Lerwick, Shetland Islands (part I )

Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, located 160 km north of Scotland, on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland.

Lerwick is only 370 km south east of Tórshavn in the Faröe Islands, so both these are natural candidates to Pytheas's Ultima Thule. At least he must have been near around, in his exploration of the North Atlantic. On the other hand, Lerwick followed Scalloway as Viking capital of the Shetlands.

Replica of Viking ship outside Hay's dock

Coordinates: 60.15° N, 1.14° W
Population: ~ 7500

Lerwick is the most northerly town in Scotland.

Towns with similar names exist in southwestern Norway (Leirvik) and on the Faröe Islands (Leirvík), a name with roots in Old Norse meaning "bay of clay".

 The Esplanade at the town center

The most amazing about Lerwick is that such a remote town displays a rich heritage and offers cultural life as well as shopping opportunities one would not expect to find here.

The Market Cross (or Da Cross) is the gathering place in town, where the Christmas tree is placed and hundreds join to celebrate New Year:

Anderson &Co, knitwear, and the start of Commercial Street from Market Cross.

The main historic streets are Commercial street, St. Marcus and Market streets, King Harald and St. Olaf streets, and the Esplanade that runs by the bay.

The vibrant shopping life of Lerwick predominantly takes place along Commercial Street, ex - Da Street, with a varied range of architectural styles.

Commercial street and one of its famous shops, Clives Record Shop.

The oldest café bar in Lerwick, Da Noost.

The Esplanade forms the main Lerwick waterfront. In good weather, it's the place for a walk and a coffee.

The Peerie, shop and café.

In summer, the outside terrace can feel mediterranean !


The maze of streets in the old center can surprise at any corner:

Breiwick road has some terraced houses in a garden scenery, and a view over the sea:

Lerwick is also a lively fishing harbour, one of the most important in the UK.

Lerwick's Port Authority is in Albert building

Shetland Seafood Centre, in Alexandra wharf's Stewart building on the Esplanade

The architecturally stunning and energy efficient Solarhus (blue house, right)

The roofs and chimneys of Lerwick are a photographer's delight.

Some great rooftops:

 

Next post:
Cultural Lerwick - the most significant buildings and the Shetland Museum

 

Christmas lights in Lerwick

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to be continued

Hobart, Tasmania: a colonial Thule in south Pacific

This winter is going wild and harsh in Europe, too windy, too cold, too much rainy. So instead of a northern arctic post, I've chosen to go South, where summer is at its best, and search a warmer place on the Pacific Ocean, but one which is connected to the Antarctic.

So Ultima Thule sails now to the antipodes, to the southernmost island of Australia: the island of  Tasmania, with its lively capital  Hobart, which was a few years ago a underdeveloped and rather unknown town; the wealth in recent years provided for renovation, less isolation, increasing culture offer and demand, and presently Hobart is a major deep-water port for Southern Ocean shipping and a home port for Antarctic operations, a travel hub to Antarctica.

Hobart, the capital and largest city of Tasmania, was founded in 1804 as a British colony. It's Australia's second oldest city.

Population ~ 220 000
Coordinates: 42°52′ S, 147°19′ E

The city is located on the estuary of the Derwent River. The skyline is dominated by Mount Wellington, at 1 271 m.

The historic area is mainly down by the bay, where the wharfs and docks are located. The main streets are Elizabeth street and Mall, Collins street, Macquarie Street (Town Hall and Cathedral) and Campbell Street with the Theatre Royal.

Elizabeth street and Mall are the heart of commercial Hobart

St David's Cathedral, in Macquarie Street:

 

The Theatre Royal :

Hobart has an intense cultural life: museums, a theater and concert season, and a resident orchestra, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

The 46 tramway, the only remaining authentic carriage of the Hobart tramway system , a pioneer transport in Australia, is now in display at the Transport Museum:

Hobart has two main attractions:

1 - The waterfront around Sullivan´s bay, on both North and South sides.

2 - The architecture, including many art-deco buildings from the 20th cent., several Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian buildings, many of them hotels nowadays. They are to be found in Collins and Elizabeth Streets.

The waterfront by Sullivan´s bay

On the South side, the famous Salamanca Place where Salamanca Market takes place, attracting a crowd from the country and from outside:

Sandstone warehouses from the 1840's were recently renovated.

At night this is the liveliest area in town, with bars, restaurants and cafés.

Sullivan's Cove on the River Derwent was the site of the initial European settlement.

Hunter Street, on the north side, has some old warehouses aligned with cafés and outdoor terraces, facing Victoria Docks; that's the oldest part of Hobart, where the first colonial settlement was founded.

Hunter Street

Battery Point

This is an elegant and fashion neighbourhood, with nice wooden houses painted in lively colours. The ambiance is retro.

Café and terrace in Battery point

The architecture in Hobart

Brunswick Hotel, 1827, Liverpool St.

Old P.O. building, 1913

Colonial Mutual Life Building

Fire Brigade building

The Shamrock hotel

Montgomery's Hobart Hotel, Macquarie steet

 

The waterfront by night

The inland beauty of Tasmania

Bruny Island is a small island on the southeast of Tasmania, a truly exquisite paradise!

Bruny Island is actually two land masses - North Bruny and South Bruny - that are joined by a long, narrow sandy isthmus.

To know more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hobart

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Thanks to so many visitors from Hobart to Ultima Thule!