Secondly, the Shetland Islands are proud of the
best award-winning fish and chips restaurant in the whole country.
The restaurant stands along the main road in one of the major
towns called Brae and it’s called Frankie’s. At first, I thought
it wouldn’t have been hugely different from the one I’d been to in
London (Poppies). However, Frankie’s served way better fish and
chips than any other pub or restaurant I’ve ever visited. It
wasn’t oily at all in spite of the way it looked. Meanwhile, the
taste of fish (cod) was very firm; I didn’t need much salt or
vinegar to add flavor.
I really wish I could have drunk beer! Another thing; I didn’t
manage to understand what the waitress serving me said. She might
have had a very distinctive accent. According to my classmate,
English spoken in the Shetland islands has a unique intonation
pattern, sounding similar to that of the Scandinavian languages,
and being very different from the standard Scots.
Finally, it was my first driving after 10 months, and my second
time driving on British roads. Therefore, I could stretch to many
places within the mainland where otherwise I might not have
managed. Starting from Lerwick, the capital of the islands, I
visited Scalloway with a very scenic view of houses standing along
a bay, Walls,
a place where you can experience a subtle trace of the Viking
area, Brae the fish and chips town, and Sumburgh, another gateway
for tourists who fly to the island. No words would be able to
depict their beautifulness - each town has a different atmosphere,
let alone each road I drove on. Literally you can take a deep
breath, which you cannot in London (in my humble opinion). The
time felt like walking very slowly. The silence dominates the
towns as if you are the only resident there. Buildings tell you a
lot about how they have undergone some hundred years encountering
many different kinds of people. Everything is different, so I
cannot describe them well. Furthermore, going up towards the
north, you can enjoy magnificent views of hills and lakes because
the roads reach a very high altitude. On the other hand, you can
expect a huge ocean view towards the south to Sumburgh.
Other photos I took there were featured in this website in July.
It was just a week-end trip, but there are a huge amount of things
that I would wish to talk about. I would continue for longer than
the time I spent in the Shetland Islands to cover the whole story.
In my opinion, going to the end of a country lets you feel remote
from your daily busy life, even for a short period. The end of a
country means that a neighboring country might be at your
fingertips; there’s a mixture of cultures, languages, and ways
people live. Next time when I visit Britain, I’d definitely visit
the Shetland Islands again.
Find out about other students' travel
experiences
Find out about Taka's life as a student in
London