I jumped aboard 'Willy', the appropriately named Macbackpackers bus and got an earful of Scottish history, myths and legends, even though some of them did sound a bit bogus! But it helped paint the picture of what Scotland was really about. It wasn't just about the fat, hairy, red-bearded, kilt-wearing scotsmen, or even the heilan' coos! But also about having a craic...as my new-found friend Stefan, from Holland, also discovered.
I think I learn't more about Scottish history in that one week than I did in a whole year back in high school trying to learn Australian history (not that we really have any, compared to Scotland). From Crannog huts along the lochs, drunk nights at local pubs, and hiking up into the highlands, to traversing waterfalls, visiting the William Wallace monument and Rob Roy's Grave...I don't think it would have been the same without the 18 other crazy macbackpackers I was sharing the experience with. With the highlight of the trip being the few moments when the whole group came stampeding down a mountain up in the Isle of Skye. I kinda wonder what thoughts would've been going around in the minds of those few sheep and rabbits, who were happily minding their own business, when they looked up and saw all of us charge down that mountain.
- Their pronunciation, above all else! here are some examples below:
They say: "heilan coo" We say: "highland cow"
They say: "wee moose" We say: "small mouse"
They say: "oozie futba" We say: "Aussie football"
They say: "Aye, huvya seeen a heiry coo?"
We say: "Yes, have you seen a hairy cow?"
- The central area of Edinburgh is listed as a world heritage area, but I guess it is pretty spectacular..
- Traditional Scottish dancing is exactly the same as Australian bush dances (strip the willow, etc).
- Haggis. It's like a spicy sausage roll but without the pastry on the outside.
- Seagulls sound different, it resembles more of a high-pitched whine more than a squak!
Hope to catch up with you all sometime in the future. I had an unreal time in Scotland and hope you guys did too. Make sure you all keep in touch and if any of you non-Aussies want a place to stay in Sydney just let me know ok! Have a good one!
- Colin Schmolin :-)
