July 13 was big day for us. 2 bus rides, 2 large ferry rides, and 3 smaller boat rides to visit a wee bit of the Hebrides.
We started and ended our trip with this huge ferry.
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| Looking across the harbor in Oban at the ferry that takes people to Mull. |
We got on the Caledonian MacBrayne with tourists, locals, dogs, etc, all bound for the island of Mull.
On Mull, we boarded a coach with the lovely driver, Colin. Colin entertained us with stories of the island as he drove us across Mull on a one track road. We shared the road with oncoming traffic, sheep and highland cows. The island is only about 30 miles wide to our destination, but it took a full hour.
At the edge of the island, we stood in the pouring rain to board a smaller boat headed for the isle of Staffa.
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| A lot of us were crammed onto this boat. Many of us had to stand on the back deck, in the rain. |
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| We hiked along the edge of the cliffs to peek into Fingal's Cave. |
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| We hiked in the other direction to see the colony of puffins. |
From Staffa, we took another small boat to the Isle of Iona. A man named Columba started the first Christian community here in 563. It was ransacked later on by the Vikings. We saw the Abbey that has undergone many reconstructions.
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| We also poked around what was once the nunnery. |
We were lucky that the sun came out while we were on Iona. We had extra time to walk around in the sun, and to appreciate what a hidden gem this island is.
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When the sun comes out on Iona, the children jump into the clearest water imaginable.
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| This shop looked very appealing to me. |
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| The cows enjoyed snoozing in the sun. |
Goodbye, Iona.
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