Day 4

So today we got to sleep in. Yay! After a delicious breakfast at the hotel we boarded onto the bus for a full day of traveling. Our first stop was a blackhouse, which is a small house that used to house the inhabitants of Scotland until the last person was forced out in the 1960s. The entire house was handmade, with an open fireplace that burns peat, and everything was recyclable.  After touring the blackhouse, we drove to a broch, which is an ancient fortification that the Scots used to protect themselves from various tribal and Roman invasions.  Today however, the circular structure acted as protection from the strong winds and as a fun photo-stop.  Next on our schedule, we ate lunch in a cafe surrounded by cows and then walked up to the Callanish standing stones.  It was hard to believe that these stones have been around since almost 3000 BC.
    The last site of the day was a 12th century church called St. Moluag's.  We walked through a backyard to the small, stone building.  Everybody became silent as we filed in and looked around-- we were somewhat overpowered by the simplicity and peacefulness of this holy place.  A local woman taught us some history of the church and then Lisa led our journal activity.  Today's journal entry was about a place that was very memorable to us and somewhere we could go where we could think by ourselves without any interruptions. And while I was contemplating this place I realized that it was here in Scotland. The feeling I got when I would stand on top of a tall mountain with a beautiful view of the amazing greenery was extremely calming and relaxing. But what I also saw was it was not just one place it was everywhere because everywhere is so amazing.  After this long day of travels, we earned a dinner buffet and dessert, followed by compline in the nearby St. Peter's Church. This trip has been very eye opening and so memorable. I cannot believe it has already gone by this fast. It has been so much fun and I cannot wait to travel to the lake of the Loch Ness monster tomorrow!! I hope it will be as much fun as our travels today.

-Riley and Audrey