Three Isles in the Hebrides

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.

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.

A lot of us were crammed onto this boat.  Many of us had to stand on the back deck, in the rain.

We hiked along the edge of the cliffs to peek into Fingal's Cave.

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.

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.

When the sun comes out on Iona, the children jump into the clearest water imaginable.

This shop looked very appealing to me.

The cows enjoyed snoozing in the sun.

Goodbye, Iona.

Bits and Bobs about Western Scotland

I'm practicing Scotch/Brit speak, hence,

Here are a few bits and bobs:

• The Scottish have the finest cuisine that I have experienced in all my travels.  Every meal has been outstanding.

• Right now, black and white horizontal stripes are on trend - for both men's and women's clothing.  Red pants are also popular, but I am too shy to take a photo of anyone wearing them.

• There is a lovely glen on the island of Mull.  It is inhabited solely by sheep, and there is no electricity in the area.  The weather in Mull is mostly rainy year round. The council saw fit to install a bus stop/shelter in the glen.  Since there is no electricity, they installed solar panels on the roof.  When there is enough sun, the shelter lights up at night and is apparently quite lovely sitting by itself in the glen.  There are no people to take the bus. There was no way for the driver to stop the bus for a photo of the actual bus stop, but this is what a glen looks like.

• The weather is often dirty in western Scotland. Surely you can figure out what that means.

• If you are offered tablet, it means a piece of candy that resembles butterscotch fudge. 

• This is not tablet, but have you ever seen anything cuter?

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  Knitters throughout the world are nuts.