Magical Places

I'm planning a series describing magical places in the world. I'll start with the Holy Isle, Iona. Iona is a small island off the west coast of Scotland. Getting there is half the fun. To reach Iona the intrepid traveller has to cross the Island of Mull by bus or by car. We chose the bus. The road across Mull is one lane. There are marked "pull outs" where you can duck for safety if a tour bus or large car is bearing down on you.

At the end of the road you reach Fionnphort where a converted landing craft awaits to ferry you across to Iona. No cars or buses allowed on the island. Once on Iona visitors walk. We stayed on Iona at the St. Columba Inn. Columba came from Ireland in the eleventh century with a few monks to build a monastery. (If I have the exact century wrong, forgive me. My history of Iona has disappeared from my bookshelves.) The little group prospered. Build a church. Tilled the fields. And drew converts. The dreaded Viking hordes pounced on Iona,burned the church and raided the farms. Columba and his followers rebuilt a larger church and it became the foundation for the present day Abbey.

Walking the island, for me, was like walking on holy ground. There is peace there. The only sounds are birds, the lowing of cattle and the whisper of waves on the shore. The sea around Iona is crystal clear and cold. The stones are mostly white.

It is pleasant to stroll the land or sit and think about life. The restored Abbey is magnificent. Services are held daily. A foundation cares for the building and raises money to maintain it. Once again, it is a place to worship quietly if one wishes or attend a service. Macbeth is buried in the abbey cemetery. So the history books tell us.

On the walk to the abbey you pass the ruins of a Benedictine nunnery. To me it is as sacred as the abbey. I liked sitting on a bench and imagining the lives of the nuns in the fifteenth century. Pretty flowers grow in the cracks of the broken down walls.

My husband and I have returned to Iona three times to savor the quiet and to walk the paths Columba trod centuries earlier. It is a blessed place. There is nothing to do so if you want lively night life or noise give Iona a miss.

The Island of Mull is also worth a visit. I heard many a strange tale from the bus driver who entertained us with stories during the drive. I'll save those for another time.

Let me know if you enjoyed your trip around Iona.

Anita Birt
www.anitabirt.com