Pilgrimagge

H. L. Mencken writes: "The harsh, useful things of the world, from pulling teeth to digging potatoes, are best done by men who are as starkly sober as so many convicts in the death-house, but the lovely and useless things, the charming and exhilarating things, are best done by men (sic!) with, as the phrase is, a few sheets in the wind." (Or women!)

And with these words, we ordered whiskeys in the bar of our hotel. Wonderful scotches, Carolyn's first, and one who wanted gin. Still, the luxury of sipping our drinks after a day of getting oriented, sightseeing and terrific food was lovely.



In the morning we began the next leg of our journey...by cab, by train, by ferry, by bus, by another ferry, and finally, by foot we found our lodgings in Iona. The voyage was beautiful and ever so green as we travelled North, crossed the Isle of Mull and arrived on the rugged island of Iona. Once established, we began to walk. There was something about the time and distance of of trip that allowed us to soak in something of the quality of the thin spaces on the island. And we saw the monastery...



And we walked, and we were charmed to discover the Bishop's House of the Scottish Episcopal Church.



And we kept walking, and we saw sheep, black and white and brown in the fields, embodying the gentle and tender pastoral aspect of the island. We stepped carefully through the grass and over the poo.







And we walked, through fields and by the sea attempting to encircle the island but were finally rebuffed by barbed wire. On our return we saw the ruins of a nunnery.



What impresses most, however, is the extraordinary courtesy, no, it's a very special hospitality. Warmth and charm and grace have embraced us throughout the trip and it's the Scotch. Linda


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Location:Iona