I Is for Iona

 

Welcome to the Island of Iona

Yes, we're going to another island, Iona, and you  may see a pattern here. I have a love of islands. In the last few days we've been to the Faroe Islands, Greenland and now Iona. Our next stop will also include a chain of islands, and there are more islands to come in later posts. I'm still thinking about what draws me to islands, but I'd wanted to visit Iona since I read about it in History class in college and I was not disappointed. 

Iona is an island in the Western Hebrides off the coast of Scotland. It was part of a cruise I took in 2019 that stopped in several Scottish Islands and ports. As eager as I was to see a number of the ports, Iona was a major part of the itinerary for me. It's not easy to access and I knew that if I skipped this opportunity it would be difficult to get there. It's lack of access is also what made its history. In the early Middle Ages, St. Columba established a church, monastery and many beautiful manuscripts were created by the monks of Iona Abbey. The Abbey functioned for three centuries and became the center of Celtic Christianity. 

The beautiful stonework of the Church

Though fifteen hundred years have passed since the founding of the Abbey and the world and methods of travel have speeded up, it was still a lengthy trip to get to Iona once we were in Scotland. Our boat traveled to the Isle of Mull -- a lovely place to visit -- and once there we drove across Mull to the ferry to Iona. It was then a quick trip across the Sound of Iona to this beautiful green and historic island. It was a rainy day on Iona, though May (when I visited) with only sixteen days of rain on the average, is the least rainy month. 

Betsy, my traveling companion, and St. Martin's Cross outside of the Abbey 

St. Martin's High Cross, standing fourteen feet high, is one of the most iconic scenes on Iona. One of the best preserved Celtic Religious monuments in the British Isles, it was dedicated to the French saint, Martin of Tours, who was venerated in Scotland, Wales and Western England when the Abbey was established. The cross is highly sculpted with scenes from the Bible on one side and Celtic decoration on the other. 

 

There are times when I've waited a long time -- years, decades -- to finally live out a dream and I've found that the expectation was better than the reality. But that wasn't the case with Iona. It was as mystical and serene as I'd always imagined. There are two reasons for this. The first is that I was able to be there in "off-season."  There aren't other people in the pictures, because there were very few other visitors the day we were there. It's not often these days that a historic site is quiet and uncrowded, but we were fortunate we had Iona almost to ourselves. The second reason is that Iona is that special, serene and spiritual and even the rain added to its beauty.    

In the next A to Z Blogging Challenge post we're about to go half way around the world. One of the places will also have serene and ancient beauty and the other location in the post will be as lively and modern as anywhere on earth. Any guesses?

As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for a good weekend. 

Happy Birthday to Betsy

 

The birthday girl at St. Martin's Cross, Island of Iona, 2019

This is one of my favorite pictures from our trip to England, Ireland and Scotland

My dear friend, Betsy, celebrated her birthday yesterday. We had a fun celebration on Cinco de Mayo and yes, I'm a day late for a birthday post. But isn't it a birthday month to celebrate, not just a day?

Betsy and I met in 1968, our freshman year in college. We were assigned to the same floor of the same dorm and were dorm-mates for two of our four college years. There was lots of laughter, late night conversation and many meals shared. After years spent in other cities we both landed in New York City in the mid-70's and lived two blocks away. Later on we lost touch, but we very fortunately came back into contact and discovered we lived four blocks apart. 

Since then, we've had many cups of coffee, book discussions and walks in the neighborhood. We've also shared college reunions and minis-reunions, wonderful times at Betsy's cottage in Maine and our fabulous trip in 2019. So many sweet memories!

Dear Betsy, I'm so glad destiny made you a neighbor once again. Wishes for this birthday and many more, happy and healthy, yet to come. 

Dear Edna, I didn't get back to the Community Garden, but I found these yellow tulips 

among the blossoms on the next block. 

We've got a cold and rainy weekend -- I wore my winter coat today -- but I'm hoping we get  a little sun for the celebrations tomorrow. Of course, our Pink Saturday Mother's Day celebration will take place rain or shine and I hope you'll stop by for a visit to celebrate with Buttercupland. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for a very happy Mother's Day.

