Abbey St. Bathans and St. Abb's

Today we went to a community in the Scottish Borders called Abbey St. Bathans. Though we did not go into the actually abbey, here are some pictures from the village.

This is actually a part of a trout farm

The sheep and their lambs were not as curious or as brave as the cows yesterday! 

 Scottish countryside is canvased with every color of green you could possibly imagine

There is a small cafe/art gallery right on the river. It was so beautiful eating outside on wooden picnic tables under an umbrella.

I had a really nice conversation with the lady who runs the cafe. The wall behind the register was covered in postcards from various locations apparently from customers who have previously been there. She was genuinely interested in where I have come from, what I am doing, and what my plans are for the next three months. I may send her a postcard, too! 

These handcrafted silver rings called to me in while I was browsing the gallery. They were made by an artisan from the Borders. Is it strange to say that I find them poetic? They are raw silver, and because they are not overworked or polished, each one is so unique and unusual. There were about 10 in the shop, and as I began trying them on, I was getting discouraged because they were all way too big. But then I put this one on and it fits absolutely perfectly. For only 20 quid, I could not resist the temptation. Now I have a bit of Scotland to carry with me.

This is another little craft store at the St. Abb's vistor centre that we stopped in. Although I almost succumbed to purchasing a beautiful pottery mug with an owl, I regained my self control in time.

St. Abb's Harbour! We saw lots of people getting geared up to go out scuba diving. I think the water is way too cold for me!

After the harbour, we drove up to St. Abb's Head National Nature Reserve

It was so surreal. I think when I first read JRR Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings, this is what I pictured Middle Earth to look like!

An attempted Panorama with my phone

In the evening, we watched a DVD of a standup comedian named Tim Vine. SO many puns! Then we watched two episodes of a show called "Friday Night Dinner." It was actually really hilarious. Now I am exhausted. I wanted to get my initial thoughts of the day down, but I will post a more in-depth reflection of my time here so far.