Madonna of the Olives

Thursday, September 19, 2019
Kirkwall, Scotland, United Kingdom
windy, rainy,limited visibility combined with a short port stay. These factors limit my tour choices.  I’ll be happy if I just get to the Italian chapel. No public transport available but Lady Luck smiles at us... we see 2 cabs ( the town has 4) first negative, second is pulling out. A lady overhead my request to first cabbie and shouts to me that 2nd cab is going to the chapel ,  we flag it down NY style , I actually place myself in its path. We ask the couple inside if we can share the cab.  They ageee and turn out to be a great pair of Brits.  
Native driver is speaking a foreign language” English/Scottish, he drives south ,we pass highland cows, stop to look at our first glimpse of a LARGE hairy pig, and pass numerous farms with sheep..  the landscape then becomes quite desolate. We drive over one of Churchill’s barriers( there are four) built to blockade the harbor from German ships in WW 2. They snuck in somehow and there is a shipwreck that killed 864 sailors  
All alone we see the chapel ahead....built by Italian POWS interned here in WW 2. They were captured in South Africa and brought here to the northern tip of Scotland. Found materials and ingenuity were used to create this beautiful structure, an artist in the group drew the Madonna from a Mass card that one of the soldiers had.  Another forged wrought iron enclosures placing a heart as he fell in love with a farm girl here. Painted” bricks” and  stained glass are remarkable- a solitary  treasure tucked away on a remote Orkney Island.  So happy we saw it
Headed back long long tender line. Passed day playing “hand and foot with some New Orleans couples. Fun day, will be playing it when we get back

Comments

Annie
2019-09-20

God bless the Italians..... we can create beauty in the worst situations. Just give us love and the Blessed Mother and we can conquer all!

Nancy
2019-09-20

Great church fine. Love how you hailed the cab. Can't wait to play the new game this winter. We also have a new game called Mexican Train.

Pam
2019-09-21

“Hand and foot” sounds... interesting can’t wait to play.

Anthony
2019-09-24

Hand and foot sounds like a disease or illness to me, I will pass on "playing"

2025-02-08

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