On the way to the isles!

It is a cloudy morning as I am boarding my first ferry of the morning, the Caledonian-MacBrae ferry to Mull.  This morning I’ll travel across the isle of Mull to Fionnphort, where I’ll pick up a second ferry to Iona.   Breakfast this morning is an egg and tomato sandwich (cold) from the observation deck snack bar.   

Iona was supposed to be the last thing in my sabbatical, a retreat to help me process all that has happened and to study the worship process, maybe figure out worship ways to share all of this.  But Covid intervened and, the last 3 weeks aside, I am now kicking off my sabbatical with this retreat.  

It’s the same retreat, just delayed from last year.  And I may find myself shipping things home from the retreat, if there are materials (which I think there are, as I paid an extra fee for materals).  But these days you do things as you can. 

I am eager to spend a week on the Holy Isle, and indeed I am looking forward to exploring every corner of this tiny island. If time permits today, as I’ll be arriving around 10 AM and the retreat does not start until3, I may make my way to the Isle of Staffa, to see the puffins and Fingal’s cave before retiring to the Abbey..

I am excited to be spending time at the Abbey of Iona, although I am not sure what I will encounter as far as connectivity.   If you don’t hear from me, assume I’m praying.   I’ll be back Friday. 

When things go wrong - and it’s all good!

So I had 3 things I wanted to do yesterday:  Castle in St. Andrews, St. Andrews Cathedral ruins, and see where Reformers Patrick Hamilton and George Winart were martyred.    I did one of them and it was all good. 

I went to church (at the same church I visited on my last trip to St. Andrews) and then visited St. Salvator’s, where Patrick Hamilton was martyred.   All well and good, and with some walking around it was lunch time.   Picked up a delicious cheddar and apple slaw sandwich at Tesco, with some mango chunks and flavored water.   

Then I headed for the castle.   Upon arriving I discovered that you needed to have a pre-arrange ticket, but that you coul get one online.  No problem, I scanned the bar code.  The gentleman at the door, however, informed me that the day was fully booked (it was, after all, a beautiful Sunday during peak golf tourism season (the famous golf course on St. Andrews, the Old Course, is closed on Sunday.). So I headed my way lazily down the road, looking down on the coast there in St. Andrews.   Eventually I came to the back of the cathedral, where there is a ruin of a smaller church, which I visited, while a lovely young woman played Scottish tunes on a violin (I gave her a pound.) 

Then off to the Cathedral ruins, but. . . It is closed!   Signs warning me that there is dangerous instability in the ruins and a boatload of construction equipment were there, presumably for the buttressing of such. 

So, no castle (except exterior, and I did do a little video with the castle behind me).   I had more than four hours left before I was to meet friends at the town’s good Indian restaurant.   What to do.  

And my knees, while much better than the day before, felt like I should be a little careful with walking, and my journal was at least a day behind. So I decided to walk down to the park near the Old Course, with the overlook of the West Sands (the beach where the opening sequence of Chariots of Fire was filmed on) find a place to sit on the grass and write.   Which is exactly what I did, arriving just around 2:00.  As I arrived, music was playing, and surprise, there was a band playing.   This was the Clackmannan District Brass. They were very good, and they gave a two hour outdoor concert.  I stayed for the whole thing, writing my journal and then just enjoying the music.  What fun it was!   

After that I set off for St. Salvator’s again, which is a beautiful courtyard and had stone benches in the shade to call my granddaughter.  

And at 6 I met my friends, and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner (though we did note that the restaurant seemed to put mushrooms in everything.   I thought they were yummy, but they are not all that common in Indian cooking.   I guess they are a little exotic from that point of view. 

Dear God, thank you for the things that go wrong that help us see in new ways and change things we are reluctant to change.  The little and the big things, God, amen.

