I live in a beautiful part of the world. I have a gorgeous view of the Rockies everyday as I drive home from work. I can step out my front door, and above the trees in our neighborhood, see the peaks of mountains--mountains that are an hour's drive away, a couple hours to get nearly into their heart. Scenes like the ones to the left take my breath away, but are relatively commonplace. We have beautiful lakes and springs. Sometimes, in the spring, everything is so green. I've seen snow-covered mountainsides looking like their wearing robes made of diamonds. We have various trees, tons of wildflowers, and most of the time, earn our nickname of 'Colorful Colorado.'But.
Maybe it was the adventure, the being far from home, the novelty of it. Or maybe it isn't just my perception. Either way, the city of Oban on the west coast of Scotland, the Isles of Mull and Iona, this part of the Inner Hebrides, was the most beautiful place I've ever been. All of Scotland was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. But Mull and Iona--breathtaking. So peaceful. So quaint. So lovely, so...heavenly. Gah, I'm getting--travelsick? Anyway.
(Click on pictures to enlarge)
After driving for a few hours past this kind of scenery:
How could it possibly get better?
And then...the outskirts of Oban:
View from in front of our hotel:
On the ferry to Mull:
 |
| Mull |
The Isle of Mull. So green. Little towns with houses made out of brick, stone, or wood, many with shale roofs. Bracken literally everywhere. Lakes and ponds, so peaceful and dreamlike. Hills and small mountains rolling on. Inlets where the sea pushes its way into the island. We saw an owl and a seal (sadly, I couldn't get good pictures of either). Flowers and dry stone walls. Sheep and cattle. We even saw sheep just walking along down the path. A telephone box overgrown with weeds and grass.
On the ferry to Iona:
Iona. So cute and quaint and quiet and beautiful. First, we had lunch in this little diner. I met this funny/neat old man from England (maybe Yorkshire, I can't remember now) who was in the navy, and then bought a boat when he retired and sailed around the world. A few times. He'd been almost everywhere. Pretty neat. And then, to my right, out the window, I could see the sea and Mull.
After lunch, I walked through the old nunnery. Ruins now, and a memorial to those who came to this peaceful island to be with the Lord.
The nunnery:
Then I visited the Iona abbey. Iona is recognized as one of the oldest and most important centers of Christianity in western Europe, and was influential in spreading Christianity through Scotland. The first abbey on (or near) the spot was a monastery founded by St. Columba in 563 A.D. St. Columba was an Irish missionary, who sailed to Scotland to spread the gospel. In 1203 Benedictine monks founded a monastery on the site. During the 15th century the abbey was expanded, but was abandoned when its monks were dispersed following the Scottish Protestant Reformation. In 1899 the abbey was rebuilt when the Duke of Argyll gave the buildings to the Church of Scotland. The Iona community was founded by Rev. George MacLeod in 1938, and the buildings were further restored. It was so neat to stand in a place that has been a center of worship since the 6th century. It's a beautiful abbey.
The abbey:
 |
| The two columns that are different (on the left) are the only original columns remaining. |
After visiting the abbey, I went shopping. Cute little shops, three of them, I think. The main was was part gift shop, part grocer, part launders. I got some wool scarves with traditional Scottish print.
Then I went down to the beach.
I think I love the sea. I can't wait to see the ocean. The Lord had blessed us. It had been rainy in the morning, then beautiful and sunny once we got across Mull. It had rained a little in the afternoon, and now it was a little cloudy and slightly windy. But still beautiful. I stood there as small waves rolled up across the white sand. The sea rushed into the spaces between rocks, surging and then falling back again. The air smelled fresh and clean. Above me and to my left, people talked as they waited for the ferry back to Mull. On the hill behind me, which I had walked down to get to the beach, weeds and bushes grew among the rocks and sand. Seaweeds could be seen under the water off the beach. A crab leg lay on one of the rocks. Seagulls few by, floating on air currents. I leaned against a large black rock as the breeze played with my hair, gently blowing moisture into my face.
I could have stayed there forever.
I've decided, if I ever live in Scotland, it would be in northern Scotland, on the outskirts of a medium-sized city, within driving distance of the Hebrides.
