Evening Thoughts 24 June, 2013 – Glasgow, Scotland

Another late sunset. This night outdoors in Erskine near Glasgow. A few midges hover around even though I am supposedly back in civilization. I look at the sky to my right with a few grey clouds dancing over the hills of Argyll, the starting point of the two-week tour called “Mysterious Scotland”.

Six people in a van traveling though Kilpatrick and Dal Riata, Iona, south to north Outer Hebrides, the Orkneys and back though the Great Glen. Except for the two guides, we didn’t know each other prior to the trip and had to make adjustments on personality, gender, personal space, communication styles. But in the end together we travelled through land and seascapes; ages measured in centuries; castles, labyrinths and stone circles; villages and glens. Each with our own revelations. Often on ferries, rarely on two lane highways. And changeable weather, mists and clouds, but only a downpour at the end coming through the Great Glen.

I will have further posts about some of the places along the way as we covered a lot of territory in a short time and I need to digest some of this in the next while.

But tonight I bring a sense of peace and contentment about all that is Scotland and my relation to this land. My deepest experience of it was on the mountain of Dunadd where I found pre-Christian perhaps indigenous roots and stone monuments with purposeful design related to cycles and the lay of the land. And another time at the end we visited the Touchstone Labyrinth in Strathpeffer. It was an art project constructed about 20 years ago and has stones from throughout Scotland all with different textures and personalities. Magnificent. At the center I found myself arms in air bellowing Scotland and laughing.

Spring came late here and many of the wild flowers have not yet bloomed even in early summer. But we saw groupings of wild yellow irises and little wild purple orchids. Also there are many rhododendron bushes growing along the roadside descended from those first planted by the Victorians.

There were lush glens, rivers and lochs, pastures and rocky hills. And around the next bend, especially in the Hebrides, hills that looked like moonscapes with no vegetation at all.

Lots of birds whose names I don’t remember and fish and a basking shark that followed the ferry. Everywhere I go I hear the sound of a mourning dove. Occasional deer and lots and lots and lots of sheep. I didn’t see any evidence of predators and for some reason that bothers me.

There have been times of wonder and awe, times of frustration when driving through clear cuts and barren hills from grazing, and even times of sadness when visiting sites from the Clearances or those destroyed by war.

The food has amazed me. Gourmet haggis recipes for appetizers and side dishes, sumptuous fish dishes and langoustines, variations on traditional game and vegetable dishes with whiskey and berry sauces. The typical Scottish breakfast is eggs, potato, toast, sausage, bacon, black pudding. Or porridge with toppings and even once some maple syrup. All with a fine selection of wines and of course an amazing array of whiskey, cider and beer that changed with each region. Yes there are vegetarian and gluten-free options.

We visited archeological sites like Skara Brae in the Orkneys – once covered by sand from a huge storm and found on a Lord’s land by the sea. A couple of miles further down the road is a large set of standing stones. In the middle, still covered is an enormous temple complex yet to be unearthed. Although it will be difficult as much of it was destroyed.

And that is what stands out to me. All of these remarkable places are very complex to build and sophisticated cultures flourished in them. There were times of peace. Then some other grouping came in and either conquered, assimilated or destroyed the places. Time and again this is the repeated story from Neanderthal to Bronze Age to Iron Age on through Dark Ages, Medieval times up to World Wars and the present time. Layers and layers. Because stone structures stay through time we could visit these diverse sites and try to imagine the lives of the people who lived there. The stones remain and give only clues.

But what remains of the people? How have the thoughts and feelings and aspirations and dreams of the people evolved through time? Are the people in the villages around these monuments related to those who built them? And how do I relate to all of this?

I have found in general Scottish people are welcoming, helpful, respectful and full of humor and pride in their heritage. At times though I have walked into places and been met by blank stares – a quiet curiosity or sizing up “you aren’t from here are ye?”

Many have suffered. And for as many people like myself who don’t exactly know the details of their Scottish roots, there are as many who remained and some have told me of their sadness in not knowing what happened to their kin who went across the sea. Very touching.

My mother had a needlepoint lamp shade that said “Home is Where the Heart Is”. I have discovered home on this pilgrimage – the home of ancestry and belonging – a reference point in a people, many of whom have a wandering spirit. Home in the feeling of hearth and kin and relatedness both in wild places and in gathering places that sing a song of freedom.