The first time we visited Eilean Donan Castle was more than nine years ago. We traveled north from Cumbria and stopped there on our way to Plockton. It was the first week in August, under a clear blue sky with only one other car in the car park.
A kayak floats over Loch Duich and I walk into the cafe to get some coffee. The terrace overlooking the castle is empty. We sit down at a picnic table when the kayaker comes ashore and gives us a big wave. “Mind if I join you?” he asks. One of the students on a Summer job in the cafe soon joins us too and brings a few pieces of cake. “Everyone you meet here is so interesting!” he says. Full of youth and dreams he tells us he is excited about the life in front of him. Full of years and dreams I realise that I am excited about the life in front of us too. We exchange a knowing glance with the kayaker and in that moment, even the castle looks young again.
one by one
birds land around the table
eyes twinkle
© Xenia Tran
Eilean Donan is a lot nearer now and we stop here on our way to Plockton. It is the first week in August and under a clear blue sky the car park is full.
A cheery attendant suggests we park on the other side of the bridge and come back on foot. The view of the castle from the other side is stunning. There are hundreds of people who have flown in from all corners of the world to see this place. We hear excited voices in different languages. An American woman walks over and asks if she can stroke Eivor and Pearl. “I had to leave my dogs at home and I miss them so much,” she says. As she crouches down among the crowds Eivor and Pearl look into her eyes and give her all the time she needs.
time to pause
all of us on a journey
gathered here
© Xenia Tran
We wish you all a very happy Friday and a wonderful weekend!
With love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Camera: Panasonic Lumix FZ200, settings: iA and Landscape, 1/200 s.
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Stunning photos and wonderful encounters. Your trip sounds like a winner! 🙂 Meeting friendly and interesting people – which is much easier to do with dogs in tow – can be so rewarding. I will have to check out this castle as well. It is amazing how it became so much busier in a decade. Then again, it is not that surprising, the way people travel much more now.
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Thank you Liesbet, both trips were very special in their own way. We lost all track of time around the table when the coffees had long finished and the conversations carried on. This time, even among the crowds, there was this beautiful moment of serenity. We were glad to see it so busy as it means more resources for the charitable trust that looks after the castle. It is well worth checking out, I think you will love it if you ever decide to visit :o) xxx
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…even the castle looks young again. Oh, so beautifully said about the castle, mountains, river… love it. 🙂 ❤
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Thank you so much for your kind words Amy :o) xxx
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xxx 💖
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Simply amazing photos! The directional lines are perfect.
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Thank you so much for your kind words Tom :o)
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It has been a long time since I visited my ancestor’s homeland, but I still love pics of Scottish castles!
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:o)
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Lovely photos, and stories young as breath, old as time. Fabulous!
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Thank you so much for your kind words Na’ama ☺
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SMiLes mY FRiEnD XeNiA
FoR We ArE onLY aS
YounG aS oUr eYes LiGHT
AlWays Hard to SpeaK NoW iT’s Easy 4 years ago..
44 years ago i am accused of Walking like a Robot
33 years ago i am accused of Thinking like a Computer
5 years ago i am accused of Writing like a Computer
Guilty
on all
three counts..
And i appreciate
the input so much more
NoW.. AnD True iN all three counts
i fELt so much older then even at
age
13..
For Art
iS what
Rises HE
NoW iNto
more then
than He CaN
And WiLL BE
pARTicularly
LoVENoW
aS LiGHT
SHiNiNG
A DancE and SonG..:)
THis
Love
isReaL..:)
It’s trUE NoW
Biology at BirthLiGht
eXpresSinG tHeN NoW
is not the only destiny NoW..
For We all shAre tHe STar oF DNA..
ExpreSSinG aS SPiRiT WHeN HeART GRaiNSaND
SoUL PolisHinG Waves aS Ocean WHoLe MoRE..:)
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Thank you my FRiEnD, this Love and Light are so Real in all our heArts ☺💖 xxx
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InViTe
A HeARt
tHe Play..:)
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😁💜💃 xxx
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:)!!:)
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Loving these photos 💗 This is definitely on my places to visit. Beautiful words too. Have a wonderful weekend and much love to you all xxx
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Thank you Cathy, you would love it here ☺ A wonderful weekend to you too and much love to you and Finn ☺💖 xxx
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Thank you 🙂 xxx
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What a beautiful post. The photos are gorgeous, as always. I felt like I was there with you! ❤️
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Thank you so much for your kind words Dorinda, you would love it here ☺💜 xxx
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So very lovely! This post brought tears to my eyes.
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Thank you Laurie, much love to you all ☺💖 xxx
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one of your best – love the haibun and photos. Love Eivor and Pearl give her all the time she needs…
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Thank you for your kind words Maureen, Eivor and Pearl understood how much she needed this moment ☺💜🐾🐾
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A nice haibun ! I like the journey ….. serene and full of humanity !
regards
milan .
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Thank you so much for your kind words Milan ☺🙋
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Welcome as always !
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Beautiful post! Have a wonderful weekend and lots of love to you all 😺💕xxx
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Thank you Samantha, have a great weekend too and much love to you all ☺💖🌞 xxx
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Lucky American who got to meet Eivor and Pearl! 🙂
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Thank you dear Lois, she was a lovely person ☺💖🐾🐾
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It sounds like a magical place. The castle has a very fairy tale look in the second photo. I like both your haiku. The first one is playful and the second one reads like a passage from some epic tale of travel and adventure.
