May was a whirlwind – but a good one! Now I’m back and trying to post a few of the pics I took while in Alba, the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland…
A windy day in the Hebrides on the isle of Iona. Also enjoyed Mull and Skye…
Love this Scots logo seen at historic sites…
The bluebells were in bloom in gardens and on hills along with many other flowers of all kinds and colors…
Contrary to what you may have heard, Scottish food is exquisite! Here is my beloved haggis;)
The castles range from medieval ruins to lived-in luxury like Inverary here, the home of the chiefs of Clan Campbell and the Dukes of Argyll…
Love the kilts, the lilt, the Scottish flag, and all those sheep!
There is something so haunting and majestic about the Highlands (and filled with heartbreaking history)…
Our group at Eilean Donan Castle with our fearless leader, Liz, at far right. My head is still spinning from all the castles we visited – Armadale, Dunvegan, Urquhart, Cawdor, Balmoral, Falkland, St. Andrews, Culross, Brodick, and others… Such a fun group of ladies!
Some of you have asked why Scotland? It’s cold, wet, and they serve whisky (minus the e) with their porridge!
Many of us have Scottish roots as America became a refuge and haven for Scots exiles and immigrants in colonial America and beyond. In my case, I’m a direct descendant of George Hume, the laird of Wedderburn Castle, way back when. Living in the Scottish borders, the Humes were the first line of defense against the English. Sir George and family got into a wee bit of trouble taking part in the Jacobite Uprising of 1715. He and his 17 year old son were thrown into prison in London and were nearly hanged for treason but at the last minute were exiled to America and landed in Virginia. They lost their lands and titles but young George went on to become a crown surveyor and is credited with teaching George Washington surveying in the years 1748-1750. The Humes stayed in Virginia and also strayed to Kentucky.
On the other side of the family are the Ballantynes which I enjoyed using as a surname for The Ballantyne Legacy series. Guess I’m a Scots lass through and through!
Do you have Scottish roots?
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She’s baaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!
Ohhhh, the photos are lovely!! And I can only imagine the strict decorum and proper behaviour of a busload of chicks.
Ummm hmmm.
I cannot believe you used “beloved” and “haggis” in the same sentence! Gags! Blech!!!
Whisky on porridge, eh? I wonder if that’ll fly in Bolivia, on our mission team when we eat those wee packets of porridge every morning.
SO glad you’re home!!
LOL, Jennifer, I don’t believe you are alone in your haggis hating ;)!
And you had the right idea bout a busload of chicks. There we were on these winding, hairpin roads way up in the Highlands singing HAPPY with our hands in the air – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM
Definitely a shining moment! All that was missing was YOU!!
Loved your pictures! One day I would love to find out what my heritage is. Not sure how to go about it though. I would like to visit Scotland and Ireland one day as I have always been drawn to those countries. I love Celtic music and bagpipes. Maybe one day I’ll get there. Thanks for sharing your pictures and a little bit about your heritage.
Shaun, Love your comments – and thanks for taking time for these pictures! Like you, I love Celtic music and bagpipes. Such a haunting, ethereal sound. We heard a lot of music over there. The pipers and fiddlers are my favorites. Here’s a band that will knock you down with sound that we saw last Saturday in Glasgow – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9qmezJ_Yno if you didn’t see the above link.
Bless you for being here and joining in the fun. It’s really good to be back with you!
Thanks for the video. They were awesome!
Your welcome, Shaun 🙂 Thanks for enjoying with me!
Oh, Laura! I have missed you so much! But it looks like you had another fabulous trip! Thanks for sharing the pictures with us. I have no Scottish roots that I know of. My dad doesn’t know anything about his father, and his mother’s side was Swedish, and I could only follow that back a few generations. But, there is just something about Scotland that makes me smile. My sister married into a Scottish family, clan Murray! Lucky duck. Maybe God has a nice, strapping Scottish lad waiting for me. I hope I meet him soon! Hehe. Until then I will just settle for my fictional Scottish heroes…like Silas Ballantyne! 🙂
Oh Emma, clan Murray! Awesome! So many Murrays and Stuarts and such running amuck over there, lol ;). I pray you meet your Silas one day. I am sure you will even if it’s not a Scotsman! My roomie, Liselott (beautiful name) is half-Swedish like your dad’s mom’s side. It is hard tracing those generations very far back. We have some huge gaps in my mother’s side of the family because of a Cherokee great grandfather who is missing from census records, etc. And yet the Hume side is clear as day for some reason.
