Today was SUCH a fun and busy day! Wait until you see what got me the most excited during this entire trip! Be prepared for A LOT of pictures!

We all met down at the harbor for a Coastal Connection boat trip. These guys were absolutely fab; if you're in Oban and want to plan some excursions, you definitely need to use these guys! Our first stop of the day was the Treshnish Isles.

I wish I could remember all the names of the lighthouses and islands that we passed. The boat ride was a couple hours long, but there was so much beautiful landscape that it was worth every minute.

It was also pretty cold that day, but the best views came from standing on the back of the speedboat (I know nothing about boats, so who really knows what kind of boat we were on).

 

 

 Everything is so green in Scotland. It's fun to spot the little waterfalls in the hills and rocks (see below).

 

 

 

We finally arrived! We had to anchor the boat beyond the shore, so our transportation to the island was a small raft that held about six or seven people at a time.

I thought my first views once getting on shore were fantastic, but I had no idea what was waiting at the top.

The sun even decided to shine the whole time we were at Treshnish!

I'm still amazed at how beautiful Treshnish was. Looking back at the pictures is fantastic, but they really don't do justice to the beauty of actually being there. I told fiancé while we were standing there taking it all in that this was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

The cool thing about Treshnish is that it's home to…puffins!!!!!

Are they not the cutest things you've ever seen in your life?!?!?! I can't even begin to explain how excited I was during this excursion. I also apparently have a "puffin laugh" (according to fiancé) that I can only imagine is high-pitched and obnoxious.

Our guide told us that a lot of tourists think that puffins are the same size as penguins. They're actually pretty small – maybe six inches tall, but they can load their beaks full of fish!

Fun puffin fact: when the puffins migrate back here they kick all the rabbits out of their burrows and use them for laying their own eggs.

Another fun puffin fact: we were able to get so close to them because they use us as protection against other birds that eat them.

Our guide said that if we walked to the back of the island there was a huge mating spot for a different type of bird, so we figured we should explore. You may think your eyes are deceiving you if you look at the pic below. No, those are not tiny rocks. They're birds. Hundreds upon hundreds of birds. I have never in my life seen so many birds in one spot.

The squawking was so unbelievable that I had to include the video. Seriously, so.many.birds. I'm not sure why the video is sideways, but if you want a clearer, more overwhelming video, check it out on my instagram (@biscottiandaphd).

And another view of the birds.

And these are our "what if all these birds suddenly decide to revolt against us" faces. Have you seen Alfred Hitchcock's movie The Birds? That's all we could think of while we were standing there.

Our whole group was waiting on us, but it was a huge struggle for me to leave because it was just so beautiful and peaceful. I told fiancé to leave me there and I'd just become Queen of the Puffins! I couldn't convince him of that ☹️

The adventures of the day aren't even close to being over! Check back tomorrow for Part 2!