Monday 23 September 2013

Stornoway

The Outer Hebrides were on our programm for today. The galic word for for thease islands is "Na h-Eileanan Siar" or "Innse Gall".
The islands became part of the Norse kingdom  for over 400 years in the viking time until 1266 and they were called "Sudureyjar", the Southern Islands. Still 80 % of the population on the countryside speaks scotish galic today. There are some newspapers in galic, a TV station in galic, books are printed in galic and in the schools they teach in galic language. It looks like scotish galic language on the Outer Hebrides has a future.


The weather was calm and for us who now came down with the MS Fram from the northern countries nearly exotic temperatures of around 15 degrees. We docked at the port of Stornoway, the main but small and lovely city on the Outer Hebrides. Excursions were  offered to the Callanish Stones which are the finest example of a stone circle in Scotland dating from about 2900 BC, the traditional black houses and an rebuilt village from the iron age.
The Outer Hebrides are the famous area of the manufacture of Harris tweed which was the main souvenir bought on the island today!