Word: lerwick
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...Vikings. Norway lost Shetland to the Scots in 1468, but the islanders have never forgotten their roots. Since the early 19th century, Shetlanders have celebrated Up Helly Aa, a fire festival that heralds the end of winter and the return of the sun. The biggest celebration is in Lerwick, the capital, on the last Tuesday in January; this year it's Jan. 31. Last year, 51 Vikings wearing blue velvet tunics, winged helmets and sealskin capes cheered and wielded their axes as they dragged their longship through Lerwick's streets. Behind them, cannibals with necklaces of fake teeth, pirates...
...Vikings. Norway lost Shetland to the Scots in 1468, but the islanders have never forgotten their roots. Since the early 19th century, Shetlanders have celebrated Up Helly Aa, a fire festival that heralds the end of winter and the return of the sun. The biggest celebration is in Lerwick, the capital, on the last Tuesday in January; this year it's Jan. 31. Last year, 51 Vikings wearing blue velvet tunics, winged helmets and sealskin capes cheered and wielded their axes as they dragged their Loh and Behold Avant-garde murals and imaginative furnishings characterise a new Singapore hotel Identity...
...ruled the isles from A.D. 900 to 1469. Shetlanders are quick to point out and celebrate their Viking lineage. On the last Tuesday of every January, the famous Up Helly Aa Viking fire festival takes place. Teams of torch-bearing men in Viking outfits parade through the streets of Lerwick, then make their rounds to various sites to perform skits. Legend has it the pagan event used to mark the end of Yuletide and was meant to conjure the sun to appear after the long, dark winter...
...Lerwick is the largest port town in Mainland (the misleading name for the largest island) and the heart of the Shetlands. When someone from the outer isles speaks of those who have moved to Lerwick, it could be the lament of someone from the Ozarks who has lost a loved one to the mean streets of Manhattan. But Lerwick (pop. 7,280) is an Old World village, with a bustling harbor and historic stone monuments. The main drag, Commercial Street, set back from the esplanade and guarded from the wind, is a winding, echoing cobblestone path lined with appealing shops...
...spent a day with a friend on Mainland and shyly asked about the prospect of seeing some of the famous miniature ponies. "Ah, they're everywhere," she said, amused that I would be interested. "We'll pass some along the way." Sure enough, driving out of Lerwick, we saw dozens of ponies dotting the landscape. Through a friend in Edinburgh, I had arranged to stay at the home of Anna and Lowrie Simpson, native Shetlanders. When people on the isles discuss someone's origins, they say, "He's Shetland," conveying the sense that being from the place means...