly surprised to see this 1451-founded campus with its green grass and sandstone-colored buildings. Deb and I walked around just taking pictures in awe. 

Next up was the Falkirk Wheel, a massive boat switcher near the Roman Antonine Wall. I had DREAMED of getting here so that I could sneak off the Roman fort located nearby. The modern Wheel was an added bonus, and I have to say, one of the best things I've seen on this trip. Used to lift and lower boats between canals at different levels, it replaced a complicated and slow system of locks. What a joyful thing to see in action! You can watch my video of it here.

I had tried to come up with a way for us to get to Rough Castle Roman Fort via public transportation, but it was tricky. A train, a bus, a long walk, but we made it! This fort is one of very few in existence (another along Hadrian's Wall) that shows the usage of LILIA pits to sabotage enemy attacks. I was surprised to see the depth of the ditch in front of the wall. Somehow, pictures just don't do size justice.

Day 4 / Saturday, June 8 / The Highlands

Today we decided to rest a little by taking a small bus tour with Rabbie’s. We saw some beautiful lochs one which had people swimming, kayaking, and paddleboarding. The lakes were surrounded by thte most lush, green grass. We also got to see two castles. 

Inveraray Castle, built in the 1400s, is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. It had lovely gardens filled with colorful flowers and modern everything, including two or three rooms filled with guns arranged on the walls for maximum visual effect.

Next was Doune Castle, a hollowed-out shell that is used for movie sets, most notably Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This was what I expected a castle to look like - old, run-down, and kinda creepy. I enjoyed visiting this castle, but more than that, I enjoyed finding out that the gift shop sells coconuts (so you can recreated the coconut horse hoof sound as they did in the movie). I laughed really hard about that.

The war memorial was also stunningly beautiful. Latin was everywhere, and I really wanted to take pictures, but we were not allowed in this area either. There were other interesting museums as well, but our time was limited. The weather was gorgeous so we could not have picked a better day.

We joined our fellow shipmates for lunch back at the hotel, and then headed on a short bus tour of Edinburgh during which we delighted to see the Forth Bridges. They each have a purpose - one is for trains, one for car traffic, one for larger truck traffic, etc. They are beautiful!

The excitement built up as we ended our bus tour at the harbor of Leith for our embarkation on the National Geographic Explorer. I was struck with the size of this ship. It’s soooo big! We met our expedition leader, Andy Wolff, who graciously took pictures of Deb and me next to the ship. They even hired a Scottish bagpipes player to serenade us as we got onto the shipt.

We were SO excited to get on the ship. Our first task was to throw our stuff into our cabin and check in at the front desk. As soon as this task was done, it was time to practice for abandoning ship. I have to admit, it was scary to think about getting into a small enclosed rescue capsule, but we managed to get through the training. Dinner was next and then sleep. We needed it!

Day 7 / Tuesday, June 11 / Shetland Islands

I stayed in bed all morning trying to feel better. The Scopalamine patch I put on causes dizziness and dry mouth so I drank water and stayed in bed to get some rest, desperately needed due to not sleeping the night before. I missed the first zodiac ride out to Mousa island to see some wildlife.

By afternoon, I was feeling better, and Deb and I joined a walking tour of Lerwick, the biggest city in the Shetland Islands. Our tour guide Jackie was wonderful. We walked down “the Lanes,” small alleyways between houses, and visited the Shetland Museum. It was a great afternoon - being in the chilly ocean air on the island was invigorating. 

Although I didn’t eat dinner out of fear for the coming night’s ride to the Orkney Islands, I enjoyed sitting at dinner with nice new friends Marc and Beth, both traveling alone. Marc is an architect who runs his own firm in Boston. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him at various meals and at morning stretch sessions. He has been on many Lindblad expeditions so he's a great source of information about all things on a ship.

Speaking of ships, I found it fascinating that due to a lack of wood in the Shetland islands, wooden boats are precious items that are not simply discarded. Sometimes they are repurposed, as you see in this picture, as a roof.

Day 8 / Wednesday, June 12 / Orkney Islands

I started my morning with yoga and then a quick breakfast. Next we joined a walking tour of Kirkwall to learn about this city’s Viking roots. Despite the rain, we visited the amazing St. Magnus Cathedral made of local sandstone in various colors. The burial stelai featured skulls and bones of skeletons. We ended our tour at the museum to view some of the archaeological finds that were dug up at Skara Brae, a neolithic village nearby. We ate lunch back on the ship.

And then, what I had been waiting for…Skara Brae. Built by native people of the Orkney Islands around 3000 BCE, these underground stone houses were connected by underground tunnels. Because both the Shetlands and Orkneys have very little access to wood, the ancient and modern people both use stone to build structures.

Day 9 / Thursday, June 13 / Outer Hebrides

This morning we had a late start to the day on purpose to help us rest from a long day before. We landed in the Outer Hebrides Islands. The mornings were spent listening to lectures on the geology of the British Isles and Europe’s role in the slave trade. After lunch, we got kitted up for a wet ride to a famous archaeological site.

