We stayed on the outskirts of the village Killin in the Central Highands of Scotland from mid-August to the beginning of September. While there, my cousin and I landscaped an herb garden, made the daily pig feed run, milked goats, explored abandoned villages, swam in Loch Tay, and hiked the majestic (and steep) Ben Lawers.
Next, we went to Finnish Lapland and stayed in the village Kukkola, near the Swedish border. Our work centered around sheep care, and we helped to feed, herd, and birth sheep (yes, you read that correctly). We spent time riding one-speed bikes to Sweden and the local convenience store, swimming in the arctic run-off water of the river Torne, and participating in the local fish-market. We also spent a couple days in the artic town Rovaniemi, where we were able to go on hikes, visit Santa village and the Arktikum Museum, and see reindeer.
We jumped to Central Germany after the Arctic, and we lived in a hundreds-year-old castle. Our host taught us how to make herbal tea, and we spent hours in the garden, kitchen, and the Sunday cafe. On our days off, we visited the nearby cities, including Kassel, which is home to the Grimm Brothers.
To conclude our travels, we finished on the Ionian island of Kefalonia in Greece. After months of cold, dark weather, the warm beaches were a delightful treat. For our work, we helped our host with the olive harvest and olive-oil production. We also ate enormous amounts of home-cooked Greek food, visited the historical attractions of the island, swam in the ocean, and traveled to the small cites for some sight-seeing.