I hope your summer has started off well. You’re a real joy to come back to!!
It’s easy to see why one of my best friends decided to get married in Scotland, it has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. Between her pics and now yours it’s definitely on the list of places to go someday. Simply gorgeous! I’m so glad you had a nice time! Thank you for sharing with us and welcome back. 🙂
Oh Renee, I can only imagine the wedding pics from that one! That’s my dream now, too – a wedding in Scotland – only I’m past my prime and married and will have to fit it into a book ;)! How blessed your friend is to have had it there. I imagine her groom wore a kilt – be still my heart!!
Thanks so much for welcoming me back. You were missed, pins and all!!
Welcome back dear Laura! I really did miss you and prayed for you and the group (and your family back home) while you were gone. I know traveling overseas can be a logistical nightmare at times. But when it’s good, it is a wonderful experience.
I am so enjoying your pictures and I imagine you will have more to come. I am wondering if you started writing a new story during your travels? It wouldn’t surprise me. So interesting about your Scottish roots and how you’ve traced them so far back.
As far as I know, my roots are mostly Macedonian and maybe Greek. But both my parents were Macedonian, with both sets of grandparents coming over on the boat! I would like to visit Greece someday as it seems to be such a beautiful place. I’ve been to Israel (life changing), Rome for a few days and Brussels for one day, but that is the extent of my travels. However, I think you have created a desire in me to visit Scotland now, LOL! We shall see what the future holds.
I hope you are settling back in and that you don’t have your days and nights mixed up. I’m sure your family is happy to have you back safe and sound!
Have a blessed day! 🙂
Georgianne, I so felt your prayers and really appreciate you including my family, too. I had to chuckle as Randy said “It was bizarre” with me away this time. Don’t think I will be traveling again for awhile, lol. I really missed my boys! Yes, traveling can be a logistical nightmare. I missed my connecting flight in Iceland because of a problem in Seattle so had to then go to 3 other countries in 12 hours before finally getting to Scotland and joining up with the other ladies! Somehow Liz’s trips are always completely glitch-free but when you have 40 ladies together with various health issues and such things can get very interesting! Some of these intrepid travelers taught me a lot about fortitude and just getting on with it without complaining and a hearty laugh…
Love hearing about your history. You have that exotic look to me with your dark hair and eyes, etc. Greece is on my bucket list! I have heard amazing things and the scenery there looks to be amazing. Oh, how blessed you are to have been to Israel. You said it so well – life changing. I have heard that, yes. I imagine it completely changes your perspective about Christ and where He walked and lived, etc. Hard to put into words.
Strangely enough, I have no jet lag on my return though I did going over. Now it’s back to work for me! My manuscript looks a little strange to me being gone so long but since it’s not due till Sept. 1 I have time to get reacquainted :). Thanks so much for your prayers. Your gracious spirit went with me all the way!!
Beautiful pictures. I love Scotland. My grandfather was a MacLaren from Glasgow.
Juliet, Awesome family history! Love Glasgow – spent last Saturday there and saw this amazing street band, Caladonia – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9qmezJ_Yno
Glasgow is so different from Edinburgh but in a good way. It’s known for its arts, especially music. We saw some awesome fiddlers, too. Even a great street preacher.
You must be proud of your heritage. I know mine is very dear to me :).
Juliet, You have a wonderful family history. Glasgow is am amazing place – so rich in art and music – and shipbuilding, etc. We spent last Saturday there and heard this band, Caladonia, on a sunny cobbled street – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9qmezJ_Yno
Amazing fiddlers and even a street preacher, too! I could have stayed there forever…
Glad to meet a fellow Scotswoman 🙂 via your Grandfather MacLaren!
