Kirkwall Pier, Kirkwall, Orkney
by John Leith
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Kirkwall Pier, Kirkwall, Orkney |
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Kirkwall Pier is a busy working pier with fishing boats, small cruise ships, the North Isles ferries and many pleasure craft coming and going. For people used to the hustle and bustle of a large port it has a relaxed atmosphere and it is a pleasant place to be on a hot day so long as you pay attention and keep out of the way of the people using the pier and going about their business.
The marina in Kirkwall bay welcomes visitors from all over the world and is a pleasant sheltered spot...
The cheletered harbour in Kirkwall Bay is surrounded by piers designed by Thomas Telford. The pier fr...
This is a view over Kirkwall bay of a snow shower approaching. This car park is just inside the Hatst...
Coming up to Christmas Kirkwall's local garden centre puts up some dioramas to put visitors in the mo...
Orkney International Science Festival 2011, Vintage RallyThe OISF is an annual festival which has exp...
2010 market the 20th anniversary of the Orkney International Science Festival. The festival is a week...
Orkney International Science Festival 2011, Vintage RallyThe OISF is an annual festival which has exp...
Peedie is the Orkney word for small so this small area of water is called the 'Peedie Sea'. The Peedi...
St. Magnus' Cathedral is a Viking cathedral. Built by Earl Rognvald in honour of his uncle. This was ...
This is the Royal Oak Memorial in St. Magnus Cathedral. It commemroates the 833 souls lost when U47 m...
Europe is generally agreed to be the birthplace of western culture, including such legendary innovations as the democratic nation-state, football and tomato sauce.
The word Europe comes from the Greek goddess Europa, who was kidnapped by Zeus and plunked down on the island of Crete. Europa gradually changed from referring to mainland Greece until it extended finally to include Norway and Russia.
Don't be confused that Europe is called a continent without looking like an island, the way the other continents do. It's okay. The Ural mountains have steadily been there to divide Europe from Asia for the last 250 million years. Russia technically inhabits "Eurasia".
Europe is presently uniting into one political and economic zone with a common currency called the Euro. The European Union originated in 1993 and is now composed of 27 member states. Its headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium.
Do not confuse the EU with the Council of Europe, which has 47 member states and dates to 1949. These two bodies share the same flag, national anthem, and mission of integrating Europe. The headquarters of the Council are located in Strasbourg, France, and it is most famous for its European Court of Human Rights.
In spite of these two bodies, there is still no single Constitution or set of laws applying to all the countries of Europe. Debate rages over the role of the EU in regards to national sovereignty. As of January 2009, the Lisbon Treaty is the closest thing to a European Constitution, yet it has not been approved by all the EU states.
Text by Steve Smith.
