Iona and Mull

Hi all

I bet you didn't think I'd be writing so many emails eh? Well that makes two of us. If it's too much for your inbox to handle... just delete. :P

Today Christine & I took the ferry from Oban to Mull, and then we drove (well, she drove) around the island of Mull before taking another ferry to a small little island called Iona.

Several of you warned me that distances in Scotland are decieving, and that's the truth! It took us wayyyyyyy longer to drive around Mull than we thought. Crazy one-lane roads with no visibility kinda freak me out. I don't enjoy sitting in the passenger seat wondering if there is something big coming around the corner in the oncoming lane. Doesn't seem to phase Christine though... guess that's why she's driving!

Looking at the rest of our itinerary and driving estimations, we have realized that we may need to make some heavy adaptations!!

If I had to describe Scotland in one word, it would be GREEN. Everything is so lush here. It doesn't take much for something to seem idyllic... I marvel at the fact that Scots live amidst this beauty all the time. How do they go anywhere else?

Iona is amazing. It's like Barra in that it is a magical, wondrous place that I could lose myself in. Not as connected through family, which makes Barra special to me, but Iona is still one of the best places we've been so far.

The hotel that we are staying at here has dinner and breakfast included. We finished dinner a few hours ago and I have just recovered from my comatose state and emerged from the room to use the free internet (yay free internet!). The food was SO BLOODY GOOD. So good in fact, that I almost hurt myself trying to eat it all. Almost made myself sick. Isn't that awful? But I swear it's the best food I have had on my trip so far, and maybe even for a long long time in general.

We were afforded an appetizer, main course and dessert. I had a cheese and salad plate with oat cakes & cranberry relish, then the sirloin steak with green salad, fries & garlic peppercorn mushrooms, and then the best belgium chocolate mousse cake I have ever had, not too sweet, light and fluffy, with amazing homemade vanilla ice cream. YUM. I can't really move right now, but I don't care; even the memory of it makes me happy.

A few days ago we stopped at a cafe and they had haggis on the menu but I was not brave enough to try it yet. I am reluctant to waste $$ (or rather, ££) on something I am pretty sure I won't like. But... it's like the Guinness...

I am still taking photos like a madman. Of course. Can't help myself really. Christine is addicted to checking her email; I am addicted to taking photos!

I uploaded a couple of photos to Facebook today. It takes a long time so I won't be trying to do that regularly. But check 'em out and lemme know whatcha think!

Tomorrow Christine is taking me to a church service at the Iona Abbey. She is determined that I will have a religious experience on this trip! (Little does she know that I have one every time we drive on those one-lane roads). Church is not my thing, but Christine describes the Iona Abbey as "the cradle of Christianity in the UK" since it dates back to the 500's. My primary goal in coming to Scotland was to go to Barra; hers was to come to Iona. So, I am looking forward to it -- I actually really love churches, if not for the same reason as her. As such, I am looking forward to going tomorrow.

After that, we ferry back to Mull, then drive across Mull (the "short" way this time), and catch the ferry back to Oban. Back to that lovely hostel. Sigh.

Take care, be good, stay healthy and happy,
xo
Elaan