Tuesday, 18 December 2007

Air Flights


Orkney has it own airport. It is on the mainland just outside kirkwall. The airport has a cafe, bar and shop in the terminal. There are two televisions one in the main terminal and one in the departure lounge. There is also card and coin public pay phones with low level seating in the main concourse and in the departure lounge. There is decibalid access provided, a quiet room and baby changing facilities.


The flights go out to most of the islands and to the
scotish main land aswell. There is one flight that is the shortest in the world. It goes from Westray to Papa Westray. The flight is two minuets long but it was once done in 58 seconds. This was coused by the wind.

Tuesday, 4 December 2007

St Magnus Cathedral

St Magnus Cathedral was started in Kirkwall in 1137 by the Norse Earl Rognvald. He decided to built the church of stone. What you see today is the result of continuous hard work over the following 875 years. However much of the glory is owed to the original vision that was built from using red sandstone quarried near Kirkwall and yellow sandstone from the island of Eday. These were often used in alternating courses or in a chequerboard pattern and added to the beauty of the building. St Magnus was murdered on the 16th of April 1117 so when the Cathedral was completed St Magnus's remains were brought hear from Birsay and interred in a column. In 1919 during extensive restoration work a skeleton was found behind stonework whose skull carried a wound consistent with the axe-blow said to have killed Magnus.

At the present time the Cathedral is still as beautiful as ever, there has just been restoration work on the tower and all Orkadians celebrate St Magnuse's death on the 16th of April.