First thing I learned when we arrived in Orkney is that when one talks about this island, one refers to it as Orkney or The Orkney Islands. One does not visit "the Orkneys". And people who live here are called Orkadians. Now that we've clarified that, I can tell you that we had the most delightful time on the island. The people of Shetland and Orkney are amazing ... they have chosen to live (are born) on these remote northern islands and are the hardiest people I have ever met. We totally lucked out by having several days of sunshine between Shetland and Orkney ... this is not heard of. One young man in the information office said, "The high today is 18 degrees, it's too warm." Yikes! If you know me, I am perpetually cold and yet everywhere we went I met women wearing sleeveless T-shirts and shorts or skirts with no tights. OK, maybe they are normal and I'm not but, nevertheless, I was impressed and, or, intimidated by their hardiness (I think I used that word before).
I was totally charmed by both islands, I love narrow, windy lane ways and old buildings. I love tea shops and news agents. I love tiny gardens and stone fences. I love listening to people speak in different accents. I love quaint! Can I live here? Probably not, but I can always come back to visit!
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