A journey into the morning

Hello again

Yesterday I travelled on the early bus to Glasgow, accompanying a friend who has a difficult time ahead of her before she will hopefully go through the rest of her days -- and may there be many of them -- hopping and skipping like the filly she has remained at heart. It has been painful to see her hobbling about in pain at each step she takes and I can't wait to see her move more freely again.
It was, as they say, a cold and crisp winter's morning in Oban. Being December, the town has been decked out in all manner of weird and wonderful fairy lights. Waiting for the bus I was shivering with cold when I took this picture of the great fir tree in the centre of George Square:So we sat on the bus and looked into the morning and couldn't stop ourselves telling each other, 'look at that, isn't it gorgeous?!' It was ridiculous, only it was also almost like being in fairyland. But see for yourself and for yourselves:
And then we arrived at Inveraray, where the bus has a verybrief stop -- often seems to me it's so the driver can indulge in a smoke, but perhaps it's the smoking passengers who need the stop as urgently. No other excuse to get off, unless you have business there, because not a cat or seagull moves about, nor is a single café open before 10AM. So you'd have been in for a very cold one-hour wait outside these venerable walls...On the journey went, along beautiful, peaceful Loch Fyne and up the other side of the mountains -- my favourite stretch along a very scenic route. The locals don't much like the road up to the Rest and be thankful: it's prone to landslides and has a traffic light in the middle. When I have been on that road by car I've had to negotiate my way slowly past herds of cattle and flocks of seemingly brainless sheep...
But yesterday, the sun was a master in contrasts: Over the pass we went and were blinded!
My camera and I recovered as the bus was again plunged into the shadows of the glen.
I could go on and on, literally, but it's getting late here.
Take care, wherever you are -- road conditions may be treacherous.
Sláinte! and Peace

Getting here, take two (here being Oban, Argyll, Scotland)

Here's the white Japanese cherry tree at Inveraray. Not very well defined as a slight breeze decided to come and sway the branches. A very pleasant evening it was, though, mild and almost summery. On the bus went, after a short break, through the old town gate at Inveraray and up the beautiful, remote-feeling Glen Aray to Cladich by Loch Awe
The sun almost setting by Loch Awe near the Pass of Brander...
... and still only almost setting at Dunbeg...

As I said in the previous post, we reached Oban just before 9pm. A tourist disembarked from the bus, looking tired and disoriented. She wanted to know where the Royal Hotel was, and -- whayhaay! -- I was able to direct her, remembering that it was just around the corner from where the buses all stop by Oban harbour/train station. Made me feel a lot less like the incomer that I actually am.
Then I picked up my heavy backpack and my even heavier suitcase (it weighed 29,9 kilos!) and made my way across to the taxis. But it was going to be a while yet until I actually climbed into one, because I was distracted by this fantastic view:
Oban at dusk, May 8, 2008.
I was getting ready to clamber into the nearest taxi when a very pleasant young man approached me, asking whether I'd like him to take a photo of me. He complimented me on my vivaciousness and I simply blurted out that I had just arrived to stay. His young wife joined him and we had a lively chat. They were a Yorkshire lass and a Lancashire boy -- the War of the Roses transformed into a Bed of Roses, obviously -- now living not far from where some of my mother's relatives used to live. And the young man's name is identical to that of my middle brother's -- as one of my friends would say, that must prove there's a god... ;)
Anyway, Stefan took a photo of me and I reciprocated, of course:
Cheers, Della and Stefan! And thanks again for making my first night in Oban (as a "local", I mean) so very memorable. I really enjoyed that noisy hour at the oldest pub in town. Must remember to get a Swiss flag for their ceiling!

More soon, I hope!