A long walk

So I din’t do much today.   The official kickoff of the Sabbatical travel happens on the 31st when I start a retreat on the isle of Iona in Scotland (with the Wild Goose Worship Group) and originally I was going to go to Oban today.    In reality, the caretaker of the hostel had a positive Covid test, so they needed to close through tomorrow.  I WILL be staying there the next two nights.  So, trying to find a hostel between Inverness and Oban that was not too terribly out of the way landed me in Fort William (Glencoe, my first choice, was booked up.)

This kind of thing can happen when traveling in a time of Covid!   So Ihad planned some more involved hiking for the day, but ultimately took it easy, walking only 4 miles, 2 miles out and 2 back on the Great Glen Trail, one of two long distance trails that end/begin in Fort William (The other is the West Highlands Trail).  The walk was lovely and level, which was great in the rain, which poure in the morning but sputtered on an off in the afternoon.  

Tomorrow, my bus to Oban is at 12:30, and I’m not sure what I’ll do with my morning.   So a few lazy days here.. 

After all, a sabbatical is partly about rest, right?   

Wild beauty and the memory of death at Culloden Moor

Most of the memorials in Culloden Moor date to the 19th Century, even though the battle was more than a century earlier.  I think it was something the Victorians just did, hence the sheer number of Civil War memorials.   In any case, the clan headstones and the large cairn bring the apalling loss of life to the fore.   The story of the end of the Jacobite forces, and the sheer loss of life 1600 people slain on this day, 1500 of them Jacobite) is a story that, at least since  “Braveheart” is at least somewhat known. 

This, along with my visit to Urquhart Castle yesterday really has me meditating on humanity’s inhumanity to themselves today.   And we don’t need to go far to see it in action in our own time.   Maybe we are more subtle, arguments about police violence, Havana syndrome affecting our diplomats, death in Afghanistan as we leave warring parties behind, death in the Middle East so recently, death-dealing pharmeceutical companies who put profits before people’s lives and sparked an opioid crisis, and on and on and on.

But there is another side to the moor in Culloden, and that was the sheer natural beauty andtranquility of the place.  Grasses and wildflowers sway in the breeze everywhere, tangles of bushes and spots of wild raspberries dot the lanscape.   It’s wild and beautiful.  Visitors walk solemn and serene on the seemingly endless paths, about half of them with dogs.  Small children run and laugh.  

We human beings are better than the bloodshed.  Maybe this was part of the idea for the Victorians; that remembering might lead us to a more civilized way of living.   In much the same way that the concentration camp memorials in Germany an Poland remind us people that our response to genocide must be never again, I hope that places like Culloden, and Antietam in my country will remind us of just how horrible our expressions of hate can be, and lead us to a new way of being diverse people - a way of peace!

And I promise to stop ruminating on violence and hate:: tomorrow I am headed for soggy hiking in Fort William, and then on to Oban!

John Knox, Edinburgh, and beer in St. Andrews

I just realized that I took few photos yesterday with my phone (all with my camera!). 

Leaving my self-isolation site very early in the morning (at 7) I headed quickly by trim to Edinburgh, and the Royal Mile.   Edinburgh is a central area for the rise of the Scottish Reformation, the Presbyterian church, and John Knox. 

I started by dropping my bag in self-storage in the train station in Edinburgh and climbing up to the castle.  I’d thought about touring the castle but had not planned ahead, and the limited tickets were already gone.  

I toured St Giles Cathedral when it opened at 9, with particular attention to the statue of Knox.   One chapel, the Thistle chapel, deserves particular note, as it is elaborately decorated, an one of the carved wood angels is playing bagpipes.  Also stunning here are the stained glass windows.  John Knox is probably rolling in his grave (outside in the parking lot, see my video on Facebook Live) as the reformers destroyed the original art in the cathedral (not entirely in line with Knox’s theology, but spurred by it) including the existing windows, but they have been replaced by some in the 19th and 20th centuries.  

More pics in the future.  

