Vacations are good for the soul.  Especially a trip to Scotland.  It was a first-time visit for me and I made a vow it would not be the last!

Every new country I visit, I’m always struck by the simplicity and compact way of life the locals seem to have.  Homes are efficient, and cars are smaller. Maybe places with a history of hundreds of decades, have learned to manage life and belongings.  Why is it here in America we are accustomed to more than we can wrap our arms or life around?

We have come to expect and demand excess.  Our grocery stores are city blocks in size. It seems there are more and more SUV’s on the road than ever.  Every exit on our highways is pelted with fast food choices.  Mom and Pop stores can’t compete with the big-box stores that have taken over the landscape.  It’s often hard to distinguish one state from another, all shopping is uniform no matter where you find yourself.

Not so in Scotland.  The hills are regal and stand watch over fields of green, sprinkled with fluffs of lazy grazing sheep.  The sky is clear and open and has plenty of room to pack itself with stars and miles of clouds.  The landscape is dotted with cottage homes, and lovely ancient stone fencing marking pastures and property.  Stone stacked precisely upon stone, no mortar to fill the gaps, makes for miles and miles of labored legacy; a treasure to notice.  Centuries-old stone castles stand tall full of history we can never imagine.  People come and go; these buildings hold tales of life and love.

I took ferry rides across waters surrounded by vacant lands, visited beaches made of sheets of smooth grey slate.  Perfect for a souvenir “cheese board.”  I was glad Customs didn’t ask me if I had any slate rock in my luggage!

The locals are friendly and happy to help sort out a fist full of the unknown coinage of Pounds for my purchases!

My heart belongs to a new place.  I hope you will visit this awesome place, Scotland.  It will keep your heart too!