Day 3- August 13

What a horrible night! I happened to get into the same dorm room as the German couple Anne and Christian. We'd heard from Tegan the day before that Christian kept them up with his snoring, but nothing could have prepared me for what was to come! Even with my earplugs in, his extraordinary cacophony of nasal noises woke me and the six others in the room. Simone got up to try to stop him, but he went right back to sleep after she explained how he was keeping everyone awake. So she and I tried to find sanctuary elsewhere in the hostel and ended up setting up with our pillows and blankets in the hallway. Sleeping on the floor was little improvement, but at least it was quieter. All in all I probably slept just 4 or 5 hours, so it was a rough morning.

As we packed up the bus, we were brutally attacked by swarms of midges- mini biting insects that infiltrated the bus and caused everyone some agony for the first hour of the trip. Luckily, their bites don't seem to bother my skin like they do for some of the others. Danny had red dots covering his legs. We left Skye today and took the ferry from Uig to the Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides. We arrived around 11am and drove down to the Isle of Harris, technically connected to Lewis, but considered its own entity. We took the Golden Road and I marveled at the rocky landscape and shimmering waters around us. Along the road, we stopped to eat the lunch we'd picked up at the supermarket and watched some seals on the nearby rocks. The sun came out and we headed to the very southern point of Rodel where there is an old church. Danny kindly pointed out the inappropriate carvings the architects placed into the walls (imagine naked men and women with their legs spread and you'll get an idea of what I mean). From there, we took a short hike along the coast and stopped at a sandy beach the likes of which I never expected to see in Scotland! The waters were clear blue and tons of shells littered the white sand.

After a quick stop in Tarber where a purchased a tweed brooch (the infamous Harris tweed), we headed toward our accommodations. Danny tricked us into another "wee walk". He dropped us off and pointed out a cliffside path that would lead to the Blackhouses we would be staying in. Two hours of trudging up undulating hills and mucky bogs later, we ended up where we were supposed to. I don't mean to make it sound horrible, because the scenery was actually quite magical- idyllic Scotland at its finest, complete with stone cairns and sheep. It was the fact that my sneakers were stained with mud that put me a bit out of sorts, but I immediately washed them when we arrived at the Blackhouse.


The Blackhouses, by the way, are the original style of dwellings used by the inhabitants of Lewis thousands of years ago. They are made of stone with a thatched roof and very few windows. Ours of course was not that old, and it had been outfitted with bunkbeds, showers, and a modern kitchen where we cooked bangers (sausages), mash (potatoes), neepies (smashed turnips), and HAGGIS. As much as the idea of haggis grossed me out, I was willing to try it. You know the smell of a sheep paddock? The smell of their shit? Well that's what this stuff tastes like. One bite was enough to put me off it for life. At least I can say I've tried it though! And the neeps were quite good!