Traveling in Scotland

I'm not even a full week back from my mission trip to Scotland at this point, so I wanted to write while things were still fresh in my memory. There's so much to say so I'm going to post throughout the week I hope for reader convenience and the sake of my own time!

This first post details our travels to the island, detailing the wonder of God's creation. Scotland is sometimes referred to as God's Country, and the Hebrides Islands, which includes the Isle of Lewis, are referred to as the gems sprinkled out as a finishing touch after all the other lands were formed. Trust me, it really seems that way.


So at the beginning, twelve of us, all from the UGA Wesley Foundation campus ministry left to go to the Isle of Lewis June 11th. We stayed in Paisley, just outside of Glasgow, the city we flew into, for two days to get over jet lag and reconvene as a group with our missionary, Lance. Third day in Scotland, we made the day-long trek to the Isle of Lewis. We took the scenic route through the Highlands, an unsettled, treeless range of green mountains. The common scene in these mountains is sheep and highland cows, pronounced 'hilan coos' by the locals. A moment is due to have a glimpse of these 'coos', for they are quite different than any I had ever seen, click here. The Highlands are indescribable and I took few photos because I would only be wasting my precious time, trading in my eyes' view for something my LCD screen could never capture. The Highlands are rocky, bare without any trees, revealing all the cuts and rolls of the land. I just can't explain the amazement of traveling through these mountains for hours, spotting waterfalls and looking at every turn in the road waiting for the next view to announce itself with such majesty. As some may know, the weather in Scotland (and the rest of the United Kingdom) is often dreary. However, during our drive, the sun peaked out for a moment, illuminating the fog that clung to the vibrant green of the mountain tops.

At one point, we stopped to take photographs of the landscape and walk around a wee bit. Being used to the openness of the country outdoors anyway, I decided to scope out a toilet since I had no idea when we'd reach a "formal" toilet. Well, as I previously mentioned there were no trees, creating a dilemma, exaggerated by the fact that this pullover was a tourist-attracting lookout full of people with wandering eyes!!! aaah!

Well finally, Kelly and I spot a huge patch of giant ferns, I mean they must've been about 4 1/2 feet tall (I swear those photos are not doing justice). They were even perfectly tucked into a sort of cliff to remove us from the "scenic view". I hope this isn't too much information, but I must share how amazing this toilet experience was.!! The ferns were very lush, full and soft, and the fragrance of the outdoors was so fresh, and the VIEW of the Highlands. Gosh, this was by far the best outdoor toilet ever. No maybe's about it... even topping indoor toilets!

So, onward we drove and a trip to Scotland would surely not be without a tour of a castle, and pictured about is Eilean Donan. Don't give me grief about the castle looking wimpy because the bridge had nothing to cover at low tide. Eilean Donan sits at a point on the shore where three lochs come together. It is still inhabited by the MacRae family, as Alex, our kilted our tour guide informed us, but only intermittently when they come to visit. While it was so cool to have a history lesson come to life, I couldn't help but find myself staring out the small slivered windows as I climbed stone stairways and explored new rooms. And I could hardly wait to finish the tour inside to view the land surrounding the castle, imagining the landscape without paved roads and the gift shop across the bridge.

We took a ferry from the Isle of Skye to Lewis. Waiting at the dock for us was a small rainbow that stretched beginning to end over the sea; it was complete! So we arrived in Tarbert at the Isle of Harris and searched for a chippy to taste our first fish and chips. The cook had begun closing but kindly took our thirteen orders anyway. We ate on a street wall, where to the left it overlooked the harbor and straight on were rocky hills with sheep and lambs. It was quite delicious, exceeding my expectations, though it surely would've lost all goodness without the dousing of vinegar. Lance also ordered a piece of fried Haggis, which I tried and for those of you familiar with the German meat spread, Braunschweiger, that's what it tasted like, minus the salt and the texture and color were completely different. I am not detailing the contents of Haggis here, for the sake of weak stomachs or the health conscientious, but a quick Google detour will answer all questions.