On to the John Knox house; I have lots of pics, just none on my phone!   I will make an effort to transfer a few from my camera and post them here.   This is a minor site, and may not actually be where Knox live (though the proprietors of the house don’t appear to have any questions) and it talked a lot about Knox’s life in Edinburgh. Knox was the first Protestant pastor at St. Giles, largely formed the Presbyterian church (Church of Scotland) and pastored here from 1559  to 1572.  

The John Knox house is also home to the Scottish Storytelling Center, and I bought some beautiful books for Eva and Oliver, whom I’ll see two weeks from today if all goes well!  

I did walk all the way down to Holyrood, which was possibly an issue.  My knees hurt a little at the en (downhill is harder than uphill!).  At about 1:30 I started heading back to the train station, got my left luggage and found my way to my train to Leuchars (pronounced Lu-kurs ) and then by bus the last 5 minutes to St. Andrews.

I walked the .6 mile to Agnes Blackadder Hall, a modern dorm at the University of St Andrews.  That is where I will be staying the next two nights.  By the time I got there, my knees hurt enough that walking was difficult.  At least downhill I was much better going uphill or on the flat.  I wished I had worn my knee brace on my right knee, which hurts first and most.   Up to my room, took a couple of ibuprofen, and within a half hour I was feeling pretty good. So I headed out for a dinner and some more touring. 

I had dinner at a really disappointing Thai restaurant on Market street, then walked down to the castle.   I was getting ready to do a live session, talking about the castle, when a young woman asked me to watch her things while she went down the steps there (the steps lead to the beach that the students use, especially on May Day) to make sure her friend was OK, as he was riding a bike up a rather steep hill.   Once they were up, we dropped into a very friendly banter and they invited me for a pint.   Which I took them up on (all vaccinated, plus we picked a place where we could sit outdoors.). So I enjoyed a lovely pint of Scottish beer (I have no idea what kind) in the back garden of a hotel in Edinburgh.    I didn’t think I’d have this kind of interaction on this trip; I’m very cautious on this trip, but the opportunity was irresistible.   Normally, when I am traveling alone, interaction with people is the absolute highlight of my trips.  The conversation was wide ranging, from American politics, to my accent, which the woman, Sara, loved, to religion, which Dave, who lived in Austin TX for 15 years, was particularly interested in and beyond.   We took one selfie all together, but beyond that and a hug at the end, we kept a few feet of distance between us, throughout.

I had trouble walking downhill again after this, took more ibuprofen before going to bed.  This morning I’m going to church if possible (the local church does have a service posted on their sign) and will do that delayed video at the castle.  And I’m going to give my knee a little bit of a break. 

Walked 29,050 steps yesterday total.  13 miles.

Lateral Flow (Covid) test this morning is negative.  

Finally taking my first steps

I’m all packed in my two bags (large and small backpack) a when my alarm goes off at 7 AM tomorrow I’ll get up, dress, pack my toiletries, my thermos of col water, make myself a cup of coffee and head out to the Wester Hailes station of ScotRail.   Then I will take the train into town, spend a few hours reflecting on the legacy of John Knox, especially at St. Giles, the Knox house and, of course the castle (which I last visite 22 years ago)

I’ll pick up a train about 2 PM, and then a bus for St. Andrews, where I will actually visit a friend, but also check out more sights associated with the rise of Protestantism in Scotland, like the Castle, and the martyrdom site of George Wishart.   Monday I am off to Inverness for a couple of days, then Fort William for some hiking, Oban, and starting a retreat on Iona on the 31st, one week from tomorrow. 

I’m so ready to get started, but I also pray that I can carry my experience here with me.   Life the last ten days has been unhurried, there have been no things that had to happen soon, no requirements on me.   I’ve read, watched videos on biblical archeology, planned other parts of my trip, and done a lot of cross stitch (rough that one of my stops tomorrow will be to pick up more embroidery floss and fabric!

Gracious God help me remember that this is about rest as much as renewal. Keep me faithful to the slow down that has been the gift of these last ten days.  

Hump day, and change plans.