So happy you’re back, Laura! I thought of you, and prayed for you, often. You have such a unique way of bringing all of us along with you–so much so, I could almost imagine myself in that group of ladies. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear more about your trip–but I’m even more excited to read one of your stories set in Scotland, because I have a feeling it would be exquisite. Thank you for sharing this little glimpse today!!! By the way, I love your plaid capes. 🙂
Gabrielle, You say the nicest things :). Thank you. I really carried you and others here around in my heart and head as I went about. I kept seeing things and thinking, “Gabrielle would like this…”…”Renee would like that…”
A Scottish story is brewing that includes some of my own family history. I’m so thrilled. Now to craft another Scots hero unlike Silas with lots of prayer and thought! Thrilled, too, that you’re excited to read such a story. Exquisite is such a wonderful word. Bless you.
I hope you and your clan are doing well and enjoying the start of summer and the erasure of all that snow!!
Missed you, prayed for you and tried not to envy you! Yes, I have Scottish roots. My maternal family is part of the Stuart clan. Lots of amazing history there. Thankful you are home and taking the time to share some of your pictures. Is the plaid in the first picture your family colors??? Welcome home!
Mary, Great to see you among the welcoming committee here :). You always make me smile. You are a Stuart!! Such a noble line and such rich history. Our tour guide would have a heydey with you talking Stuart history! The plaid scarf isn’t in my family colors, unfortunately, nor is the cape at bottom with the group. I think my favorite plaid is from the isle of Skye – sort of a misty purple and green, so like Skye. Here is the link to the Hume/Home tartan – http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails.aspx?ref=1757
I so wish I had the original coloring and not the updated modern one…!
I so appreciate your prayers. Liz’s tours always go so smoothly and that must be on account of prayer (and hard work). Thanks so much for being here and welcoming me so graciously!
Welcome back! That scarf is lovely, or is it called something different? The scenery’s pretty great, too.
Aw, just love those castles.
I’m not Scottish, one of my G’grandma’s came over from Ireland and other than that I think I’m pretty much totally British. And I think I fit some of the stereotypes like an odd dry sense of humor and a keenly felt sense of social embarassment. 😉
Scarf it is, yes, or whatever you want to call it :). There are a million of them there in all shapes and sizes and colors. So warm as it’s wool! I no longer feel too sorry for those kilted Scotsmen of old as they were warm in their plaids.
I love those castles, too. They’re just mind-bogglingly big – and so cold, many of them! Love those winding steps they used to sword fight on going backwards up the steps!
So interesting about your family history. It’s amazing what is passed down to us via genes and family traits/quirks. I somehow just KNEW you had a dry wit and blushed easily :). I imagine if we had portraits of our ancestors hanging on our walls we would be aghast at how similar we look to them over time.
Bless you for welcoming me back, Julia!
Love all your photos Laura, especially the highland hills, so beautiful! One day I’d like to visit. One of my grandfathers was Scottish.
On another note, just wanted to tell you, I lent your first 2 books in the Ballantyne series to my mom to take on her vacation and when she got back one of the first thing she said to me was, ‘do you have the third one!’
We both can’t wait to read it and looking forward to it coming out in September. : )
Cathy, Welcome words! So happy you shared those Ballantynes with your mom! Bless you for that. Wren’s story just went to print so book 3 is nearly in your hands. Each one of this series is so very different but hopefully good in it’s own way :).
So interesting that one of your grandfathers was Scottish. I’m always amazed that so many of us can claim Scots roots. They came to America in droves and helped make this country enduring because they’d endured so much.
The Highlands have a beauty all their own so I understand your comments completely. I hope you can visit one day. I never thought I’d get there and am so thankful.
Thanks for welcoming me back and taking time here!!
Oh, I totally forgot to answer your question…aye, I do have Scottish roots.
