Our first day aboard the National Geographic Orion found us exploring multiple islands. The first order of business was to pick up an immigration officer from Lerwick, allowing us to clear into the United Kingdom. The first proper activity was a surprise visit to the tiny island of Mousa, where a well-preserved Iron Age round tower, Mousa Broch, stands tall at the edge of a cliff and within a grassy field. After lunch, we anchored off of the famous Fair Isle which is halfway between Orkney and Shetland and is best known for its substantial bird populations, knitwear, and historic shipwrecks. Fair Isle has around seventy year-round inhabitants, dramatic landscapes, and a very picturesque protected dock. After a delightful welcome aboard dinner hosted by our captain, a few energetic souls headed into Lerwick to enjoy some fiddle music by a local Shetland legend Maurice Henderson.