The Unconventional

I glided out of the coach bus to meet the soft earth at my feet. Surrounding me were walls of ancient stone with green fields that went on for miles. To be honest I was not happy about my location. Our destination for the time was to visit the grave of Rob Roy, a Scottish Robin Hood-like figure that has been mentioned numerous times during class lectures. I did not see the need or desire to come to a man’s grave we did not know personally, or witness his final resting place out of curiosity. I soon realized that while I may have not wanted to participate in this activity originally, I happened to have found something that would bring light to my day. While half of the group went off to take a hike up the colossal hill that overlooked the graveyard, the rest of us remained to do something not many Americans would find amusing or even proper: take pictures and selfies within the graveyard.

Some of us were uncomfortable with even being in a graveyard. However, after seeing the sheer beauty of the ancient buildings and stones we all started to have fun while creating memories for years to come. It started with the gigantic arch that was a gateway to what seemed to be another world: the world of old. Past the entrance were two arched windows that were partially covered in moss with mid-sized stone leading up to the window, just beckoning us to come closer. Rays of sunlight were shining through these empty spaces, making us giddy with excitement as we conversed with one another. The magnificent weather led us to take pictures together with both the ancient stones and the area around us.

After taking some beautiful pictures, we noticed a small path that trailed into the woods. Having reached no objective, we followed our guts and walked into the trees. After maybe twenty steps into the woods we heard the sound of running water. Following the sound we soon came upon a sight that was truly breathtaking. A bridge was only a few paces away from where we were standing, and across from the bridge was a beautiful waterfall! We quickly hurried to the edge of the mossy stones to peer over the top. Clear white water was gracefully falling from one stone to the other only to land in a shallow pool down below us. On either side of the pool were small stone beaches that trailed from the base of the waterfall down past the small wooden bridge.

This was a beautiful sight which we would not have found if not for the trip to visit Rob Roy’s grave. Seeing my classmates talking, laughing, and jumping from rock to rock was a wondrous sight. All of us enjoying each other’s company, while relaxing on the cool rocks as cool water flowed past toward the top of the waterfall. Seeing this waterfall had made my day. Not only did the waterfall make a negative into a positive, we got to relax and have fun in an unconventional way.