Next we set out on our two hour drive to the village of Barvas on the Isle of Lewis. As we drove further, the landscape changed. Closer to Tarbert, there were so many mountains in the distance and white, rocky hills that from a distance appeared to be sheep scattering the landscape. The further we traveled into Lewis the more houses appeared. However, do not be misled. The entire population of the Isle of Lewis is less than that of my Alma Mater, reaching somewhere just beyond the mid-20 thousands. We arrived at Barvas Church of Scotland probably around 11:00pm. We were so cold and tired, it took all our energy and courage to get out of the coach and greet our hosts. It was near 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and most of us were still adjusting to leaving 90-100 degree weather 6,000 miles back.

The landscape of Lewis is so inviting. One day we ventured to the Butt of Lewis or Port Niss. Here, frolicking is not such a good idea because green land suddenly disappears over ledges that drop 80 feet or more into the sea. I wish I were a poet, writer, even photographer to convey or display the beauty of this spot. The ocean was made up of shades of blues and greens. At a distance the ocean was navy, but the waters that flowed in and out of rock pools changed from an almost pastel green to a clear blue that you would see in someone's eyes. White foam floated near caves that beckoned. The sunlight got caught in those caves, twinkling in the darkness, just enough so you could see it but not enough to survey its insides, teasing me really. Our team gathered on some of the easily accessible rocks that overlooked a cove where waves crashed against the rock, worshiping and praying for our time here and the people we would meet.

We also went to a beach in the wee village of Garenin. It's actually a bay covered in rocks and boulders with very little sand. I immediately ran out to the shore, barefoot, trying to forget the pain of the rocks against my tender feet. I had to cross Scottish beach quicksand, my own term for seaweed washed up on the rocks by the tides. When I stepped on it, of course it was slippery, causing my footing to slip, but also sink! Giving up I walked parallel to the shore till it disappeared. AK, the youth leader at the church came along on our sight-seeing tour of the island. He is also a great photographer and took the above picure of me, Brooks and Natalie at the beach. Don't be deceived, this rock was huge and sort of tricky but fun to climb up on when wet.

We ate some of the seaweed that felt and looked like dark green vinyl with sheen. And here I am modeling my soon to be food as a boa. Me and Katherine took our first bite together. It's actually very crispy, more than spinach. It was salty (what else would you expect) and surprisingly not slimy. I also ate a winkle, a creature that looks similar to a miniature snail.

Young, my friend from Korea cracked the shell with a rock and then pulled out the winkle. If you've ever had oysters, it's nothing like that. Not slimy or too gooey to be chewed, sans grains of sand. The winkle was salty but the texture was more like chicken, and it was not as fishy-tasting as I expected. We also saw jellyfish with lilac-colored insides washed up on the shore. Yes, making me very cautious climbing over all the rocks. There were also some critters we termed Red Dingers. Really they looked likes dollops of strawberry jam shaped into perfect spheres that had managed to stick themselves on the sides of rocks. The dinger part of the name comes from the fact that they sting if you touch them. AK was trying to explain this concept to me but I couldn't tell if he was saying "sting" or "stink". So finally he acted out the "sting" by poking his arm with his finger saying "ding". Thus, the balls of red jam have an official American name.

We went to the black houses at the village of Arnol. They're now kept up for historical preservation , but maybe as early as two generations ago this was the house model. They are called black houses because the insides turn black due to the clingy and smothering smoke from the peat fires they burned in place of heat and electric/gas stoves. The walls are made of stone and the roof thatched with straw. And actually peat is frequently used for heating homes instead of electricity or gas. We went out to a moor and cut some peat, which looks like a combination of mud and clay. Basically you chop it into blocks and then stack them so that the wind will dry them out, making them brittle. Here's a pile of peat at one of the black houses.


We did some more touring in the towns on the mainland after our "mission" was through, but in my mind, none of it compared to the beauty of the Highlands or that of the Isle of Lewis. Loch Ness is another loch that whilst stirring mysticism encompassing stories, is no more beautiful than any of the other lochs. There's a picture of Anlee with the fictional (hmm?) Nessie. Edinburgh was really interesting, especially with its history of a castle dating back to B.C. times. But my heart in Scotland will forever be on the Isle of Lewis.