[Sept. 2023] It’s almost time to say goodbye to Barra Island in the Hebrides, Scotland, where we spent the night.
We took a bus to the airport from the Castlebay bus stop.
The flight was at 3:55, but the bus left at 1:50, so we arrived at the airport very early.
Normally, you check in at the airport two hours before departure, so the bus time may be correct, but since there is only tiny plane taking off from tiny airport, the bus should be a little later.
The bus driver was talking to one of the passengers in a strange language that was probably Gaelic.
By the way, all the signs on the island are in English and Gaelic, with Gaelic usually written first.
There was a staff member in the airport terminal near the beach who let us check in and put our carry-on rucksacks on the top of a chair, saying, “You can leave them there.”
Really easy going.
I did see some coin lockers, though.
We had plenty of time, so we took a walk around this area.
Cows were grazing on the hill behind the airport.
There was a gate, so we entered the grassy area and climbed the hill.
The ground was white sand.
We walked up through some tall grass and when we came out on the other side, there was a huge beach.
If the temperature were warm enough, it would become a major resort area.
Will global warming eventually lead to this?
After enjoying the scenery for a while, we decided to go back to the airport and watch the plane lands.
I thought it was coming from far away, but it passed over the airport building and landed on the beach.
There seemed to be a lot of steps from the time people got off to the time we got on.
One of them was to drive a car around the beach and check the condition of the ground, which was the runway.
My husband read that the beach should never be too dry or too wet.
Then, following the instructions of the lady in charge, we boarded the plane.
The sun had been shining until then, but after we got on board, while we were waiting, it started to rain.
I could see the small wipers wiping the windshield.
Not defeated by the rain, not defeated by the wind…
Just like the day before, the flight took off smoothly with a female captain at the controls.
As soon as we took off, we could see a nice view of the islands, but it soon became covered in clouds and the view turned completely white.
I couldn’t help but think about the Bermuda Triangle, but eventually I dozed off.
