Scotland, St. Andrews, Arthur's Seat and A Few Wee Travel Tips

 The first tip I must share about Scotland is: mind the sidewalk at the Edinburgh train station! As a student in 1981, I stepped off the overnight train from London, tripped over a raised sidewalk edge, and fell flat on my face, bending the frame of my beloved used Pentex K-1000 camera. Next thing I knew, 2 Scottish grannies were peeling me up off of the sidewalk. Immediately afterwards, I found myself sitting in a chair at the "Chemist's" (Pharmacy), with a bowl of hydrogen peroxide in my lap. Scraped both knees and palms of both hands, complete with gravel. The Pharmacist was SO nice.  Everyone in Scotland is SO nice!

College friends and I stayed at a post card perfect Bed & Breakfast, right across from Arthur's Seat, a great tour and walk, so be sure to bring good walking shoes to beautiful, green Scotland. Our twin beds/cots were on the third floor. A young couple had just bought the brownstone. The wife offered to help me clean and dress my wounds daily. She said it would be good practice for her 2 young children! She was SO nice and I was much appreciative of her wound care! 

We visited Arthur's seat, famous St. Andrews golf course, the 1st golf course in the world, shopped for our family tartans, bought Aran oatmeal wool "jumpers" (sweaters), and of course, visited the local pubs and had Afternoon Tea at a nice local tea house.

Edinburgh hosts many outdoor Highland Games. The hammer throw, stone-put, weight-throw, caber toss (log), tug-a-war, just to name a few! All the men are in their family kilts, too. As well, they have female Highland dancers, and of course a Scottish pipe & drum band. It's fun to watch. Google one up and go!

Visiting the Edinburgh Castle was a treat! I still remember the model of the Castle's long History inside and the hundreds of toy soldiers inside the models! Major General Alastair Bruce is now the Governor of Edinburgh Castle. He's also the manners man from Downton Abbey! He's SO polite as well, of course! Look up the tour and go! Wonderful views of the city from the top of the castle too.

Here are a few Scottish tips: 

• In Scotland, Old European Manners apply. (See the "Old European Manners" post dated August 12, 2020)  
• Scotland, a Parliamentary Monarchy, about the size of South Carolina, has a population of 5.5 million and a GDP per capita of $38,500 USD. The 14th highest in the world, or so argue those rallying for her independence from the UK. Edinburgh is the Capital of Scotland with a population of about 500,000. Glasgow, a large city, is 600,000. 
•  Scotland is known for their rich tradition of family tartan kilts, Aran wool sweaters, golf courses, scotch whisky, thistle, Highland games, Balmoral Castle, Gleneagles Resort, the horned Highland cow, St. Andrew's University, Ryder Cup, Edinburgh Castle, and being frugal. Or as my Mother used to say: "The Scotch in me."
• Scotland's weather is a nice wet cold if you are dressed appropriately. Temperatures are anywhere from 35-65 degrees. Save your coins up for a year to buy a traditional Aran cable Scottish sweater! You will have it for years and will wear it everywhere!  
• Being that I grew up in the Commonwealth of Virginia, where many Scots settled in the 'new world', Scottish accents sound very similar to old Virginia accents: "Around & about the house" (hard accent on the "ou"). Hard to understand Scots if you're not familiar with the accent.
• Famous Artists are: Alexander Calder, James Guthrie, John Steele, Joseph Boehm (sculpture), Henry Raeburn
• Famous Arthurs & Poets: Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Alison Cockburn, Adam Smith, John Knox
• Music: Celtic music, Gerry Rafferty, Rod Stewart, Bay City Rollers, Sheena Easton
• Movies: 007 Series with Sean Connery, Braveheart, Man of Honor, Brigadoon
• The dress code is conservative casual chic. Layer. Black, navy or beige always work. NO white tennis shoes. NO fanny packs. NO shorts. NO bra straps showing or tube tops (you'll freeze to death anyway!)
• Half the fun of traveling is you never know where you are going to end up. So, dress up a bit and you can go anywhere and treat yourself to a nice lunch or Afternoon Tea. You can also walk into any fancy hotel as though you belong and use their very lovely and clean restrooms. Always carry small bills for the restroom.
• DO NOT wear tartan in Scotland unless it is YOUR family tartan. 
• Please be quiet. Speak quietly. Reserved. Be very polite. Courteous. The Scottish are very private. Blend in. Europe is NOT your yelling college campus. 
• DO without ice. The weather is cool anyway, so you don't need ice. 
• Catch phrases: "Auld Lang Syne" which means 'Old Long Since', or Ago. 
• Magic words: Please use your magic words everywhere. Please, May I, Thank You, You're Welcome. 
• DO NOT eat while walking down the street, or while on public transportation. It is considered to be rude. Do not yell or raise your voice while on the street. Be quiet. Take your time. Enjoy. 
• "Pants" are underpants. Say "trousers" or "slacks."
• Hand Shaking should be 2 firm shakes then down. 
• Eye contact is important. Also smile. DO NOT stare.
• Introductions are more formal than in the USA. "How do you do?" is proper. Women extend their hand first.
• Alcohol is Scotch, Whiskey, and beer. Men order a pint. Ladies order 1/2 pint.
• Cuisine is: Haggis (It's better than Spam), Scotch eggs (delicious), Kippers (Herring fish - similar to anchovies and your partner must have them too as you both will be tasting them all day), Salmon, Crawachan (oatmeal with a dash of whisky, cream and sugar), YUM!
• Tipping: Tip 10-12% as waiters are paid a nice wage. Give an extra 5-10% if the service is excellent. Hand the tip directly to the server. In our new complicated world, some tips disappear off of the table. 
• Dining is Continental style only! Goes back to Kings, trust issues and knaves with daggers up their sleeves. DO NOT put your hands in your lap. Scots will think you are hiding something or are untrustworthy. Wrists above the table always.
• Take registered Taxi's only. 
• Tip the Porter 2 GBP per Bag. Tip the Maid 4 GBP per day. Tip Room service 15%
• Currency is the Great British Pound (GBP)
• Time is on 24 hours. Practice subtracting 12.   

 Remember: NEVER ask a Scotsman what he wears under his Kilt.