Dunkins, Norquays and a few “hey baby, how are you” types, I think.
Jennifer, You’re priceless, Scots or not :). Here’s some Mohicans-Scots music for you from my favorite Glasgow street band – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnzm7Oa3USQ
Welcome home, Lass! I thought about you a lot, envied you not a little, and hope you found some incredible inspiration for the writing.
Yes, I have Scots ancestry. Lowlands, for sure, though I have only surnames and no fun stories to go with them. And if ancestry.com is to be believed, I’m descended from Malcolm King of Scots. Take that with a salt lick’s worth, I’d say. Still it made for a fun evening of seeing how far I could climb that ladder of other people’s research back into the past. I might have felt a rung or two nearly give way beneath me. 🙂
Beautiful photos, wish I were there! Did you visit Culloden Field? If I had to pick just one place in Scotland to see, there it would be.
Lori, Great to see you! YES, we visited Culloden. I have some amazing photos of it shrouded in mist. It was appropriate weather that day for so humbling, tragic a place. The museum/visitor’s center really brought it to life, too. At one point I was standing in a room with the battle going on all four sides of me via film so you felt you were in the line of fire. I imagine some folks burst into tears as it was so intense. I had forgotten the charm of Bonnie Prince Charlie – and the fact he was 6 foot 3! We saw Glencoe, too.
I’d take Malcolm King of Scots any day! And since you’re from the Lowlands like the Humes, we may have rubbed shoulders way back then. Exquisite history, indeed :)!
Awesome Pictures Laura. Scotland is at the top of my list of countries to visit. I guess its because I have Scottish roots on both sides of my family, my moms mom side, and then my dad’s mom side. One Highland dad’s family and lowlands mom’s side.
Once in the colonies they settled into Virginia and eventually moved to Kentucky.
Carissa, You are a Scots lass for sure with a little Cherokee throw in, same as me :)! Love your Highland and Lowland roots, just like mine. I’m amazed at how many Scots went to Virginia which must have been a shock to them given the climate. I know from family history that our George was quite sick with malaria and fevers when he first arrived and struggled with the heat. Amazing, too, that so many of them moved onto Kentucky. I’m afraid it wasn’t much cooler!
And I like to think your Scots relatives were friends with mine. Who knows but we might well be related somehow!?!
You have Scottish roots?! So cool! And lovely pictures. It looks like such a blast. 🙂 I have Irish…does that count? LOL
Gwen, Irish certainly counts! I’ve not been there but I hear it’s beautiful and very unique. I always thought it must resemble Scotland but have been told it doesn’t really! This trip was a blast, yes, and very different than when I went over solo and my brother joined me last year. I will go any way I can, I guess :)!
SO happy to see you here and hope your summer is off to a great start. Your little man must be getting SO BIG!!
You went to Balmoral!!!???? I really, really, really want to hear all about that.
As a fellow Kentuckian, of course I have Scottish roots. Scotch-Irish I believe, but I don’t know their story. 🙁 I have found a genealogy of one of my great-grandmothers and the family goes back to 1750’s in Virginia, I’ve always thought anything earlier than that, and we’re looking at England and Scotland. Because Culloden was in 1745.
Welcome back!
Love hearing of your Scots roots, Michelle :). Maybe my Virginia relatives rubbed shoulders with your Virginia kin back then! It was a small world, truly, in colonial days.
YES, BALMORAL! A whole afternoon spent there in the sunshine, roaming at leisure away from the group. I have several photos of that and will try to do a special post for you later this week. Funny thing was, our coach pulled up in our spot by the Balmoral stables and there was Queen Elizabeth’s staff washing her black Land Rover as she’d just left to return to London. Our tour guide knows the royal driver so we got the inside scoop!
