We rented a little cottage and settled in for a weekend of fellowship and fun. The sun was shining when we arrived in the late afternoon so we decided to go for a walk through the countryside around town. We walked to a castle overlooking the sea and continued on through the hillside. It was breath-taking and I continually reminded myself that I am so lucky! I didn't really need reminding, but I was intentionally grateful for each moment. We played rook late into the night. Kurt made me stay up until 22:30, which was a feat as I was ready for bed two hours earlier.
We had a relaxed morning before catching the bus that circulated the north end of the island. We stopped for a tour at the local distillery before making our way to the east and embarking on a three-hour walk along the seaside and up a... bluff. The Scottish have non-English names for everything and I am frequently confused. The sun didn't shine this day so it was a wee bit chilly, but we made do and the scenery was no less lovely. Again, our night was spent playing rook, a game which I just learned and am not very good at.
And on our last morning on Arran, we set off on yet another walk before making our way back home to Edinburgh.
The weekend was wonderful. It was great to spend time with our friends as they were both busy during the week. We were able to properly catch up and to have conversation that was both challenging and encouraging. I really miss having Kurt and Erin closer. They usually live in Vancouver, but seem to be galavanting around the world more often than not.
Arran was absolutely stunning, as was all of Scotland. Erik and I were both sad to leave, but we have hopes of visiting again in the probably-distant-future.
For now we are on to sunnier and sweatier things -- South East Asia.
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