While I love London I must say that
Scotland was probably my favorite overall part of this trip. Edinburgh, while
still a big city is quite a bit more relaxed than London. What I mean by this
is that there is not all of the hustle and bustle and people shoving you to
catch the tube that you get in London. Edinburgh is a very relaxed large city
and felt very homey in comparison to dark and unforgiving London. The people
were extremely friendly and we were even told by some locals that if a traveler
was ever stuck sleeping on the street that if they were to ask a native then
they would most likely be allowed to sleep on that person’s couch for the
night. Kindness just really seems to be the tradition here. Coming from a
people that have been oppressed for centuries by the English, this really makes
sense when one stops to think about it. Another tradition that seems to be true
even though all of the natives joke about is how the Scottish like to do
everything the opposite of the English. An example of this that our haunted
tour guide gave us was their formal attire. The Scots wear big colorful kilts
while the English wear black slacks. Another example is the demeanor of the
people. While the English are very quiet, reserved, and closed off the Scots
are extremely loud, friendly, and open books if one takes the time to talk to
any Scot. The Scots also seem to have a habit of being drunk by noon everyday
unless their work forbids it.
Traditions are not the only thing
that differs between the English and the Scots. Religion has been a hot topic
between the two countries since their earliest meetings. Scots have been
persecuted by the English for being Catholics for many centuries. The protestant
English attempted to force their religion upon the Scottish until the Scots
finally stood up for themselves in the 17th century. The Scots
battled their way right up to London’s door step until the English finally gave
up and told them that if they stopped they would be granted their religious
freedom. While most of the Scots were happy with this and went home, not all of
them were satisfied. With less than half of their original forces, a few Scots
decided it was a good idea to take London. Unfortunately it was a terrible idea
and they were quickly defeated by the English even with their forces stretched
by the current war with France. The prisoners were thrown in a prison in
Edinburgh by the rest of their original allies who had returned home and were
left to starve and die from exposure in what is now known as the Covenanter’s
Prison. Here most of the prisoners died from exposure. The men that died were
merely tossed over the wall and left unburied. This meant that according to
their religion they were doomed to eternal damnation for being denied a proper burial
in the ground. What a sad fate this was indeed.
While I did get to see a lot I felt
that there was an incredible amount of things that I was not able to do. I
would love to spend a few weeks here instead of just a day and a half. I would recommend
this trip to anyone and everyone because Scotland is truly a breathtaking
country to see. Just remember to bring your hiking shoes so that you aren't
forced to hike in Sperry’s like I was!