Very Old in Kirkwall Orkney

The Orkneys are off the north coast of Scotland. not nearly as north as Shetland Islands though. and Kirkwall is the capital and was a lovely place to walk around. While walking around this quaint and old town we couldnt help but run into an extremely large cathedral. This church is one of the oldest human made items I've ever looked at. St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, 1137. It supposedly took 300 years to build. The colors of the sandstone are just beautiful. Parts of this cathedral are over 850 years old. Sandstone seems like it would be a soft rock to use. And I guess it was and due to that and the weather the effects created are lovely. It is still an active church and was quite enjoyable to walk through and sit in. Around the corner are two castles, actually called palaces. While not as old they are still pretty old. I went through the Earl of Orkney's Palace (castle). It was built in the 1600's I think and was eerie to me. Off to The Outer Hebrides! Hope my family and friends in the Northeast of the states are able to find relief from the heat. Xoxoxox Mary