The best thing about Balmoral is its storybook appearance. We were only allowed into the ballroom but it was beautiful. The gardens, acres of them, are so lovely and there’s a charming cottage on the estate that I have many pictures of inside and out. It was used by Queen Victoria’s ladies in waiting in particular and is a stone’s throw from the castle itself. I loved the river alongside the castle which is where Diana and Charles engagement pictures were taken. The vegetable gardens and Victorian greenhouse are exquisite! Everything is very, very well kept and there is a sunken garden to one side of the castle that I believe Prince Philip had planted years ago. And a lovely fountain! Balmoral is only open to the public from April to July or early August if I remember correctly. The Queen and family go in August for an extended stay. But am sure you know all about that!
Now I must rewatch MRS. BROWN as I love the history of her favorite Scotsman and picked up a book about them while there…
Anyway, more pics coming for you in regards to all that, my friend!!
Welcome back, Laura, and thanks SO much for the beautiful pictures!! I certainly missed your joyful, sweet voice!!
I am a descendant of the clan MacGregor on my maternal grandmother’s side of the family. I would love to have the clan MacGregor plaid and something in the coat-of-arms, etc.. Do you know of a reliable online source from which to order these things?? And I must ask if there is any food here in the USA which might have even a remotely similar taste to haggis?? Have heard so many horrid things about it’s taste, just wondering!!
After reading all your blog comments, it seems you had a wonderful time!! I hope it proved to be your most joyful, entertaining, and inspirational trip – ever, and that you sensed God’s presence even more fully. That was my continual prayer for you during your trip – along with safety and good health!! Can’t wait for that book based on your Scottish family history!!
Love and hugs to you, dear lady!!
Dear Bonnie, I sure missed you, too, and am so glad prayer kept us connected despite the miles! It was a wonderful trip and we saw many things I’ve wanted to see but have only imagined till now. Being there is much better! Inspiring and fulfilling beyond words. Your prayers made a difference.
I love your rich history. The MacGregors are a very well known clan over there! And I promise to bring you back a MacGregor plaid next trip, Lord willing. I don’t know of a reliable source online but do know of a shop in Edinburgh which is where I got my kilted skirt, etc. It’s owned by Scots and the plaids are Scots-made, something not always the case though billed as such. Am pretty sure Amazon sells haggis in a can but you would have to be very brave to try it ;)! It really is a favorite of mine despite the black color and ingredients. It has a wonderful flavor and I ate it every morning as part of the full Scottish breakfast – fruit, porridge, eggs, haggis, sausage, tattie scones, baked beans, sauteed mushrooms, toast, marmalade, and copious amounts of tea! I pretty much waddled home! I don’t like, sadly, the blood or black pudding. But I do love haggis. It has the consistency of corned beef hash but is much more flavorful. Though I’m sure many would disagree :)! Though dear Silas liked it, same as me!
Hope your weather is good and not too hot yet. And all is calm there for you. Wonderful to come back to you here!! Hugs long distance to you!
No I don’t but I wish I did, lol! So happy you’re back, dear Laura! And so happy you had a good trip! Thought of you often and was praying and hoping you were enjoying yourself. Looks like you did 🙂
I’m sure your men are very happy to have you back 🙂 Hoping you returned home to sunshine, warm weather and a clean house, lol! 😉
Blessings,
Amanda ♥
Dear Amanda, I DID return to warm weather and sunshine but a dirty house, but have since cleaned it, lol :). I can’t really rest till my nest is clean! Or work either!
I so appreciate your prayers. They got me there and kept me there and returned me home safe and sound. Only a few bumps along the way, thankfully. And never you mind about those Scots roots! You don’t need them being Italian through and through :).
Hope summer is off to a great start for you and your loved ones. You’re a gem to check in as I know this is your busy season!!
p.s. pardon the bold font as it is stuck!
Good morning, Laura! Great to have you back. I missed you! But, so glad that you had such a wonderful time on your trip. Enjoyed viewing your photos. You always bring back the best pics of your journeys.
I have a bit of Scottish blood in me from both parent’s family trees, but unfortunately, I don’t know much about either of them. I need to do some research and see if I can find out more.
I imagine you found plenty of inspiration for your next book (series?) coming up after the Ballantyne saga. I can’t wait to read what you are now in the midst of writing. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. I still need to read Wren’s story first. LOL! So excited about Love’s Fortune going to print. It won’t be long ’til I’m reading those beautiful words! YAY!
