Across the Pond: Part 1: Mull

Last week I went on an excursion to an island off of the west coast of Scotland called Mull. We left early Thursday morning in a 15 seater, bright red van, which we have now nicknamed "the ketchup bottle." It is GIGANTIC, especially when comparing it to the tiny cars here. Since most cars are pretty small here, the roads are also very narrow. I noticed this about all of the European cities I've visited so far. I didn't think there could be smaller roads than here in Glasgow, but much to my surprise, the roads get even smaller up north! I'm talking, one way, winding roads through the highlands. Oncoming traffic shares the same lane as you, so before you crash, you have to drive into one of the pull outs that occur every so often along the road. If there is not a pull-out, either you or the other car has a fun adventure off-roading into the brush on the side of the road. This becomes especially difficult when there is no brush, but only a ditch on one side and a cliff on the other. Even more fun, is when the other car is not mini-cooper sized vehicle, but a gigantic RV or tow-truck instead. Let's just say that God must love us, because it was a miracle that we didn't run into anything or get stuck in a ditch somewhere.

Anyway, we drove up to Oban, a city on the west coast, and then took a ferry to Mull. I absolutely love seeing the ocean here. It makes it seem more real that I am actually on a different continent. As we neared the port, the island appeared out of the fog and mist. I don't know how to describe it other than majestic. The towering green hills were exactly what I had pictured Scotland to be before coming here. I couldn't stop smiling the entire ferry ride.

Oban

On the ferry to Mull!

In the big ketchup bottle. The carsickness hadn't hit us at this point.

Once we arrived in Mull, we piled back into the van and started to make our way up the north coast to Tobermory, where we stayed the night. On the way we stopped at a couple places to sightsee. My favorite place of the day was Duart Castle. From the road, it doesn't look like much, but from the coast you can see that it sits on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. We didn't go inside, but the landscape was my favorite part. Tall grasses and wild flowers grew everywhere and there was a magnificent view of the ocean. My favorite flower that grows here is the foxglove, tall, bright purple plants that grow all over the countryside.

Oh it was so beautiful! This may be the most beautiful place I've seen so far. After Duart Castle we went to Tobermory. It is a small fishing town on the north coast of Mull. Have you ever seen postcards of colored houses in Scotland? Well, I stayed in one of those houses! There wasn't much to do there, so we walked around the main street and had dinner. I tried fish and chips for the first time! It was really good, which surprised me because I hate seafood. They are basically like fish sticks for adults.

Tobermory Youth Hostel

My roommates...they're good people. haha

The next day we made our way down the coast to the west side of Mull. On the way we stopped by this castle. It turned out it was someone's house so we had to turn back.