Scotland, Part 2

After church services on Cumbrae, we loaded up the bus and headed for Inverary. Now, I should offer a disclaimer at this point. My mother was a McDonald. Inverary is Campbell territory. If you don't understand why that's an issue, Google the Massacre at Glencoe. ;-)

I should also note that, by this point in the trip, I've eaten my weight in haddock. But that's okay. It's good for me, and, after all, I never get haddock at home.

The first morning in Inverary, I led morning prayers, complete with a brief, made-up-on-the-spot homily on justice, after which we had a group tour of Inverary Castle, ancestral home of the Dukes of Argyll, who are those dastardly Campbells I mentioned before. Interesting note about Inverary. The town originally sat on the hill occupied by the castle, but one of the Dukes of Argyll decided it was a better spot for a ducal residence, so he rebuilt the town on the shores of Loch Fyne and burnt the old town to the ground.

BTW I bought a cute hat at the castle...blue boiled wool with crewelled flowers on the crown. :-) I love my hats.

After the tour, the group members went their separate ways for the afternoon. I toured Inverary Jail, where I learned all about appalling prison conditions, and I bought some souvenirs--a Harris tweed cap for my father and some whiskey and heather scented soaps for my women friends. Later, we had evening prayers at All Saints,
the only Anglican church in Inverary.

That night, we went to a local oyster bar for dinner, because Loch Fyne, which is a tidal loch, is famous for its oysters. You could see the oyster and mussel farms located at various places throughout the loch.

The next day, we loaded up the bus and headed for Oban. On the way, we saw red deer stags in a field (I was thrilled) and all manner of Highland cows. Or, as the Scots say it, Highland coo.

Next Up: Oban, Iona, and the biggest still I have ever seen.