Have a great day, my dear friend! Welcome back! 🙂
By the way, I think I noticed something in a couple of the photos. Is it just me or is your hair a bit shorter than it was? 😉
LOL, dear Angi, you have a keen eye. I lopped off a foot of it right before I left and am in mourning :)!
Oh Laura, I feel your pain. I did the same thing when I was in high school, although mine was MUCH shorter than yours (it came to the base of my neck), because I wanted to see what having short hair was like. It wasn’t long before I was in mourning, too. That’s why I grew it back long like it is now. 🙂
I’m so glad you grew it back, Angi. I hope to do that, too. I. Cannot. Imagine. YOU WITH SHORT HAIR!! 🙂 Long is YOU!
Angi, Love your Scots roots even if you have to do a little digging to learn more! I wish our ancestors were more accessible and had left diaries and letters and things like that more often. But I guess they were often too busy working/surviving.
Thanks for being so gracious about these pics. I’m not a very good photographer so these are the best ones of the bunch. I have fun at PicMonkey making these collages. You can stuff a lot more pics in that way!
YES, Wren is going to print as we speak :)! Can’t believe those Ballantynes are done as it seems just yesterday I finished Silas and Eden’s story. More to come! Can’t wait to share more about that. Your excitement blesses me more than I can say.
Prayers with you as you go about your busy week! Soak up some of that midwest sunshine!
Laura, dear Laura, welcome home! So sorry you had unplanned visits to so many countries. Your passport must look impressive, eh? Glad to hear the rest went well. Prayed for you and your traveling companions. At times could almost feel the highland mist.
THANK YOU for sharing your photos. They soothe the ache. Did you stay at Inverary? Such a storybook-type castle. Would love to visit there and Balmoral and … well what wouldn’t I like to visit there. Zip!
Do have a bit of Scots heritage through my dad — Sinclair. (Our castle is in ruins. LOL) All Irish on mom’s side, though. My, what roots you have, bonnie Laura! What fun your ancestor taught George Washington. And you’re a Ballantyne! No wonder Silas is such an appealing character.
Look forward to still more stories growing from the highlands. Blessings to you and your family.
Mary Kay, THANK YOU for such a gracious welcome back!! You were really missed this trip. I will always remember our dinner together that one night – and those crazy charades!! The weather was a wonderful mix this time – misty and cold at Culloden and Glencoe and then sunny at all the castles and in the cities.
Love your Sinclair roots. So many ruined castles, yes! That’s the case for my MIL, as well. She’s a redhead of Scots descent but her castle (McKnight/McNaughton) is long gone. It is wonderful to know about our Scots kin. Amazing how much Scotland immigrants influenced America, especially settling Appalachia and fighting in the Revolutionary War.
My passport is pretty weighty now, lol. Norway, Iceland, and Denmark were a blur! My luggage was also weighty, too, with all the books I bought. I’d love to see the lowlands next, Lord willing. Are you up for another Scotland trip?!
My spirit is definitely up for another Scotland trip! I will pray about the physical and see how God leads (and heals!)
Will we see more photos?
Yes, more coming soon – I promised someone a post on Balmoral :). And I’ll try to sneak some more in.
I so hope we can travel together again – that would be wonderful! I’ll pray about that, too, Mary Kay.
PS Love your plaids. And your shorter hair is lovely. I get the mourning, though. Mine is getting long enough to get caught in things (like fans!) feel like I’m wearing a fur collar on hot days. Am slowly considering a severe cut.
Stay cool, sis.
You’re so kind about that hair of mine! But it is much cooler and I am sure in your heat a short, short cut would feel heavenly :). Stay cool, yes!
I’m so glad you’re back!!! I am looking forward to more pictures.
It looks like we both recently had a visit to the hair salon. Your hair looks great!
