Day One in Scotland

Probably I should point out that the three of us are taking turns writing these blogs. Tonight it is Tee. And before I share about our first day in Scotland, I should point out that there are two things really going well for us. First of all the weather...Buie prepared us that it would not be good: chilly and rainy describe what we expected. In fact, I thought all of those rainy days back home before we left were preparation for this trip. How wrong I was. The weather has been incredibly beautiful. The second thing is how compatible we three are as travelers; we laugh and talk and gossip and laugh and just thoroughly enjoy being where we are!

But, on with our story...the bed and breakfast where we're staying in Oban, Scotland, is on a hill looking out over the Sound of Oban, a beautiful blue sea with sailboats dotted here and there. We've all agreed we could live here.
After a breakfast of kippers, eggs (boiled and scrambled), bacon, ham, cheese, yoghurt, granola, toast and jam, black pudding (do look it up), fruit and croissants, we waddled out to rent a car and head to the Isle of Mull on a 45-minute ferry ride. We drove across Mull for an hour on one-lane roads that scared the doddle out of us, but good job on Buie's part to get us back alive. From Mull it was onto a ferry for about 15 minutes to Iona, the first Christian establishment in Great Britain. The old abbey, nunnery and daffodils made Iona a very special stop. (Of course we repeated the trip back to Oban, which included the hour's drive back across Mull, again scaring the doddle out of us.)
View from the ferry to Iona. Abbey on Iona.

1000-year old Celtic Cross on Iona.Nunnery on Iona.

Needing a literary moment here...We came across a woman on Iona walking a beautiful Golden Retriever; I asked what was the dog's name. The reply, "Tess." I asked, "As in 'of the Dubervilles'?" And she said, "Yes." Ah, Thomas Hardy would be proud.

A wonderful, wonderful first day in Scotland.