Lerwick, Shetland Islands: Archaeological Site and Bird Watching (with the AIDAaura to Greenland and Iceland 13)

There are about 100 islands in the Scottish island group that we visited today.

We visited the island of Mainland, which is the largest of the Shetland Islands. There are about 8,000 inhabitants in Lerwick, the capital.

In the morning, we had booked an excursion and drove along the coast by bus.

We made a short photo stop above a beach where some seals were sunbathing.

We continued to Jarlshof, an archaeological site.

There are remains of houses from the Bronze and Iron Ages to the longhouses of the Vikings.

A bit further lies the southernmost point of the island: Sumburgh Head.

Many seabirds such as puffins and various species of gulls can be found on the steep cliffs.

We also saw some puffins flying through the air or resting on the rocks.

We started with a delay because there was a big traffic jam when we disembarked from the ship. And now it took another 25 minutes because a couple in the group remembered the wrong departure time... Some people in the bus demanded that we just leave. But our guide didn't want to leave anyone behind at the end of the island, and finally, the latecomers arrived.

On the way back, we took a little tour through Lerwick.

We drove through several streets named after Norwegian kings. The Shetland Islands belonged to Norway until the 15th century when they became Scottish as part of the dowry of the marriage between Margaret of Denmark and Norway and James III of Scotland.

We were kindly allowed to get off right in the center of Lerwick to explore the city on our own.

We walked along the harbor and through the alleys of downtown.

However, it was already after 5 pm and all the shops were closed.

We also passed the Old Tolbooth from 1770, which was used as a prison in the past.

Our way led us along the water out of the city.

There was a nice walking path with a view of the coast, which was also used by many locals (especially dog owners).

We also passed a golf course along the way. I read in the guidebook that golf is a very popular sport in Scotland. The Scots claim to have invented the game of golf.

In the city, there is also a park with sports facilities that were well used on this beautiful evening.

Some visitors also enjoyed the nice weather at Fort Charlotte and brought their own dinner.

The fortress is the oldest building in Lerwick and was originally built in 1655.

On the way back to the ship, we stopped at a local supermarket.

In the news, we had already heard about empty shelves in the UK, but we were still surprised to see refrigerated and fruit shelves with almost no content...