I was hoping to have written about the second part of my trip long before now, but Ramadhan and other demands on my time has diverted my attention and resources. Tonight, as I sit alone in my room, waiting for Isya prayer on the last night of Ramadhan, I thought I should finish writing.
Wednesday was wonderful. After spending time at Bellanoch, Chris drove us to the 'beach' where we sat watching the clouds gathering, a man and his dog fishing, a couple hunting for clams or something similar, and a woman braving the cold waters to swim. As with Bellanoch, the sense of peace pervades. Ending the day with a trip to a Bangladeshi restaurant for dinner, the day was as perfect as it could be.
Thursday, we woke up to another lovely day and Chris suggested we visit Inverarray Castle, the family seat of the Duke of Argyll. While I've visited the castle before, this time, they just opened part of the gardens to visitors. As a final treat, we actually spotted the Duke himself as he served behind the counter in the souvenir shop within the Castle. On the way back, we stopped just outside of Port Ann where Chris and I took a walk down to the water's edge, leaving Jenni in the car to read. A twenty minute walk stretched to an hour when we spotted some interesting water birds. I was glad Chris was there to tell me what the various birds were. Home-made pizza with toppings out of left over chicken and a spot of Big Bang Theory mellowed us considerably, after which we trooped down to Kilmartin Church for a spot of bat watching. That was exciting as Chris had a bat 'translator' with her. It basically made the bats' calls audible to the human ear. We actually spotted at least 3 or 4 pipinstrelle and heard their calls. Wished we could stay longer but the midges were getting to us.
Friday was quite miserable, as the rains continued pouring all morning. Luckily, we left the Kilmartin flower exhibition to the last and so instead of driving out, we just trooped down to the church again to view the various flower arrangements. The exhibition, with the theme of Thanks and Praise, showcased the talents of Kilmartin residents, which was considerable. After the rain subsided in the afternoon, Chris brought us to her favourite spot near Tayvallich where we basically enjoyed the sound of the waves and gazed out into the Atlantic Ocean. Last thing we did that day was to say hi and goodbye to the standing stones near Kilmartin. These were the same ones I saw when I visited Chris earlier this year but the lack of snow really made a difference to the atmostphere surround the stones.
On Saturday, a full week after we arrived, Jenni and I headed back to 'civilization' leaving behind a wonderful, exciting, yet restful experience. I really hope I'll have a chance to visit Chris and Kilmartin again.
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