Trainee priests from Eastern Europe are touring the north of Scotland in order to broaden their horizons of the world.
The five students, four from Poland and one from Belarus, are staying in the Forres area to boost their English skills while learning about local culture.
A lifetime spent inland in the largely land-locked countries means many of them are unfamiliar with the open sea.
Today the expedition is taking a voyage on the Moray Firth in order to familiarise the students with the life of coastal communities.
The trip is the second to be organised by Lucyna Elliot, whose parents left Eastern Europe during the Second World War.
The retired history teacher at Forres Academy has also visited Poland to boost the aspiring priests’ language skills.
She said: “English is such an important skill for people in the world today. It’s nice to have the group over to stay with families for them to learn it in a friendly environment.
“I’ve been going over to visit them since 2012 but it’s so much better for them to come here and see different parts of the world while soaking up all they can from the culture.”
Yesterday, the students prayed, worshipped and chanted at St Margaret’s Church in Forres before venturing into the rest of Moray.
The priests from the Pallotine Order have already visited Fort William and the Highlands during their week-long stay after touching down in the north on Wednesday.
During their visit, the group will also visit the monks at Pluscarden Abbey and the abandoned Scalan seminary in Glenlivet – where young men were trained to be priests during the 18th Century.
Student priest Andrej Choluj said: “Scotland is a very beautiful land with many wonderful and interesting people. It is good to learn about its history and its culture and to take that home to Poland.”