I don’t have much in the way of interesting pics to share.  The picnic table is where I spend a LOT of time, good internet there, beautiful roses, and a great place to watch the sun set (f I’m up late enough) or eat a meal.  The meal is something I ordered from Iceland kind of on a whim, which ended up being really yummy, a package of Jerk Wraps.   I’m getting somewhere between four and six meals out of it, and it’s really yummy for a packaged mix. 

Today is Hump Day, not of a week, but of my self-isolation.   Day 6 of 10.  The day after tomorrow I will take another Covid PCR test, mail it to the National Health Service, Thursday I’ll do half my laundry, Friday the last half and then pack.   

While I’ve been more or less idle, I’ve been oing a lot of TV watching on my phone, revisiting some of the stuff I watched to prepare for this trip, an ultimately I decided to do some Scottish Reformation tourism. So Saturday I’ll visit Edinburgh castle, if possible, St. Giles Cathedral, and the Knox house and burial site on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.  Then I’ll set out for St. Andrews, arriving mi afternoon, I hope, and while in St. Andrews I’ll visit the reformation sites there.    

Two nights in St. Andrews, then two nights in Inverness, then Oban - oops. 

Got an email yesterday that the hostel I am staying at in Oban will be closing, effective yesterday.   The caretaker of the hostel tested positive for Covid.   Turns out this will only affect my first night, as they will reopen again on the 29th.  So I have to figure out something for the night of the 28th.    I’m workin on that.

Rick Steves said in a recent newsletter that people will be able to travel this Summer but we will nee to be flexible, following the various rules and being able to change plans.   This is a clear example of this and we will make it work!  

The place I am isolating

So to isolate I found a relatively inexpensive self-catering apartment on Booking.com, the Lanark residence on Lanark Rd. In Edinburgh.   At only 50 pounds a night, approximately it was the best I could do monetarily.  So there is no big surprise that it isn’t perfect, but I so far really like it, if I can get one issue fixed early in my stay.

The house has five small apartments, each with a kitchen or mini kitchen.   I specifically asked for as complete a kitchen as I could get, and I am in room 5 whose kitchen has a galley type kitchen with a four burner stove, small oven, microwave and pretty big (for Europe) refrigerator/freezer.

 

There is also a clothes washer in the kitchen, way down at the end.   It’s actually smaller than a typical galley kitchen, just really a hall with the appliances on one side.   Further over, in the next hall, is a small table and two chairs.  

There is also a little table with two chairs outside, so one can eat out in the garden. 

The main room has a large, very comfortable bed, an a large couch, plus a TV which is actually not working right now.   There are workmen doing stuff in front of the house, digging up the road, and I fear that is the issue.   I’ve bothered the proprietor a lot today, and I need some sleep as I did not sleep well on the plane last night, but I’ll call them in the morning.   

Plus, there is a large, well appointed bathroom.  

The real standout here, though, is the garden, which is good, because it appears to be the only place I can reliably get inernet right now.   It does not show up in my apartment, but does in front of the building.   So I anticipate many hours out here in the sunshine in the next few days.   Forecast is for highs in the low 70s and lows in the 50s, with very little rain, so it should be nice.   I’ll leave you all wit some garden pics.

On my way!

Photo by my cousin Loraine Carapellucci.

Here I am arriving at Newark airport.   Checking in is much more complex, at least for the UK.   You need your Covid test results and a British Passenger Locator Form in addition to passport.   Waiting room has extra space and masks required everywhere except for a brief face reveal so security can check your ID.

In moments I’ll board my first flight (to Chicago) and be in the air!   I’ll post next tomorrow from Edinburgh!

The necklace; sabbatical “bling”

 

This necklace, with 26 beads chosen by my parishioners and 6 black beads representing those who did not choose a bead, is one I will wear throughout my sabbatical.   It has a scallop shell, which is a symbol of the pilgrim, and a variety of other beads.  Strung on wire with a magnetic clasp, it is to remind me of the community that I have left for a season, and that our refreshment and rest has a purpose; re-invigorating our ministry together for the next season. 

