 |
| Mel Gibson is William Wallace |
Scotland is the land of Connor Macleod, William Wallace, and Rob Roy,
all courageous highlanders, who we know so well from the movies. These are
stereotypical Scottish freedom fighters, battling the evil British invaders.
Clan people who were, according to the movies, quick with the sword, charming
with the ladies and also quite a funny lot to hang out with.
So let us see about Scotland and the Scots, its culture, history and
legends, music, food, and everyday life, from the past up to the present.
A very interesting fashion item the Scottish men gave us is the world
famous kilt, which has to be worn as
some may have it “commando style", sans underwear. We still see it worn by
the Prince of Wales, or the actor and also now Scottish independent activist
Sean Connery (the best James Bond) on official or newsworthy occasions.
 |
| The Black Watch |
Another image of Scotland that comes to mind are the bagpipes, instruments to be blown and squeezed, producing an unforgettable musical tone. Some
call it folk music some call it noise. A renown Scottish military unit called
the Black Watch founded in1725 from among Scottish Highlanders, used both
kilts and bagpipes as seen on the image on the left.
Of course when we mention, Scotland we cannot forget the monster of Loch
Ness. It may or may not exist, but what does exist is the tourist attraction
that is Loch Ness. Here people from all over the world can visit the Loch Ness
Centre & exhibition, which offers seven areas of interest, equipped with
lasers, digital projectors and multi- lingual presentations. Others take
advantage of day trips and try to get a picture of Nessie, as she is known by
locals. Day trips from Edinburgh, including visit and boat trips to and on the
lake and it surrounding, are offered for as much $ 60 US dollars.
 |
| Loch Ness |
Loch Ness also brings us to our first Scottish word loch, meaning lake.
Other Scottish words you might know are, again from a movie, the famous dog
Lassie which means girl; because it was a she. Or from the song my Bonny lies
over the ocean; the word Bonny meaning beautiful or attractive. This is just a
"wee" or small example of some words.
 |
| Edinburg University |
We already mentioned Scotland's ancient city of Edinburg, its capital
since the 15th century. What we failed the mention was the
University of Edinburg, one of the top leading universities in the world,
Edinburg Castle, place of historical battles and now partly museum ,Old College
and Princes Street, all famous land marks within the city. Another reason to
pay a visit to the city is the annually held Edinburg International Festival,
showcasing the performing arts, emphasizing dance and music.
 |
| Haggis- a tasty dish |
While in Edinburg, one should of course try and savor Scotland`s
favorite dish called haggis, which is filled sheep stomach or the amazing
Cullen skink a fish and potato soup, and for dessert cranachan, made with
oatmeal, honey, whiskey, raspberries and whipped cream.
Then wash it all down with one of the leading Scottish whiskies from
William Lawson’s to Chivas Regal.
 |
| Tossing the caber |
Lets us know turn to some facts that are maybe not so well known about
Scotland and the Scottish people, who can carry two passports, one Scottish and
one British. Nowadays the Scots like to play soccer and rugby, but did you
know that they organize their own Highland games, where folk can observe sports
such as hammer throwing, tug-o war and toss the caber (the throwing of a long
wooden tree trunk). Or shinty which is related to hockey, albeit with some key
differences, in shinty one is allowed to knock over one's opponent using the
shoulders.
 |
| The Wall of Hadrian |
Like China with its Great Wall, so does Scotland have its wall called
the Wall of Hadrian, built under the orders of a Roman emperor, " to
separate the Romans from the Barbarians" The wall stretched from coast to
coast and was 117.5 km long. The Great Pict Wall a short story of Rudyard Kipling
has a Roman soldier defending it against the Picts. The Picts, which means the
painted ones in Latin, this because the Picts used war paint on their faces and
bodies, successfully kept the Romans at bay and out of Scotland. Which is quite
a feat considering the might of the Roman legions of that time.
Maybe the Romans didn't like the Scottish weather, which especially in
some parts of the Highlands can be described as very wet. But the Scots have a
saying "there is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong
clothes"! So don't be disappointed if the sun doesn't shine all the time
while roaming the countryside; Scotland is still worth visiting a thousand
times.
 |
It might rain a "wee" bit,
links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian's_Wall
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/kingdom_of_the_picts/
http://www.visitscotland.com/travel/weather
|
No comments:
Post a Comment