So to get to Iona I traveled 8hours by plane, 3 hours by train, another 3 hours by train, 1 hour by ferry, 1 hour by bus, and a short ferry. Then a walk uphill to my hotel.
Sometimes it is about the journey.
Insights from today:
- While a shower is a great way to start the morning, sometimes you should start with coffee then negotiate the shower. European showers are not for the non-persistent. I figured how to turn the shower head on AND how to have the correct temperature but there were more nozzles and dials than normal AND the hot and cold were reversed!
- DO NOT multi task if choosing shower first and then coffee. (Especially if European shower)
- ALWAYS use bath mat, this combines the first two mentioned. If you move the bathmatt because you went to plug in the teapot because the shower was so confusing and realized caffeine sooner than later would be more helpful, you need to remember to put the bathmatt back in place so that you do not slip and fall on tile floor that has a declining slope to it. (No bruises or scrapes happened to create this helpful insight but OUCH!)
- always ask directions, people love to help- especially if you are an easy assist! I overshot the train station in Glasgow because I was looking at everything in the city with SUNLIGHT!
Sometimes you can take the shorter route, I could have flown into Scotland and eliminated a train ride, but that didn’t make sense for the rest of the travels and because I had three hours to wait I was able to see my dear friend who lives in London who hopped on the Tube and met me for coffee (my jet legged self).... it also meant I met a “non practicing atheist” in the train station who told me the history of Oban, the best bus to catch and a bit about melrose abbey too!
While I think I could have driven from Glasgow to Oban- watching the scenery go by on the trainn was a treat with trees and snow and stillness. Not to mention I did not have to remember which side of the road to drive on.....
I am fascinated by Scotland’s nooks and crannies, it’s water and small coastal towns, it looks a lot like Newburyport and Salem, MA, fishing ports.
I of course took three wrong turns this morning and it took three folks to make sure I had the correct ticket (online services are only so helpful) but it’s part of the journey, meeting folks along the way.
On the train there was an 18 month old who was overjoyed at everything that passed by- no distinguishable words but we knew to look because of his alerting sound and we too took joy in his joy.
Letting go allows one to see a little bit more, rely a little less only on yourself and realize the fun and joy you can have with the folks around you.
