Il fait gris aujourd’hui. Le bateau suédois veut partir donc on se détache et on se remet sur le bateau hollandais. On parle un peu avec eux. Ils ne sont pas jeunes, dans les 70 ans et vivent sur leur bateau qui fait à peu près 45 pieds ( 13 m 50). Ils ont voyagé dans le monde entier (enfin presque). Leur plus grande traversée a été de 47 jours! Impressionant.
Petite promenade en vél. Nous allons à la boutique et à la poste. Il est annoncé sur la poste que c’est le bureau de poste le plus au nord des Iles Britaniques. On demande dans la boutique où on peut avoir internet. La dame nous répond ”A l’hôtel”. Elle nous indique le chemin et précise qu’il faut tourner après l’arrêt de bus. Et quel arrêt de bus! Il a été élu le plus original arrêt de bus des Iles Britaniques. Nous écrivons une apréciation dans le livre des visiteurs … de l’arrêt de bus. Puis nous allons à l’hôtel. La réceptionniste nous donne un code. Nous demandons si on peut s’assoir quelques minutes pour essayer mais, pas très aimable, elle refuse. Nous allons dehors sur un banc. Ça marche. Jens regarde la météo pour la traversée vers les Iles Féroe. Nous rentrons au bateau, déjeunons et repartons en vélo. Jens est d’accord pour visiter un musée! Surtout parce que c’est un musée de bateaux. En fait on va a deux musée, Héritage Center et Boat Haven. Nous roulons, roulons, il tombe une petite bruine. Les musées sont à peu près à 5 km d’ici. Visites très intéressante. Nous avons regardé un vieux film montrant la vie d’une petite ferme dans les années 50. Ils travaillaient dur. On voit une femme portant un lourd panier de tourbe sur le dos, supporté par une corde fixée autour de ses épaules … et en plus elle tricote!
Une époque spéciale était l’age d’or des harengs, fin du 19 ème et début du 20 ème siècle. Ici à Baltasound, la population passait de 600 à 16 000 en été quand les harengs arrivaient. La baie était pleine de bateaux et à terre des centaines de jeunes filles, venues de toutes les Shetland, d’Ecosse et même d’Angleterre travaillaient à nettoyer et saler le poisson. Travail dur et mal payer mais quand même plus attrayant que d’être bonne chez les riches. Certaines rencontraient un jeune marin et des mariages étaient célébrés à la fin de la saison.
Le musée des bateaux montre bien la parenté entre les bateaux norvégiens et shetlandais. Longtemps, les bateaux étaient importés de Norvège. Ils étaient construits là-bas, démontés, les différentes pièces numérotées, et remontés ici. Il n’y a pas de bois aux Shetland. Après ils ont importés du bois et ont commencé à construire les bateaux ici.
Un livre raconte le voyage en 1904 d’un ”engin” qui ressemble à un oeuf. Quatre Norvégiens ont traversé d’Ålesund à New York dans cette drôle d’embarcation qui s’appelait Uræd ce qui veut dire Sans Peur. Bien que fermé ce bateau avait une voile. Le but du voyage était de prouver que les bateaux de sauvetage seraient beaucoup plus sûrs s’ils avaient été fermés. Ce n’était pas idiot, les bateaux de sauvetage modernes sont fermés.
Nous rentrons et allons à l’autre boutique du village qui fait aussi café. Jens demande s’ils ont internet. La dame répond que oui. Il est 16 h 45 et ils ferment à 17 h. On se dépêche d’aller au bateau chercher l’ordinateur portable et on revient. On commande un café et on s’installe … pour découvrir qu’ils n’ont pas internet. On va donc à l’hôtel et dehors, sur un banc je copie mon texte en français sur Google traduction, le traduits en anglais, je le marque et le copie sur Word puis on rentre. Au bateau je corrige la traduction anglaise. Nous dinons et on repart à l’hôtel. Là on peut rentrer et on prend un café. Je mets les photos et publie le blog. Normalement on peut se brancher à internet par le téléphone de Jens mais la compagnie Vodaphone qui permet cela n’est pas accessible ici. Quel mic-mac.
The weather is overcast now. The Swedish boat wants to leave we slide a little back, they leave, and we slide again back to the side of the Dutch boat. We talk a little with them. They are not young, around 70 and live on their boat which is about 45 feet (13 m 50). They traveled all around the world (well almost). Their longest leg at sea was 47 days! Impressive.
We ride our bikes. We go to the store and post office. It is announced on the post that this post office is the most northerly of the British Isles. We ask the shop where we can have internet. The lady replies, "At the hotel". She shows us the way and said we should see the bus stop (?). We do that and what a bus stop! It was elected the most original bus stop of the British Isles. We write a nice commentary on the guest book in the bus stop. Then we go to the hotel. The receptionist gives us a code. We ask if we can sit a few minutes to try but not very friendly, she refuses. We sit outside on a bench. It works. Jens looks at the weather forecast for the crossing to the Faroe Islands. We go back to the boat, lunch and off again cycling. Jens has agreed to visit a museum; especially because it is a boat museum. In fact there is two Museum, Heritage Center and Boat Haven. We ride and ride, a little drizzle is falling. The Museums are just 5 km from here. Very interesting. We watched an old movie showing the life of a small farm in the 50's. They worked hard. We see a woman carrying a heavy basket of peat on the back, supported by a rope fastened around her shoulders ... and she is knitting!
