Live from the Land of Princess

[schmoopie17]

8 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

 

Immigration was smooth: it was a two second process where they just compared passport photo to actual face

 

I've often wondered, what happens to someone who has a passport issued a few years ago and has since grown a beard? Problem??

[Coolmama_1]

12 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

I've often wondered, what happens to someone who has a passport issued a few years ago and has since grown a beard? 

 my husband had just finished chemo and was bloated bald,no facial hair and looked like Uncle Fester. Of course it was time to renew passport. We kept that for 10 years and never once was a problem. Agent told us they look more at eyes and facial features. 

[YVRteacher]

Come along on today’s enchanting excursion out of the quaint village of Stornoway to the little island of Bernera.

 

 

Big bus, small roads. The roads are only 30 years old and they are one lane because that it what was affordable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

Stornoway is one big peat bog.

 

We learned all about peat moss today. Way more than I ever wanted or needed to know. Our tour guide is obsessed with peat and sphagnum. He is 68 years old and is the youngest person now living on Bernera. Five years ago the one store and the school were shuttered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

I sat on the wrong side of the bus.

 

There were more sheep on the other side, both ways.

 

 

 

 

Tight squeeze!

 

 

[YVRteacher]

Our first stop was a cliff overlooking one of the most tempting beaches. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

When we arrived at the beach I offered tour guide Alex a cookie. He said no then looked at the offerings: chocolate chip, peanut butter or oatmeal (no raisins). He changed his mind and said “just a wee bit.”

 

He ate the wee bit then looked back at me longingly so I gave him the whole thing. He said “that’s mighty good, iddint it?”

 

He chose chocolate chip and I took photos of thistles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Thrak]

What is an Honesty Box?

 

[Happy fool]

Loving this thread!  Hope you don’t get sick. Since COVID that is always a concern of mine when cruising. 

[YVRteacher]

26 minutes ago, Thrak said:

What is an Honesty Box?

 

Let’s have some fun with this one!

 

Wrong answers only!

 

What are your thoughts?

[YVRteacher]

Warning: overload of beach photos coming up.

 

Rivulets of salty water shimmering over sun-warmed sand

 

 

She found sea shells by the sea shore

 

 

Those who know me know I have a thing for sand squiggles. These ones were the BEST EVER

 

 

 

I could have spent hours at the beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ceilidh1]

11 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Let’s have some fun with this one!

 

Wrong answers only!

 

What are your thoughts?

It's a box for you to drop your confession regarding smuggling chocolate chip cookies off the ship....

[YVRteacher]

Bostadh Beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mking8288]

12 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Let’s have some fun with this one!  Wrong answers only!  What are your thoughts?

Some sort of amnesty, no questions asked pay-as-you-go past-due fees-for-services ??  Maybe donations for using W.C. 

[arizonaperson]

Honesty box - to leave money for a service. 
 

Love your beach photos and flower photos,gorgeous.

Edited July 22 by arizonaperson

[YVRteacher]

Iron Age Norse house

 

The settlement from 400-800AD was revealed in Bernera in 1992 when a massive windstorm blew the sand away and rock walls were exposed. In 1996 the site was excavated to reveal 5 houses.

Once the excavation was complete this reconstruction was built and the site was left to the elements and was essentially returned to nature. 
 

The house has double walls 6’ thick with a French drainage system to prevent water from seeping in.  The turf roof covers a set of rafters and joists and the main support points north. The curved entrance prevents wind, sand and water from entering the structure. The roof is above ground and the actual house is below ground.

 

I kept thinking of The Hobbit

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 22 by YVRteacher

[YVRteacher]

 

 

 

I did not want to leave Bostadh

 

These folks never left

 

 

Each occupied little island in the Hebrides has a church but the graveyards are not at the churches. Rather, they are near the shore where the ground is sand instead of peat or bedrock. 

Edited July 22 by YVRteacher

[ceilidh1]

It looks so much like where I grew up (in Wales). Now I need to add this to list of places to visit....

[YVRteacher]

5 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

It looks so much like where I grew up (in Wales). Now I need to add this to list of places to visit....

Yes!!

 

There are no hotels but some people are opening bed and breakfasts or setting up self catering vacation rentals.  There are no grocery stores or liquor stores or shops or services. I asked Alex how people get their whiskey and he said they make their own!

 

There is one phone booth but it is for emergencies only

The top three industries here are salmon farming, rope mussel growing and now tourism. 
 

This is a rope mussel farm

[ceilidh1]

I leaned to drive on these exact kinds of roads (the most traffic I encountered was an occasional sheep) and then people are surprised when I say I'm terrified to drive in Vancouver! 🤣

[YVRteacher]

Back on the bus!

 

This memorializes the time when people of the  Hebrides fought for their right to own land.  All land here is croft land. Our tour guide pays 13£ a year in rent for his 20 acres. He and his wife live on 12 acres and rent 8 acres to a farmer for his sheep.

 

 

This is the bridge to Bernera

 

 

Standing stones

 

 

 

 

Edited July 22 by YVRteacher

[YVRteacher]

Speaking of sheep, this one had a run-in with the thistle

 

I presume the sheep walked away humming, “I fought the thistle and the thistle won…”

[Mañana skis]

On 7/18/2024 at 5:36 PM, YVRteacher said:

Hi! Thank you for reading!

 

I use an iPhone 14 Pro Max and don’t do any filtering or editing before posting except sometimes I use Markup to cross out names and personal identifying details.

 

To make the photo collages I use the free version of the MOLDIV app.

Thank you! ☺️
I have now downloaded the MOLDIV app. I’ve been looking for an app for years but couldn’t decide on which one. Now, I have, lol. 

Enjoying your blog immensely. We love Princess. 

[YVRteacher]

I love Princess too.

[YVRteacher]

My dream came true today.

 

Part of our shore excursion description said we were going to stop in a local village. As mentioned, there is no local village.  The bus driver randomly pulled over onto someone’s front lawn and the tour guide said “we are scheduled to stop here for 15 minutes.”

 

Another passenger and I looked at each other and ran up the hill we had just driven down.

 

I stopped to take a photo of a sheep taking its rock holding down job very seriously

 

and kept running uphill

 

to see this!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can clearly tell, he was just as excited to “see” me as I was to see him.  
 

Him? Her?

Edited July 22 by YVRteacher