Hello, Welcome back.
Last Saturday, our friends took us to see the beautiful Benedictine Pluscarden Abbey. It is located a little west of the city of Elgin, on the Moray coast. It is a Medieval Royal Abbey founded by King Alexander II of Scotland in 1230.
A Peaceful Setting 
Oldest Main Door
Abbey Gate Post 
Caretaker’s Cottage
Once inside, you can see the medieval and Gothic chapels. It has been changed over the years and currently there are lovely stained glass windows.
In the Main Chapel 
A Side Chapel
Pluscarden Abbey is more or less self-sufficient. They farm and raise chickens and make cheese and soap and have bees and orchards. However, they do go out for things like sugar and flour. The 18 monks currently living there do all the work, including maintaining and cleaning the buildings and the grounds. There one Monk seemingly more important then the rest: Brother Baxter. They say he wandered in a few years ago and just stayed.
Brother Baxter in the gift shop 
Not Brother Baxter
Of course there is a gift shop. However, it is run on the honor system. You take what you like; register your purchases in a ring binder; put your money in a Big Red Box. After all, if the Monks don’t trust you, who will?
East View 
A small Gothic Chapel
Me, yes the wind is blowing. 
The rest of the group.
On the way home we stopped in Port Gordon to see the seals on the beach. There must have been 75 or 80 on the beach. There are grey seals and harbor seals on the Moray Coast. The harbor seals get to weigh about 200 pounds and can be 4.5 feet long. The grey seals are much larger. Some may weigh as much as 600 pounds and be over 6 feet long. Don’t get too close.
One of the Many 
The Many
All in all, it was a fun day. Hope you enjoyed the post. See you next time.