This morning we will say goodbye to one another.   In the litany that I posted a few days ago, my community will ritually relieve me of duty to them “for a season.”  They will present me with the necklace above, which represents all of them, and which I will take with me, and I will leave the building before the closing hymn Siyahamba (We are marching in the light of God: or hiking perhaps.).  

I’m not too silly.  After Pastor Susan Fairo says the benediction, I’ll be outside, so people can wish me well.   For a little while.   I need to get a Covid test at noon so I can fly on Tuesday. 

You should see this necklace in my videos and pictures.   You might be able to see the bead that you picked out, or maybe not.   My sabbatical jewelry will consist of this, a couple of very small silver hoop earrings to keep my ears from closing up, my Garmin GPS watch, my ImmunaBand that records my vaccine information, and my wedding ring (but not the engagement ring.).  Very simple, no changes, no real dress up.

But this is the most important piece.   It ties me back symbolically to those I have left behind, and reminds me that we are doing this sabbatical together, even if far away from each other. 

Buying groceries from another continent

 

10 days of quarantine, more specifically, self-isolation, in a studio apartment will require food.   And at first I struggled a bit trying to set up a delivery from a British Grocery that I knew well, Tesco.   But Tesco can’t take my US phone number (and I can’t trick it into letting me set up an account without one).  

Iceland, another chain that I’ve never heard of, was able to let me set up an account, deliver to the apartment I’ll be staying in without contact, and they even took Paypal!   Next Wednesday, at 7 PM I’ll have about $60 (40 odd pounds) of groceries delivered to keep body and soul together.   Lots of fruits and veggies, some pasta, LOTS of salad, oatmeal, and even a bit of coffee!   I’ll carry a handful of stuff with me, so if they are late I have something to eat the first night. 

I also ordered a couple of Kindle books for the first two weeks, and I suspect I will check out some Scottish TV.   Too bad the Olympics don’t start till my last night of isolation!

Our Farewell Liturgy

 

Sunday we will wish each other farewell, my church and I.   Monday I'll catch a train, and Tuesday fly from Newark to Edinburgh (via Chicago and London.)

This is the litany we will use to say goodbye to each other:

Sending of Pastor Julie

Anthem:                  I Want Jesus to Go With Me    trad. Spiritual

BVFOF Choir

Julie: We have come to the time for me to go.   I will leave you all for a season, seeking  rest, reflection, renewal, and re-engagement with God.

All:            We send you out, and we release you from your obligations to us for this season. 

Susan:        We relieve you, for a season, of your commitment to be our priest and prophet in this place.    We value your words and we look forward to the new word of God you will bring back to us.

                  (I remove my stole and give it to her.) 

Connie:       We relieve you, for a season, of your commitment to be our teacher and comforter.  We have valued your presence at difficult times, and we have enjoyed the ways you have illuminated  our scriptures and our faith.   We look forward to hearing about and learning from you, all  the new knowledge you will bring back to us.  (I remove my robe and give it to her.) 

Sandy: We relieve you, for a season, of your commitment to being our voice in our community and  world, to our local and regional church, and in interfaith gatherings.   We look forward to  your refreshment resulting in new ways to encounter God outside of our local community,  and relish the new experiences of differing ways to be God’s people that you will bring back to us.  (I remove my headset microphone and give it to her) 

All: Your renewal will be our church’s  renewal. Your refreshment will be our refreshment. Your journey will be this church’s journey.     We pray that Jesus the Christ will walk with you through all the experiences of the next sixteen weeks.   We hope that your time away will deepen our relationship, and bring new understandings of the context of the Bible and Christianity to us all. 

Sandy: Your backpack is small and light for such a long journey.  Wear it as a reminder to carry as  little as possible with you.  Open your heart and your mind to the experience of each minute.                   (I put on my backpack)

Connie: Your trekking poles are a reminder that none of us does anything without the support and  help of others.   We give thanks for the Lilly Endowment which has made this time possible, for you and us.   During your season away, we commit to pray for you and to support those who will work in your absence: Catherine the Secretary, Susan, our Supply Pastor, members of this community who will take on additional duties for a time to organize and enable our community, and local pastors who will help in case of pastoral need.   (She hands me my trekking poles, and I take them.)