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Thank you for your kind words Suzanne, it is a special place and the energies are lovely and in many ways magnified by the collective in-aweness of the crowd ☺💜 xxx
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That’s a good way of describing the energy of a crowd. 🙂
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Thank you Suzanne ☺💜 xxx
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A beautiful, magical, medieval place!
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Thank you Kim, it is a lovely place to visit ☺💖 xxx
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MAGNIFICENT! And I’m not just talking about the castle, nor just the clear and crispy beautiful photographs. It’s always magnificent to read or hear about people inviting or welcoming other people’s adoration, dreams, stories, etc. 🙂 Thanks for the lovely post.
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Thank you so much for your kind words Rommel, it is a pleasure to share these moments :o) xxx
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I find ancient ruins to be incredibly beautiful and full of stories and wonder. I love the snippet about the woman who had to leave her dogs at home–that’s me whenever I am away without them (and that is a very rare occasion since we plan our lives around those pups.)
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Thank you Victoria, we could feel the ache in the woman’s heart and in that moment there was no one else there xxx
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Wow–how lucky we are to get two haibuns for the price of one! Visiting castles must be fun. I have to settle for tall mountains (Rainier, St. Helens, Baker, Adams & Hood) here in the “ring of fire”.
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Thank you Glenn, mountains are wonderful too and I can happily roam there and breathe in the silence. I hope you all stay safe and get some rain to quell those fires 💜
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That looks like a lovely place to visit ~ I am always excited by new places and interesting people to meet in the journey ~ Thanks for your photos and haibun ~
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Thank you Grace, it is a wonderful place to visit ☺💖 xxx
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I love camaraderie and the gentle way you react to the bright eyed young man, eyes twinkling. 🙂
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Thank you so much for your kind words. That line was inspired by the birds who gathered, waiting for cake crumbs, and I love your interpretation as all our eyes were twinkling :o) xxx
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Thank you for your beautiful Haibuns and photos. It is so wonderful to find fellowship in such a wonderful location. When people on vacation take time to visit, it really lifts everyone’s spirits. Obviously your whippets also contributed. It must have been wonderful
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Thank you so much for your kind words Walter, it was a wonderful experience for all of us and the whippets got a lot of love too :o) xxx
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What a wonderful place to walk, Xenia, and such friendly people, the kayaker and the car park attendant! I love the part in the first section of prose, where your hope for the future gleams: ‘Full of youth and dreams he tells us he is excited about the life in front of him. Full of years and dreams I realise that I am excited about the life in front of us too. We exchange a knowing glance with the kayaker and in that moment, even the castle looks young again’. I’m not surprised the castle became so popular with visitors, it’s a gorgeous spot.
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Thank you so much for your kind words Kim. It is a lovely place to visit and in many ways it was a blessing to experience it both in a quiet and a crowded setting ☺💖 xxx
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😊💖 xxx
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This has been on my wish list for many years ……. ONE DAY. Lovely photos and stories 🙂 xx
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Thank you Judith, you will love it when you visit! :o) xxx
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Two beautiful Haibun. We were there not too long ago and also Plockton. Your photos do the Castle justice. Wonderful Haiku for both.
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Thank you so much for your kind words Paul and how funny you were in both places recently too! It would been lovely to bump into you there and gather around a table to talk about our dreams ;o) xxx
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Indeed.
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Oh these photos are stunning! And your words have taken me with you on this lovely journey.
I love the idea of “young” being possible, even for the castle. After all, it no doubt, has many years ahead of it sharing its beauty with the many who make the pilgrimage to see this beautiful place. And I also love that the dogs have all the time needed by this person…animals are that way sometimes. They just know what a human needs. 🙂 I so enjoyed reading this with my coffee this morning. It’s grey and rain is expected here in Boston today — but I feel I’ve been to see a wonderful place with you! 🙂
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Nice pair of haibun describing visits to Eilean Donan Castle. I like the castle becoming young again in the first and letting a stranger have all the time they need.
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Thank you Frank :o)
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“The Gate Cooling
In the Forest
Satisfaction
Textures In Time
Sea Levels Sacred Geometry
Elemental
Elementals”
-Xenia Tran
SMiLes mY FriEnD
Your Home is a Castle
And the Bricks are Titles of your Poems..:)
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Thank you so much my FRiEnD ☺💖 xxx
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:)!!!!!:)
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☺💜🙋 xxx
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*Beyond Journey
(Leave No Bricks Out..;)
“Beyond
The Gate Cooling
In the Forest
Satisfaction
Textures Journey In Time
Sea Levels Sacred Geometry
Elemental
Elementals”
-Xenia Tran
SMiLes mY FriEnD
Your Home is a Castle
And the Bricks are Titles of your Poems..:)
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Thank you my FRiEnD, that is a lovely thought 💜 Sending you sMILEs across the miles and much love to you, Katrina and Yellow Boy too ☺💖 xxx
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:)!!!!!!:)
Occasionally
i practice
Predictable
Plus i Love
The Number 6..;)
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☺💖 xxx
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The castles fascinate me. The Eilean Donan Castle looks attractive to me. No wonder hundreds of people from all over the world go to see it. Lovely haibun to tell your story!
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Thank you Miriam, it is a lovely place to visit ☺💖 xxx
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I can see that! Very attractive! xoxo
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☺💖 xxx
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🙂 🙂
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I love this:
“…all of us on a journey
gathered here”
It is the very essence of life itself, and our days on this beautiful globe, is it not?
Seek peace,
Paz
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Thank you Paz, it truly is :o) xxx
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