Things I Learned in Scotland

To sum up:
The Scottish really do say 'aye', for yes.

• Pretty much everyone does eat Haggis, either on occasion, or frequently. And, it's not as gross as its infamy would suggest.


• "Pub grub" is, by far, the best bargain for eating out. The food is not just all fried fare - great from-scratch fare at good prices.


• Get the breakfast sausages whenever possible, they are wonderful!


• Do not look at the direction cars are parked in to determine which way to look when trying to cross the street (they are parked every which way). If possible, look every which way, & then again, quickly, before venturing off the curb...........then utter a prayer & run.


• I think there are more varities of scotch in Scotland than wine.......I'd wager on it.


• Fruit ciders (apple or pear) from the UK kick ass; I will be looking for them back home.


• Bagpipes can be more cool than you can imagine.


• The Scots really do look for a bargain. (but then again, who doesn't?)


• You don't have to search very far to hear Gaelic spoken.


• If you don't like the weather, you only have to wait about 2 or 3 minutes (never mind the usual 15). You can actually get an aerobic workout doing the following: 1: put jacket on 2:Take jacket off: 3:Put sunglasses on. 4:Take sunglasses off. 5:Open umbrella. 6: Close & shake off umbrella. Repeat, in no particuar order, as necessary.


• I observed children (from all over the UK), in public, to be much whinier than I expected. I thought North American kids were bad - holy Moses!


• Finding traditional celtic music in a pub was not so common as I thought it would be. In fact, I never heard any, other than in the dining room of our B&B in Edinburgh. I did, however, hear live blues & bluegrass.


• I was disappointed to see that, like our grocery stores, local produce is generally extinct. I was happy to have found The Farm Shop, outside Elie.


• Hospitality/service staff are infinitely more professional & friendly than back home. Your presence doesn't actually seem to be a source of aggravation to them - go figure!


• Showers can be tricky, tricky things. That's all I'll say.


• Unlike our toilet stalls that have spaces below & above, theirs go all the way to the floor/ceiling. Privacy is nice!


• Further to the toilets, the public (including portable ones at the Gathering, and ones out in the middle of nowhere) are identical, and often cleaner/better, than private washrooms. Truly a pleasant surprise. No need to test the resilience of your bladder for fear of what you might find!