Ring of Brodgar, Stones of Stenness, Maeshowe

Below, a few more of the Orkneys' major complex of neolithic stuff. There is far more spread all around the islands.

Vicki at the Ring of Brodgar; it's the 3rd
largest stone circle, 140m in diameter;
about 40 of the original 60-some stones
still standing

It's really too big to get in one photo

Several of the stones are split; several have

been downed by lightning, as recently as

1980

Me by one of the bigger stones

Half a mile away, the Stones of Stenness, another major site

And a big stone foresight right in somebody's yard

Another mile or so away is Maeshowe, usually billed as

Europe's finest passage monument...but we thought it was

not in the same league with Gavrinis, Newgrange, Knowth;

or maybe I am still bitter about not being able to take

interior pix; Norse-types broke into the "tomb" in the

12th century or so, partied for 3 days (so it says in the

Orkneysaga), and left all kinds of "interesting" runic

graffiti ("Jarvold carved these runes," "Erik bedded Helga,"

"Sonhenes carves the best runes," etc.