Cindy, Oh my, you got shorn, too:) I feel like a sheep, lol! Bless you for being so gracious. Scotland wreaked havoc on my hair being windy and misty and such. Hope your like your new do:)
I will post more pics next week, Lord willing. There are a slew of them and I am trying to pick out the best. Till then, have a wonderful weekend!!
Welcome Home, Laura! It looks & sounds like you had an amazing time! The pictures are beautiful & make me want to make the trip. Someday, maybe…
As far as I know, I don’t have any Scottish roots, but I am a bit of a mutt heritage-wise, so it wouldn’t surprise me if I have a pinch of Scot in me. 🙂
Brenda, Wonderful to see you – still thinking of your memorable debut :). For those here who haven’t shared in the joy, here’s the link – http://www.amazon.com/Chain-Mercy-Coming-Home-Volume/dp/0985723572 More coming from Brenda soon!!
I think most of us Americans are multis – probably why this country has overcome so much and is so richly diverse. But yes, I do imagine there is a bit of Scots in you somewhere! If only our roots were more blatant! Sometimes I think I will quit writing and pick up genealogy instead. 🙂 Too tempting!
Glad you like the pics. I’m working on a couple more posts of Scotland but have just decided to revise this next book and move a major plot point to the sagging middle which will require lots of time in the writing closet. I am sure you know the feeling :)…
So glad you are back safe and had a wonderful time! Great pictures! Your picture of Iona makes me desire to go back for a visit. I have great memories of spending time with God while sitting on a huge boulder watching the waves crash on the shore! I would go back in an instant if it weren’t for the idea of riding in the tiny ferry again to get there lol. I’m not a boat or ocean girl at all! Though I love watching waves crash on the shore while my feet are firmly planted on solid ground!
I have a bit of Scots in me, though I don’t know how much. Of course I’m married to my own Scottish hunk so my kids are Scottish with them being born here but American too thanks to me lol. I love this country so much. A lot of people ask me if I would ever move back to the states, but unless God specifically called us to I couldn’t do it. I have fallen in love with this gorgeous country and I suspect it has always been my home long before I stepped foot on Scottish soil!
Great to have you back!
P.s. the bagpiper up above needs his own story 😉
Eva! I was so in reach of you when in Pitlochry! I thought of you then and was smiling when a wee bit of your area’s history came up:) You speak so eloquently about living in Scotland. I am sure I wouldn’t want to leave either and am glad you won’t have to, Lord willing, since your family roots are so deep with hubby and kids. It’s a beautiful, rich country with such a tragic yet triumphant history. I’ve never been any place like it and it remains my favorite country, perhaps partly because of my own family history.
And we are INDEED kindred spirits! I was captivated by this piper and SO AGREE he needs his own story! He looks like a hero if there ever was one. And wow – can he play! He has a poetic soul, seems like, and the demeanor to match. There was a huge crowd around him as he’s part of a band called Clanadonia. You’ve probably heard of them. They are amazing.
Iona is truly a special place. I ate lunch in the sun beneath the eave of the abbey overlooking the water and a sheep pasture. Iona feels holy, perhaps because of its Christian roots. I’d go again in a heartbeat. Or live there easily! And I so understand about that ferry! It was the tiniest ferry I’d ever been on – and only a 10 minute ride, thankfully. Strangely enough, I met another couple on there who live about an hour from me! Small world…
Thank you for being here and sharing about your beautiful country :). Nothing quite like Scotland in all the world.
Laura, thank you for sharing these dear glimpses of such a beautiful land! I’m so glad you got to go, and what a fun blog post– to see this amazing place through your eyes. I do have Scottish roots and hope to make this journey someday, too. We shall see. Until then, I’ll live vicariously through these glorious pictures. 😉 Thanks for being wonderful, Laura!!
Amanda, Oh, you’re such a bright spot, always :). So fun to think we share Scottish roots! I am not a good photographer but hope some of Scotland’s glory – our Creator’s glory – shines through. I am sure you’ll get to go one day. And then you’ll be bitten by the Scots bug and have to return. Blessings on your week, my gracious friend!!