Newhaven Harbor (Edinburgh) - 17 JUN 2016

Today we were tendered into shore:
 And got a warm greeting on a rainy day.
Our tour bus took us around the city, stopping once at the National Museum of Scotland. 
   Columbian Printing Press/Lens from Inchkeith Lighthouse
             Buddha Amida       Statue of Arensnuphis
Giant Deer
The Millennium Clock
A mechanical clock tower that has several moving parts which represent the human suffering of the 20th century. It chimes every hour and you can see it on this YouTube link: The Millennium Clock
 We got off the bus and walked in the rain.
This was a well:
Maybe Monty Python got the "I'm not dead, yet" idea from this building.
In 1861 a tenement collapsed; Joseph Mclver, was pulled to safety when rescuers heard his call of "Heave awa, chaps, an'm no, deid yet."
 We had the best time at the Museum of Childhood.
This museum was created by Patrick Murray, a middle aged bachelor who said, "Children are only tolerable after their baths and on the way to bed."
Didn't know US 50's television had such an impact on Great Britain.
Now this seems more like it:
Then it was back to the ship and time to head for home.
After a day at sea, we docked at Harwich and took a 1½ hour bus ride (at 6:30 AM) to Heathrow.

Kirkwall, Orkney Islands - 16 JUN 2016

We were bused out to the Ring of Brodgar, the finest known circular stone ring from the early Bronze Age.
Six miles north-east of Stromness on the Mainland, are 27 remaining  standing stones.
Part of the larger "Heart of Neolithic Orkney," a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Due to tourists walking around the stones, leading to erosion, they are in the process of installing an underground drainage system.
Dee caught an image that shows the challenges to photographers with a group tour.
But she also got some good shots:
I enjoyed getting close-ups:
Our guide told us there are some sites where the farmers knocked down the stones because they got tired of people tramping all over their property.
The number of Neolithic sites in this area is beyond belief. 
Just look at all the dots on this map from August 2014 National Geographic Magazine, when Orkney Stones were on the cover. 
Dee got the above shot, from the bus window while driving to the site. And also this one of a mound:
They have found these burial mounds are actually on top of underground temples.
After the Stones, we stopped at Orkney's Italian Chapel.
Built by POWs out of half-cylindrical Nissen huts (similar to Quonset huts). The prisoners were from the Italian Tank Corps.
The Chapel was hand-painted by the inmates of Camp 60 who were brought in to construct a causeway (Churchill Barriers) to block the eastern approach to the British Fleet.
The three-dimensional paintings were so real, it felt like being inside a cathedral. Heading back to town, Dee captured another fish farm:
We took a short walking tour of Kirkwall. 
Their Masonic Lodge is the oldest Freemason lodge in Orkney and one of the oldest lodges in Scotland.
The building says 1885, but official records traced the lodge back to October 1, 1736.
St Magnus Cathedral
We had the most fun in the grave yard:
Dee's shot of the same fence:
Then we looked up:
Across the street was the ruins of the Bishop's Palace, the residence of the medieval bishops of Orkney.

Around the corner we found a small museum.
That had a great staircase.
More sewer covers:
 And disappearing sights:
Before heading back to the ship, we had to sample the local brew:
I like bourbon and have never been able to drink scotch, but our tour guide said this brand had receive top awards in California, three years in a row. I now have a scotch I like:
As we sailed away, we spotted another lighthouse.