The Hogwarts Express

Our travelling companions today are a couple from Australia, sitting across from us, and two Scottish couples sitting beside us who keep trying to get us to pay them for the excellent scenery. The train we are on is the Hogwarts Express. The steam engine and railcars are in the Harry Potter movies. Dianne has the window seat and I have the aisle. We sit facing the Aussies, with whom we make good conversation. The Scots beside me have one loud and entertaining lady who keeps their foursome going with a constant commentary about her take on life. She has tried to get me interested in a possible two for one divorce, mentioned when she saw a pretty garden shed that they had a Granny annex, and true to Scot form, berated her husband when he fell asleep. “You paid for the view.”

We both agreed that it was a good day even though we were apprehensive at the start. We only had one way tickets. When we booked, they said that it was the full coming back. Our reserved seats on the way to Mallaig were not together, and I was concerned Dianne would find a new beau. No worries though. We showed up early and they found us seats together and return tickets at a fraction of the price we would pay if we booked a later ride on a different train. To celebrate our good fortune, I splurged for a ride on a small boat that cruised the western islands. It was only two islands in the end. I'll call them seal island and seagull island. You can imagine.

Malliag and the boat ride remind us of Newfoundland. The rugged coastline and the difficulty discerning what the locals are saying adds to our sentiment.Read more