Ahh Scotland
Though I had fun in London, Scotland was the reason I went on this trip and it was all that I hoped it would be.
Of course one of the first things you see on your way to Scotland is a gigantic rock where someone has spray painted the following:
“Welcome to Scotland, Sorry you had to pass through all that SHIITE to get here”
And that, ladies and gentlemen, sums up the attitudes of the Scots towards the English.
It takes talent to hold a grudge for so many centuries. Mind you, they aren’t alone in their intense dislike of the English. The Irish, Aussies, Kiwis (another pair that don’t get along), Welsh, French and even Americans (who the whole world hates) don’t generally regard the POM’s with anything approaching friendliness.
Still…I met an older couple at the hotel bar in Edinburgh and we struck up a conversation. The man introduced himself and then introduced his wife of 35 years as “This is my wife Leslie, she’s English… but I’ll forgive her because she’s good looking.”
…
One funny thing about this animosity is that it really flows only one way. The English are somewhat indifferent towards their northern neighbours. The other funny thing is that the Scots are always bringing it up in conversation. I’m generalizing but I met a good sample of Scots and it always came up.
Ever-present animosity aside, Scots are just plain awesome, and as much as I didn’t fit in while exploring London, I was just one of the crowd in Scotland. They have awesome food (haggis is tasty), fantastic beer and great whiskey (if you go, don’t call it scotch or it’s your head). Even better, they are always willing to strike up a conversation with the random Canadian tourists that pop in.
Another thing that is centuries old in Scotland is its capital city, Edinburgh (note the spelling does not reflect the number of syllables or pronunciation of the word). London had museums with lots of old things in them. The City of Edinburgh is a gigantic museum exhibition. The streets in downtown are paved with stone, each building in the area is ancient, and the landscape is dominated by Edinburgh Castle. It’s freakin cool man!
Ahem…
A warning though…Edinburgh and Scotland in general are not considered healthy by the Liver Association of Anton.
After my stay in the Capital I ventured further North and rented a car in Inverness. For your information, a Peugeot 308 is, in my opinion, garbage and I suggest not buying one. Driving on the other side of the road turned out to be easier than everyone claims. Driving with the steering wheel on the other side of the car was the weird part.
Despite the distraction of learning to drive again, it was immediately apparent that I came to right place to see another world. The highlands are amazing. They don’t possess the grandiose snow covered peaks of the Rockies but they are spectacular in their own right. I wandered the shore of Loch Ness, explored the coastline near Ullapool and climbed the mountain known as Ben Wyvis. The Scottish Highlands possess an eerie quality which is sadly beyond the limits of my eloquence to describe (So I attached photos). The one and only regret of this trip is that I didn’t set aside more time to explore further north.
I guess that means that I have to go back. How terrible is that?
Though I had fun in London, Scotland was the reason I went on this trip and it was all that I hoped it would be.
Of course one of the first things you see on your way to Scotland is a gigantic rock where someone has spray painted the following:
“Welcome to Scotland, Sorry you had to pass through all that SHIITE to get here”
And that, ladies and gentlemen, sums up the attitudes of the Scots towards the English.
It takes talent to hold a grudge for so many centuries. Mind you, they aren’t alone in their intense dislike of the English. The Irish, Aussies, Kiwis (another pair that don’t get along), Welsh, French and even Americans (who the whole world hates) don’t generally regard the POM’s with anything approaching friendliness.
Still…I met an older couple at the hotel bar in Edinburgh and we struck up a conversation. The man introduced himself and then introduced his wife of 35 years as “This is my wife Leslie, she’s English… but I’ll forgive her because she’s good looking.”
…
One funny thing about this animosity is that it really flows only one way. The English are somewhat indifferent towards their northern neighbours. The other funny thing is that the Scots are always bringing it up in conversation. I’m generalizing but I met a good sample of Scots and it always came up.
Ever-present animosity aside, Scots are just plain awesome, and as much as I didn’t fit in while exploring London, I was just one of the crowd in Scotland. They have awesome food (haggis is tasty), fantastic beer and great whiskey (if you go, don’t call it scotch or it’s your head). Even better, they are always willing to strike up a conversation with the random Canadian tourists that pop in.
Another thing that is centuries old in Scotland is its capital city, Edinburgh (note the spelling does not reflect the number of syllables or pronunciation of the word). London had museums with lots of old things in them. The City of Edinburgh is a gigantic museum exhibition. The streets in downtown are paved with stone, each building in the area is ancient, and the landscape is dominated by Edinburgh Castle. It’s freakin cool man!
Ahem…
A warning though…Edinburgh and Scotland in general are not considered healthy by the Liver Association of Anton.
After my stay in the Capital I ventured further North and rented a car in Inverness. For your information, a Peugeot 308 is, in my opinion, garbage and I suggest not buying one. Driving on the other side of the road turned out to be easier than everyone claims. Driving with the steering wheel on the other side of the car was the weird part.
Despite the distraction of learning to drive again, it was immediately apparent that I came to right place to see another world. The highlands are amazing. They don’t possess the grandiose snow covered peaks of the Rockies but they are spectacular in their own right. I wandered the shore of Loch Ness, explored the coastline near Ullapool and climbed the mountain known as Ben Wyvis. The Scottish Highlands possess an eerie quality which is sadly beyond the limits of my eloquence to describe (So I attached photos). The one and only regret of this trip is that I didn’t set aside more time to explore further north.
I guess that means that I have to go back. How terrible is that?
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