Thank You, Saint Columba

The beautiful island of Iona

We're leaving the lights and glitter of New York City for an island off an island -- Mull -- in the Inner Hebrides on the Western coast of Scotland. It has a population of 130 people, probably a lot more sheep and it was on my dream list for decades. Finally, last May I set foot on Iona. 

Iona is known as the center of Celtic Christianity, first settled by St. Columba in 563 C.E. The monks came from Ireland as missionaries to Northern Britain and founded a place for contemplation and scholarship, including quite likely the fabulous Book of Kells, now at Trinity College Library in Dublin. Iona served as a place for theological learning and scholarship that might otherwise have been lost in early Medieval Times. The monastery community continued into the Tenth century when Viking raids destroyed it. 

I joined the centuries of pilgrims that began visiting Iona in the Seventh Century. It was not surprisingly a wet and rainy day -- the island is lush and green from the rains -- and the relative inaccessibility meant it was not crowded. To get to Iona I needed to get to the Isle of Mull. We then drove two hours to a ferry to Iona. St. Columba chose the island for this very inaccessibility and is a lovely, uncrowded place to visit and enjoy the silence and natural beauty. 

  Iona Abbey and St. Martin's Cross, the original cross of the Abbey

St. Martin's Cross

The Abbey Church of Iona

There were only a few other people visiting Iona Abbey the day I was there. It was an incredible privilege to be able to be part of the centuries of prayer, solitude and pilgrimage that comprise the history of Iona. One thought I had that day last May was that I wanted to share the photographs and my thoughts at Christmas. Unconsciously, I knew I would need a "quiet" day of posting. I will be back to the bright lights and all the fun that New York offers, but I'm grateful for a return to one of the most tranquil places I know. 

I hope you've enjoyed our visit to Iona. I know that I'm so happy to take a few minutes from the bustle of December and find some quiet time, and happy that I could share it with Buttercupland. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and savor the quiet moments! 

By Yon Bonnie Banks

Soon!

And it will be just a little later when I am standing by one of the bonnie banks of a Scottish loch. 

 

I had a wonderful time visiting England last summer -- many thanks, again, dear Sybil -- so that the thought of a return trip to the British Isles was in my mind when I stepped on the plane at Heathrow to come home to New York. My college friend Betsy had scouted out a cruise to Scotland that included both Shetland, the top of her "to-see" list and Iona, a long desired location for me. Even though it means skipping BookExpo this year, I happily said yes. This particular itinerary only sails once a summer and since the timing (mostly) worked for both of us, we made our reservations last summer. 

 

Now a almost a year has gone by since our first discussions and after much planning and reading, we're only ten days away from our trip. A definite bonus is that our ship leaves from Liverpool. I'd long hoped to get there to see my blog friends, Sheilagh and Ralph -- any good holiday includes blog buddies! -- but it never seemed work well into an itinerary. We've scheduled an extra day in Liverpool and I look forward to seeing Beatles' sites, Sheilagh and Ralph and perhaps a few other blog friends. You know there will be pictures.

 

    Liverpool to Shetland!

 

I've been to Edinburgh and Shetland but the other stops are all new to me. As an Outlander fan, I'm excited about our stop in Invergordon and very excited about visiting Iona, a center of Celtic monasticism. It's not an especially easy trip -- Tobermory, Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides, and then a ferry to Iona -- but I'm excited to see where the Book of Kells was created.

After our return to Liverpool, we had a change of planes in Dublin. As long as we had the time, it seemed a shame not to visit Dublin. So we will spend a long, long weekend in Dublin. I was there five years ago and enjoyed it very much. We have a number of activities planned, including a tour of Abbey Theater. The days will be very long and there will be lots of time for sightseeing and enjoying Dublin. Any blogger friends in Dublin?

Now I'm making lists and buying a few last minute things, as well as downloading books to read. I'm just about ready and of course, Liverpool can provide just about anything I may have forgotten.

Besides the excitement of the trip, life is pleasantly quiet. Weight Watchers, time at the Y and my Monday water aerobics class have been the high point of the week. What are your weekend plans?

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a great weekend!