This would be my first ride on the famed zodiac boats that make Lindblad Expeditions unique. We donned our water proof pants, lifejackets, and hats for a chilly 10-minute ride to the Island of Lewis and Harris. Getting into and out of the boats was easy with the help of the crew and the wrist-to-wrist hold. The best part of today was the weather - we got clear blue skies with fluffy clouds.

The Standing Stones at Callenish are just one of many stone henges of unknown purpose in the Hebrides. Is its striking location on a hill above the water meaningful? I think so. It was a gorgeous site. The grass was impossibly green, the sky was a perfect blue, and the gray of the stones contrasted well for pictures. The story goes that these stones were once giants in the ancient community who refused to accept Christianity and were turned to stone by St. Kieran. The stones are very old, erected around 2900 BCE, but were probably used into the Bronze Age. They were set in a pattern with a large center stone in the middle of the main circle.

No matter what sites I visit, I always take a few moments (or longer) in the nearby museum. And this site was no different. I collect magnets and tea towels in general. As I was shopping, I realized something that I should have earlier. Many of the magnets in the shop were in the form of the Lewis Chessmen. I had seen this bone-carved chess set last summer at the British Museum. I realized that I was on the Isle of Lewis, put two and two together, and asked the shop clerk about it. He told me that yes, indeed, the chessmen were found in a small stone box with a wooden casing inside on the beach! 17 were found, but just a few can be viewed in the museum on the Isle of Lewis because the British Museum has the majority of them.

On the return journey in the zodiac, we were surprised to find another zodiac filled with “Vikings”. But don’t fear. These Vikings were only bringing us hot chocolate to drink on the boat. It was a lovely way to end the day!

Day 10 / Friday, June 14 / Iona and Staffa, Inner Hebrides

We got in the zodiac boats early in the morning to visit Staffa Island, hexagonal basalt columns that formed when a volcano pushed its way through and became an island. It is uninhabited except for marine birds such as the puffin. I was very much looking forward to this experience. The zodiac ride was pretty rough with high waves and lots of splashes, but we had a “dry landing” meaning we did not have to wear our rubber boots. Once we landed on the concrete jetty, we climbed a tall staircase made of metal to get to the cave or the puffins. Deb and I headed toward the puffins first!

We hiked a beautiful trail to the other end of the island where the puffin colony is located. When we arrived at the site, our naturalist Kevin told us that they had been there for almost 20 minutes and had seen a minimal number of puffins. But don’t worry - they were just waking up. We saw soooo many. They truly are the cutest little birds ever. My shipmate even captured a picture of a puffin with its egg at its feet!

St. Columba, a monk, founded the abbey on the island of Iona. Monks at this time enjoyed solitude. Part of the Book of Kells was written here. The boat ride into Iona was gorgeous. The sky was a beautiful, perfectly blue. We walked from the harbor, seemingly decorated just for us with “wee” colorful boats, to the Abbey. Giant Celtic crosses were the stars of the show. The monks knew where to put things - the Isle of Iona was the foundation of Christianity in Scotland because Columba knew it was hard to get to and would offer protection from Dane or other invaders.

Our guide, Connell, introduced us to some Irish words. He told me that everyone learns Irish from birth and then adds English when they start school. Our first stop with Connell was a small sheep farm. Here we got to see the owner and his dog Rocky do a herding demonstration. Rocky easily rounded up about 10 sheep for us to see. Then, we could walk into the barn and hold baby lambs. 

In and around the hills here, ancient people built beehive stone huts, similar to those at Skara Brae.  They collected the volcanic rocks from the hillsides and stacked them ever so carefully without any kind of mortar. They were so cute, I almost cried! We then had a spot of tea with a slice of fruit cake. As if these activities weren’t enough, we headed to the Blasket Island Museum next.

Day 13 / Monday, June 17 / Cobh, Ireland

After traveling all night on a calm sea, we arrived in the harbor town of Cobh (pronounced COVE). Besides being a major port for Irish immigrants to set out for the US, it has two major claims to fame. It was the last port of call for the Titanic before its fateful demise in April of 1912. Of the 150 or so people who boarded the ship at Cobh, only 44 survived the sinking. Only three years after the Titanic disaster, the citizens of Cobh played a major role in helping the survivors of the Lusitania, sunk by a German sub in 1915.

We did a quick tour of the town and its massive cathedral. Then we had free time to explore the museum dedicated to the immigrant experience. There was lots of information about the Titanic, the Lusitania, and genealogy stations for those who wanted to learn about their families. Since posting this experience on social media, two of my friends let me know that their families immigrated from Cobh.

Our Tresco visit happened in the afternoon. We visited the Tresco Abbey Gardens. Our guide was one of the seven gardeners who live and work on the island to care for the gardens. We saw beautiful trees, shrubs, and flowers, but the most interesting thing I saw was what I believe to be a Roman dedicatory altar. Repurposed into a plant stand, it had subtle, worn-away carvings on either side. I wonder how it came to be there.

Also in the gardens was the Valhalla Figurehead Collection. The original proprietor of the island, Augustus Smith, collected these ship figureheads from ships that crashed off the coasts of the islands.