A special time was the golden age of herring late 19th and early 20th century. Here in Baltasound, the population rose from 600 to 16 000 in summer when the herring arrived. The bay was full of boats and on shore hundreds of girls came from all Shetland, Scotland and even England to clean and salt fish. Hard work and badly paid but still more attractive than to be a maid in a rich house. Some met young sailor and weddings were celebrated at the end of the season.
The Ship Museum shows the relationship between the Shetland and Norwegian ships. For a long time, the boats were imported from Norway. They were built there, disassembled, different parts numbered, and reassembled here. There is no wood in Shetland. Then they imported wood and started building boats here.
A book tells the story in 1904 of a "device" that looks like an egg. Four Norwegians crossed from Ålesund to New York in this strange boat called Uræd meaning Fearless. Although this vessel wad closed she had a sail. The purpose of the trip was to prove that the lifeboats would be much safer if they had been closed. It was not silly, modern lifeboats are closed.
We go back and go to the other shop in the village which also is a café. Jens asks if they have internet. The lady says yes. It is 4:45 pm and they close at 5:00 pm. We hurry to go back to the boat, take the laptop and come back. We order a coffee and we satt ... to discover that they do not have internet. We go therefore to the hotel, and outside, on a bench, I copy my French text on Google translation, translate it into English, I copy it onto Word and then go home. On the boat I correct the English translation. We dine and go again to the hotel. This time we go in and order coffee. I put on the pictures and publish the blog. Normally we can connect to the internet through the phone company Vodaphone but this is not available here. What a business!
We ride our bikes. We go to the store and post office. It is announced on the post that this post office is the most northerly of the British Isles. We ask the shop where we can have internet. The lady replies, "At the hotel". She shows us the way and said we should see the bus stop (?). We do that and what a bus stop! It was elected the most original bus stop of the British Isles. We write a nice commentary on the guest book in the bus stop. Then we go to the hotel. The receptionist gives us a code. We ask if we can sit a few minutes to try but not very friendly, she refuses. We sit outside on a bench. It works. Jens looks at the weather forecast for the crossing to the Faroe Islands. We go back to the boat, lunch and off again cycling. Jens has agreed to visit a museum; especially because it is a boat museum. In fact there is two Museum, Heritage Center and Boat Haven. We ride and ride, a little drizzle is falling. The Museums are just 5 km from here. Very interesting. We watched an old movie showing the life of a small farm in the 50's. They worked hard. We see a woman carrying a heavy basket of peat on the back, supported by a rope fastened around her shoulders ... and she is knitting!
A special time was the golden age of herring late 19th and early 20th century. Here in Baltasound, the population rose from 600 to 16 000 in summer when the herring arrived. The bay was full of boats and on shore hundreds of girls came from all Shetland, Scotland and even England to clean and salt fish. Hard work and badly paid but still more attractive than to be a maid in a rich house. Some met young sailor and weddings were celebrated at the end of the season.
The Ship Museum shows the relationship between the Shetland and Norwegian ships. For a long time, the boats were imported from Norway. They were built there, disassembled, different parts numbered, and reassembled here. There is no wood in Shetland. Then they imported wood and started building boats here.
A book tells the story in 1904 of a "device" that looks like an egg. Four Norwegians crossed from Ålesund to New York in this strange boat called Uræd meaning Fearless. Although this vessel wad closed she had a sail. The purpose of the trip was to prove that the lifeboats would be much safer if they had been closed. It was not silly, modern lifeboats are closed.
We go back and go to the other shop in the village which also is a café. Jens asks if they have internet. The lady says yes. It is 4:45 pm and they close at 5:00 pm. We hurry to go back to the boat, take the laptop and come back. We order a coffee and we satt ... to discover that they do not have internet. We go therefore to the hotel, and outside, on a bench, I copy my French text on Google translation, translate it into English, I copy it onto Word and then go home. On the boat I correct the English translation. We dine and go again to the hotel. This time we go in and order coffee. I put on the pictures and publish the blog. Normally we can connect to the internet through the phone company Vodaphone but this is not available here. What a business!
Le bateau hollandais et Maja
The Dutch boat and Maja
Arrêt de bus avec canapé, télevision et rideaux
Bus shelter with sofa, TV and curtains
Le port de Baltasound
Baltasound harbour
Le musée des bateaux
Boat Haven
Jens cherchant internet sur le banc en dehors de l'hôtel
Jens is looking for internet on the bench outside the hotel
Motif de tricot, Shetland
Knitting pattern, Shetland
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