Susan: This necklace is made up of beads that all of us have picked.  It represents the community you will spend this season away from.   It contains the scallop shell, the symbol of the  pilgrim.  Take it as a reminder of us.  We will follow your progress on these maps as a reminder of you.  Go with our blessings, go with our love, and go with God! (She places the necklace around my neck.)

Julie: I bid you all farewell.   I will travel open to the experience of God, I will travel full of gratitude for the gift that this sabbatical is.   I will travel ever mindful of the ones upon whom I rely, in this community, in other settings of the church, and mostly on the blessing of the One whom I go forth to encounter, My God, my Christ and my Spirit. 

All:            Go with the blessings of Almighty God, Creator, Christ and Spirit.   Return to us in the Autumn season of your return.  

Julie: ( I sing one verse of "I Want Jesus to Go With Me," put on my hat, and walk out )

Then Susan Fairo, the supply preacher who will be leading my church over the next weeks, will introduce the closing hymn, (Siyahamba) and will pronounce the benediction at the end of the service.  

The Final Itinerary!

 So something like 95% of my itinerary is done, and the part that is not done is waiting on a (grr) voucher from Hostelworld.com.   Here it is. 

7/12-14 - travel from home to Edinburgh Scotland via rail to Philadelphia, plane from Newark via Chicago and London.  

7/14-24 - Quarantine in Edinburgh Scotland

7/24-26 - St. Andrews Scotland

7/26-28 - Inverness Scotland

7/28 - 31 - Oban Scotland  

7/31 - 8/6 - Braving the Elements Retreat (on Worship) with the Wild Goose Worship Group at Iona Abbey, Isle of Iona, Scotland. 

8/6-7 - Get back to Edinburgh, and possibly get a Covid test on the way!

8/7-11 - Visit my brother in Pinneberg, Germany

8/11-18 - Rome, Vatican City, and Subiaco

8/18-21 - Assisi Italy

8/21-24 - Geneva Switzerland

8/24 - 27 - Zurich, Switzerland

8/27 - 9/18 - Hamburg Germany, volunteering with Brot und Rosen

9/18 - 9/20 - TBD but most likely Berlin

9/20-23 -  Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany

9/23-26 - Erfurt and Eisenach, Germany

9/26 - 9/29 - Lutherstadt Eisleben and Mansfeld, Germany

9/29 - 10/2 - Thessaloniki Greece, also Berea, Phillippi

10/2 -10/4 - Athens

10/4 - 10/5   - Patmos

10/5 - 10/7 - Corinth/Athens

10/7 - 10/10 - Akko, Caeseria Maritime, possibly Caeseria Philippi

10/10 - 10/12 - Nazareth

10/12 - 10/15 - Jesus Trail, including Cana, Zippori, Lavi, Arbel, Magdala, Tiberius, possibly with a side trip to Kursi (Gerasa)

10/16-19 - Caparaum/Sea of Galilee/Tabgha

10/19-20 - Travel to Jerusalem via Jordan River, Judea

10/20-23 - Bethlehem, Palestine, Jericho, Bethany (Emmaus?)

10/23- 10/30 - Jerusalem

10/ 30 - 10/31 - Travel home via London, Newark, Philadelphia. 

Reading List for the next 16 weeks.

Today I put together an extensive itinerary and reading plan.   Several people in my community have asked for it.  This is available to my Bible Study folks (as it was planned as part of the sabbatical for them to follow me this way - although they are not actually meeting in July or August, I do have a set of readings for them to follow in September and October. )

But I also have a larger set of readings that will be MY study during the sabbatical.  Anyone who wants to can choose from, and I've put them in a six page document, that you can download in pdf form from http://www.bvfof.org.  The link is right there on the top page, end of the third paragraph.   There are three major sources for the list. 

