thefouramigosblog

How did it get its name? In the 11th century, Queen Margaret of Scotland married to King Malcolm III established a ferry for pilgrims to cross the Firth of Forth to go to St. Andrews. Now South Queensferry and North Queensferry can be reached by three bridges.

This second photo shows two bridges.

The orange cantilever bridge, the Forth Bridge, opened in 1890.

The Forth Road Bridge opened in 1964 and behind that is the Queensferry Crossing which opened for traffic in 2017.

It was a lovely tender ride from ship to shore. Most passengers head to Edinburgh by bus but we have spent some time there in the past. We decided to walk around South Queensferry.

We stopped to have some pastries and coffee.

We had the pleasure of sitting with an elderly gentleman who has lived in South Queensferry all his life. He shared about times before the newer bridges when the ferry still ran regularly. He said the town hasn’t changed much except the names of the stores.

We passed by an Episcopal Church but it wasn’t open.

The Jubilee Clock Tower with Roman numerals, looks down upon the quaint cobbled High Street from a height of 4 storeys. It was built in 1720, and then re-modelled & re-furbished in commemoration of Queen Victoria’s golden Jubilee in 1887/88. Once lit by gaslight, it has been lit by electricity since the 1920s.

Again some beautiful flowers. The hydrangeas are absolutely stunning.

We decided to have an ice cream on our way back to the tender.

South Queensferry is a quaint little town and it’s owed a visit just because the locals are so friendly. Heading back to the ship, time for a selfie.

Inchgarvie Island is a small island next to the Forth Bridge. There was once a castle on this site built in the 15th century. It was used as a prison and a place to house people with plague. It also served to protect the Firth of Forth and the bridge from air attack during WWII.

Some last moments in South Queensferry.

Our end of the day photo – 10:30 pm at night heading to Southampton.

#queenmargaret#malcolm#bridge#forthbridge#queensferrybridge#forthroadbridge#southqueensferry#inchgarvasisland#ruins#bakery#jubileeclocktower#hydrangeas#scotland#cruise#mannahousebakery#

I woke at 2:45 am and of course, I had to check outside. I stepped out on my balcony to this beautiful view. I was hoping for some northern lights but none to be had.

We awoke when our coffee and tea were delivered and afterward headed off the ship.

We walked to the Invergordon Church of Scotland. The church was built in 1861.

It was very plain inside but the people were very welcoming.

After the church, we walked along the Main Street heading to the Invergordon Museum. It was free of charge and very interesting.

Displays of TB epidemics in the early 20th century and the sinking of the HMS Natal around WWI.

Amazingly, such pretty flowers bloom in this climate.

The wall art around the town tells a story about this quiet little port.

We stopped at Clootie McToots for a scone with jam and clotted cream. I had a latte and Bruce had tea. Unfortunately, this was not the best scone but it was a cute place and the people were very friendly.

Now we are back on the ship getting ready for specialty dining!

Oh what a meal! 5 courses at Sabatini’s! First bread and Italian fried rice and cheese balls with sauce.

I had salad and Bruce had soup. Sorry no pictures. Next antipasto. I had shrimp and tomatoes. Bruce’s was a delectable thin slices of veal with tuna reduction and cheese.

For pasta, I had lobster stuffed raviolis and Bruce ate a pasta carbonara.

Main course for me was a bone in veal that was so tender. Bruce enjoyed eggplant.

Finally dessert! I ate a sampling of four desserts. I am so happy I have stretch waist pants!

Happy for our first specialty dining experience.

Sabatinis is $35 per person plus 18% gratuity. We’ve been playing a bit in the casino so the dinner was on them.

The Showtime tonight was fabulous. Christina Johnston, guest soprano began her performance with two tunes from my favorite Broadway show, Phantom of the Opera. She sang several opera pieces, as well as a song by Queen. Her last song was from The Greatest Showman.

It’s been a fabulous cruise between the locations, the entertainment, and the many people we’ve met along the way.

#princesscruise#invergordon#scotland#highlands#invergordonchurchofscotland#sabatinis#specialtydining#cruise#museum#clootiemctoots#christinajohnston

After a few ports in Iceland, we headed south to the Orkney Islands in Scotland. I woke at around 3 am to check out the sky.

It appears that the moon is almost full.

Waking again at 8 am we were already in port.

We had a shuttle ride into town which was great because it would have been a 45 minute walk through not so nice scenery. Our first stop was St. Magnus Cathedral founded in 1137.

Inside the cathedral, it was obvious that this was built in medieval times.

Many of these older cathedrals are in ruins. Hanging on one of the giant pillars is a 17th-century Mort Brod. This is a wooden death notice commemorating the Kirkwell hlazier Robert Nicholson, it is one of the oldest in all of Scotland.

The cathedral’s oldest gravestone possibly from the 13th century depicts a carved morning star symbol and a sword. This may have been for a crusader or Templar Knight.

The chapel at the east end is dedicated to St. Rognvald, the cathedral founder.

The memorial to Dr. John Rae is next to the chapel. Dr. Rae was employed by the Hudson Bay Company. He explored the Canadian Arctic.

Most of the cathedral stained glass was designed in the 1920s.

On the south wall is a stoned arch opening located higher up. This was the Marwicks Hole dungeon where they kept women accused of witchcraft.

As we sat in this ancient cathedral, I could almost feel the souls of the long-lost cavorting about restlessly.

Outside the cathedral, we wandered around the old graveyard.

We decided to have a cup of coffee and scone before we headed to the next site.

We headed over to the Earls’s place, built in early 1600s.

Earl Patrick had a bad reputation and he spent money frivolously. He was a cousin to the king. When the palace was finally completed, Earl Patrick was financially destitute and the king made him give this property to the Bishop. Earl Patrick eventually was beheaded for treason in 1615.

The Bishop’s Palace was built in the 12th century so quite a bit older than the Earl’s Palace.

We only had access to the first floor or actually it had been the cellar.

We walked around town for a bit, going into some local shops and then headed back to the ship. I really wanted to visit the stones but the bus would have been sketchy because of time frames and we couldn’t find a cab. So we have a reason to visit again.

#orkneyislands#scotland#travel#cruise#stmagnuscathedral#earlspalace#bushopspalace#princess#scones#port#