I was really excited about this day. When I was looking up things to do in Scotland, I happened upon a tour that would take me to three islands. While on the first ferry, I let Samer and Joe chat and used the first leg to soak in the vacation. I ordered a breakfast tea and a Jammy Dodger and sat on the top deck to enjoy the air. It was so lovely.
The order we visited the islands was Mull, Staffa, and finally Iona.
I do not have much to say about Mull. After disembarking from the ferry, we got on a bus and drove across it. It’s beautiful, and the tour’s recording was slightly dull, so I do not remember much about it. You should probably see this before visiting Skye. It’s beautiful, but Skye is gorgeous, so I wasn’t that impressed.
The bus dropped us off at the second boat of the day, which took us to Staffa. All of the puffins had left by the time we got there, but I loved it so much. I had never seen anything like Fingal’s Cave. The natural geometry is so special and incredible. Our guide pointed out that Felix Mendelssohn was so inspired by it that he composed Fingal’s Cave. This location is so unique that (timey wimey moment) I saw a painting of it in 2025 in Atlanta and instantly recognized it without looking at the placard.
Thomas Moran (American, born England, 1837–1926)
High Museum, Atlanta, GA USA
The boat took us to Iona, which is an island where some people actually live. It is known for the Ioana Abbey, which is an active church. It’s quiet and welcoming to visitors. It’s an ancient space. I didn’t know anything about the Iona Community before going. They center their beliefs around the Common Concern Networks: ecology, poverty and inequality, migration and refugees, challenging racism, Israel/Palestine, interfaith relations, LGBTQIA+ issues, and peacemaking. It was very nice to visit.
We boarded a quick ferry to take us from Iona to Mull, and then we got back on the bus to cross Mull. On the ferry back to Oban, we ordered a few beers and enjoyed the ride home.
That night for dinner we had take-out from The Oban Fish & Chip Shop. Three orders are too much for three people. We should have ordered two. One of us had cod, one had haddock, and I don’t remember the other. But now I know that curry sauce is mandatory for fries. Delicious!