I am now packed, ready and about to board my flight from Calgary to London Heathrow, and then on to Edinburgh, Scotland. So excited for this adventure! I am participating in a retreat, described as, “A Spirit And Nature Quest - Discovering Ancient Wisdom In Neolithic Scotland”. I will be heading to the Orkney Islands to meet with an author, speaker, environmentalist, mentor... Catriona MacGregor. She will be hosting this amazing quest. In preparation for this retreat, I have

I have arrived (finally) in Edinburgh after 11 hours and 40 minutes via London Heathrow. Couldn't sleep at all, but met some beautiful people on their way home to Lebanon. Even got invited to visit! I love that about traveling - meeting new people from so many great nations. It just thrills me to think that I know of people in all these intriguing countries on this beautiful planet of ours. Ever since I was little, this excitement to meet new faces from other countries was in

So this morning I reluctantly left Edinburgh to make the journey north. I had the most beautiful train ride crossing over Scotland from Edinburgh to Inverness. Such diverse and lovely scenery - sailboats swaying to the ebb and flow of the tides, lush green meadows fenced by rock walls dotted with sheep, distant rocky outcrops covered in yellow flowers. There were trees in the most gorgeous blooms, moving through medieval moss covered, arched bridges as we climbed high enough

Hello everyone! It has been a busy few days here in Scotland and I haven't had too many free moments to sit and write, so expect a few instalments over the next few days. There’s so much to see and do here, and I've been trying to take it all in. On Saturday, I flew from Inverness to Kirkwall, which is on the largest of the Orkney Islands. There are about 70 islands, but only about 20 are inhabited and with a population of about 21,000 people in total. It is such a pleasure t

Hello everyone! I am currently sitting at the Kirkwall Airport waiting until my flight leaves for Edinburgh. I will be spending a couple of days there before flying home. Hope this finds you very well! It seems like I just arrived on this incredible island of Orkney, though it has already been a week. Crazy how time flies! It's been a busy time but so rewarding in the sights, sounds and experiences I've had. It is very difficult for me to leave! And, the people! I can't forge

So on with the Scottish tour as promised.... Tuesday was our wildlife tour of Orkney. We traveled to the north part of the island to hangout at a bird sanctuary and do some bird watching. We were not disappointed. So many beautiful birds nesting or flying in. They were so gentle and graceful. However, when a Harrier Hen floated in on the breeze, they all went into protection mode. Lots of commotion and a flurry of activity! A Harrier Hen is similar to a hawk - in size and fer

Well, sadly my Scottish adventure is coming quickly to a close as I sit waiting for my flight to board - Edinburgh through Chicago then onto Calgary. I spent the past day and a half resting up here in Edinburgh, from a busy, whirlwind Orkney quest and managed to see some more sights. Such a busy city, especially with a marathon yesterday. Plenty of people around me who are preparing to board and have been commenting how sore they are. An 8 hour flight should do wonders for th