Day 66: Tuesday 11th. July 2006: Clear and sunny: As we wandered out of the hostel we were amazed to see the condition of the driveway we'd negotiated very well in the dark the night before - it was full of potholes and water and slush. - then a short walk on level ground into town to the Earl's Palace and information booth so booked a tour with the Orkney Bus with Malcolm as our guide. The commentary was brilliant and informative as we travelled to Scara Brae, a Neolithic settlement dating between 3200 and 2200 BC; the 17th. century [View Full Entry]

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Day 62: Friday 7th July 2006: Misty still: It was very noisy in the hostel with a lot of people coming in late. We took a taxi ride to the big Smyril line ferry where on board people were smoking +++ to the Shetland Islands arriving at 9pm. We were in a 12 bed dorm - still OK. kitchen and dining room pretty good. Nice to be in an English speaking country where I can read the signs. Day 63: Sunny and warm: We went into town and caught a bus to the South to the Old Scotness archeological dig. [View Full Entry]

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Day 58: Monday 3rd. July 2006: Sunny with patchy cloud: Goodbye Iceland and here we come Faroes. Good flight and very green and mountains coming into the Faroes and from the airport to Torshavn. Well, we thought there were hills to walk down before, now it is mountains to climb as there is no bus service to the hostel but oh the view is spectacular out over the harbour, with horses and sheep in the fields around us. We did get a taxi from the harbour with cases to carry, but after a late buffet meal at the hotel by [View Full Entry]

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Day 52: Tuesday 27th. June 2006: Cloudy then clear on arrival: After a good flight we arrived in Iceland to a beautiful sunny cloudless day. The scenery is stunning. In a nice hostel, 4 bed dorm with own bathroom, kitchen neat and tidy overlooking camping ground. A walk to the shops for food as usual. Day 53: Sunny: After breakfast we were ready for the day. A walk through the Botanical Gardens and into town. In the afternoon we visited the Culture House - old old manuscrips including the Edda Sagas written by the Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson in 1220. [View Full Entry]

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Day 50: Week 8: Sunday 25th. June 2006: Rainy: With a place so quiet one becomes very aware of the music coming from the wheels of cases as they trundle along uneven ground and pavements, moreso when one is walking to the train at an early time on a Sunday morning. A stroll through the mall before boarding the "fast" train though it still took 7 hours as the tracks buckle at 20C. We met some pleasant people on the train but unfortunately we were in a smokers carriage no other choice and by the time we got to Copenhagen [View Full Entry]

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Day 49: Saturday 24th. June 2006: Sunny: after breakfast, a walk down hill to the ferry - a good 3 hour trip with music and happy people. Well! if we thought Gothenburg was quiet- this was dead. No public transport after 12.30 pm Saturday and none Sunday. So it was hoofing it again to the hostel. The hostel did not open till 4pm so while we waited Vera went off looking for food. The hostel was quiet, but we were in an even quieter part away from others. Glad I wasn't on my own. After checking in we went for [View Full Entry]

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Day 48: Friday 23rd. June 2006: Raining: We had a good train trip to Gotenburg through pretty countryside. We arrived to a Public holiday for Midsummer - everything was closed even MacDonald's though we did find one open so had a meal there. We had a walk around a park where families had gathered for picnicking. [View Full Entry]

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Day 44: Monday 19th June 2006: Raining: At the station we met up again with Dawn, Pat and to our surprise - Neil who was on the Hurtigruten cruise with us. What a small world!. We were allocated seats but the carriage didn't exist so we sat wherever so we sat next to each other, chatted and played cards all the way to Stockholm. It was a dirty train. This time it was easy to find our hostel with a lift , large bedroom, a whole wall of windows and an enourmous bathroom larger than the previous bedroom. It was [View Full Entry]

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Day 41: Friday 16th June 2006: Sunny: it was an early rise again to board the Flambana to go up the mountain on the same track and the scenery breathtaking. We changed trains at Myrdal. We went past scenery of frozen lakes, snow and ice while in the train it was hot. We arrived in Oslo, caught a bus to near where the hostel was and after walking the wrong way, eventually walked across a field and up another mighty hill to the hostel. We had a room with no window, but brekky was included. Day 42: Sunny: Accidently met [View Full Entry]

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Day 40: 15th. June 2006: Sunny all day: We departed Bergen by train arriving at Myrdal. We did not undersatnd the message coming through and nearly did not get off in time before the train took off. We had to cross to the other platform by getting down onto the tracks which I had done, when a very nice man offered to help me with my case just as someone yelled out "train coming". With that I picked up my case, crossed the track and jumped up to the platform in a second, turned to the chap and thanked him [View Full Entry]

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