Oban & Mull

  1. Trips
  2. 2011
  3. Oban & Mull

When:

February 2011
Glencoe2011-3117

The most beautiful thing

Instants of splendor have been stacking up before I can sort them out, and now they are toppling all over. So here I sit by the heater at home (ah, so sweet to be home) with the gulls racketing away as usual in the twilight air, trying to organize and consolidate and do what I love. I want to hold each instant up for you to taste the air, suck in the majesty. The mountains, the tall trees, the long waterfalls. We saw the desolate and wild and craggy side of Scotland this weekend. (Hello, little…

20110219_140634-DSC_2554

Nordic compass

Of all the countries I’ve traversed in Europe, Scotland is the winner to me. No matter where I go, part of me misses it here, and I often wonder if that’s because this is home, or if my aesthetic compass just sets to a nordic and coastal place. Maybe it’s my Maine heritage. Today I’m breathing in instants of the sea, and soaking up the salty and slightly fishy air that pinches my nose in that cleansing way. Here are my fave ocean moments from our wee journey across Scotland at the beginning of …

20110220_141344-DSC_3050

I'll take one

A castle, that is. In one of our first conversations, Walker told me of staying in his family’s castle. I believe the clan system dissolved in the late 1700s, but everyone with Scottish blood still traces it to a clan, basically a large family led by a clan chief. My clan is Campbell, and Walker’s clans are Forbes and Ramsay. Apparently, the Ramsays kept their castle in the family longer than any other clan, and had recently sold it to a hotelier prior to Walker and I's conversation. I almost n…

20110219_082436-DSC_2349

An isle. A castle. A winner!

We'd arrived after journey by taxi, train, and car the day before, and I woke up and snuck over to the curtains. I peaked out at this. The sight from our bed and breakfast room in Oban, a port town on the West coast of Scotland, was a hint of what was to come in a weekend of saying ‘spectacular’ and ‘gorgeous’ incessantly. Walker’s (awesome) parents are in town, and arranged for a short weekend trip across our beloved island, which brought many firsts for me. It was my first time bringing a c…