1. The Bible.   Yup.  If you follow along with me, you will read a good deal of the New Testament.  I'm going to listen, as I got a CEB audio bible for my phone.  This breaks up the books by location, and it is kind of a New Testament collection, because I didn't have time to research all 
2. Documents of the Christian Church: Fourth Edition, edited by Henry Bettenson & Chris Maunder, (c)2011, Oxford University Press.  A good book to have.   The Brush Valley Fusion of Faith has two or three extra copies around, provided by the Lilly Endowment for our members, so if you attend here, get it.  It's also available pretty cheap as a kindle book, which is how I am going to read it. 
3. The internet.  This is the easiest part, because the pdf has live links, so you can link right to the web page I'm talking about, whether it is a Wikipedia article, or the Vatican museums' web site or anything else. 

Yes, this is a sabbatical, a sacred time away.   Not just a fun trip.   A trip with study and reading involved.   

 

Disaster averted

The night before last I had some tooth pain. Ache really, not full on pain.   Like maybe I'd been clenching my jaw too much.  

Last night I had trouble sleeping, partly because of tooth pain, and partly because I could not stop thinking about all the things I need to do still!!!!

This morning I realized I needed to have the tooth at least looked at.   Could not fly to Europe with a toothache.   Boy was I stressed!   The last two times I've had mouth pain it ended up with a root canal.  I knew darn well I did not have time for a root canal before my flight Monday.  But I needed to know what was up. 

Well the second root canal was way back in early Covid pandemic time.  Maybe late April, early May 2020.   At a point when a dentist was not seeing patients unless there was an emergency.   And the last two nights the pain was in the same place it had been then (though not nearly as severe as last year!)

Yup, the dentist said after he checked me out, that's the tooth that is the problem!   Seems I've been clamping down on it a little too hard. And with Covid and all, I still have just a temporary filling in it, not the crown I really need.   

So he shaved off a little bit of the top (so I can't clamp down so tight) and told me to baby it, have a great trip, and I made an appointment to finally get the crown I really need about 10 days after I get home.  

Whew!  Bullet averted. 

And more hummous than pretzels in my diet for the next 16 weeks!    But that was the plan anyway.  

7 days - lots of concerns!

 7 days out.

Yesterday I booked a Covid test, which may not be the right one for me, here in the area, and also booked my day 2 and day 8 tests in Scotland.  Those cost a lot of money!   The one that may be wrong (not so much wrong as may not come back in time) is free, so I may take it anyway, and just use the Newark airport test site as a backup.  Getting a travel Covid test in State College is not easy!   

Scotland may be in flux, they announced that Covid restrictions will be changing in the UK, but Scotland is saying they may not lift them there.   So things may (or may not) change. At this point I will be keeping my Edinburgh address as planned the first 10 nights, but if restrictions change, I can actually see some of the area, and visit a nearby friend.   

Tesco, a British supermarket that delivers, was going to be my lifeline during quarantine.   I can't seem to create an account on their web site (they require a UK phone number to create one.)   So I've got a message in to them.   Hopefully, I will not have to fast for 10 days as well as quarantine!

And lastly, not sure about Germany.  Right now they have re-instituted quarantine for people coming from the UK.  Even vaccinated people. So I may need to go directly to Italy after Scotland, and not spend the weekend with my brother. ;-(  According to one website (thelocal,de) there is, however indication that restrictions from the UK may be dropped soon.  And I don't arrive in Germany until August 7.  So we will wait to panic until later!  

In the meantime the biggest issue is what to do with the 5 days I have between Edinburgh (possibly fasting in quarantine the whole time) and Iona, which I need to arrive at on the 31st of July.   One day I have booked a hostel in Oban, but that leaves me with several days.  Just need to figure out what and where!    Any suggestions for Scotland?  Outside, hiking and hostelling preferred. Thinking about Inverness area or the highlands.