Freeeedom!!!

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 17^th 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!