Problem
What to see and do in Scotland?
Answer
My side trips from Edinburgh included Lockerbie, a puppet place and Bruce and the Spider.
When? According to Wikipedia the first Robert the Bruce came over with William the Conqueror in 1066. He hid in a cave from people hunting from him.
Actually he hid from the English. But the story is told in England to schoolchildren without mentioning this inconvenient fact. Scotland and England were united by a later King, in 1707, hence the Union Jack flag.
Alone and depressed, on the run, hidden by a friend in a cave, Robert was inspired by the persistence of a spider.
I saw a spider. Not Bruce's spider. Spiders don't live that long. Maybe a descendant. I could have asked. But I can't read spider sign language.
I didn't see the spider at first. It was still. Playing dead. Invisible units web. I expect that's how it catches flies.
Bruce was literally holed up for a long time. I was surprised to see a small, empty cave. What had I expected? A film show? Well, it might have been like that underground cave in the USA with a complete underground cafeteria. (Mammoth Cave in Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky.)
The Scottish cave wasn't that large nor furnished with conveniences in Bruce's day, nor is it today. The cave is just a small one person cave. No lighting. Nothing. Dark, cold, depressing. Just as it must have been for Robert the Bruce.
I later researched Robert the Bruce's cave. Half a dozen places have Robert the Bruce's cave. It is not totally unlikely that once he got the idea of hiding in a cave, he made a habit of it, until he became king and could live in a palace.
I then looked for a photo of Robert the Bruce and found he lived in the 1300s. Oops. Oh dear. I can't spend all day sorting through a dozen accounts of Robert the Bruce. I was interested to see the reconstruction of a face from a skull, supposedly proving he had leprosy.
Tartans and Tatties
I wanted to buy tartan to wear to give a talk on seeing Scotland and Robert the Bruce. The main shops I expected to have bargains like the Edinburgh Woollen Mill (which has outlets all over Britain) had no tartans in my budget. They tended to sell complete outfits, or he assistant pointed out that you needed the correct white blouse, and the shawl, plus for the gentleman, socks with a tartan or matching feather, a sporran, a cap, a jacket.
I was also worried about buying the wrong tartan. The one I wanted with jolly red was a clan tartan. The clans have got very clannish. You are not supposed to by a clan tartan unless you are a member of the clan. It's like a military uniform. Impersonating, like wearing the old school tie of a school you didn't go to. So you have to buy a general tartan. I like Black watch. I don't think anybody would really think I was with the Black Watch.
There's a Jewish tartan. I don't suppose anybody would want it unless they were Jewish or doing a comedy turn. Ah, there's an idea.
I ended up finding a tartan in a charity shop.
Tips
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/12/08/face-robert-bruce-reconstructed-showing-scottish-king-had-leprosy/
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and and speaker.
What to see and do in Scotland?
Answer
My side trips from Edinburgh included Lockerbie, a puppet place and Bruce and the Spider.
When? According to Wikipedia the first Robert the Bruce came over with William the Conqueror in 1066. He hid in a cave from people hunting from him.
Actually he hid from the English. But the story is told in England to schoolchildren without mentioning this inconvenient fact. Scotland and England were united by a later King, in 1707, hence the Union Jack flag.
I saw a spider. Not Bruce's spider. Spiders don't live that long. Maybe a descendant. I could have asked. But I can't read spider sign language.
I didn't see the spider at first. It was still. Playing dead. Invisible units web. I expect that's how it catches flies.
Bruce was literally holed up for a long time. I was surprised to see a small, empty cave. What had I expected? A film show? Well, it might have been like that underground cave in the USA with a complete underground cafeteria. (Mammoth Cave in Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky.)
The Scottish cave wasn't that large nor furnished with conveniences in Bruce's day, nor is it today. The cave is just a small one person cave. No lighting. Nothing. Dark, cold, depressing. Just as it must have been for Robert the Bruce.
I later researched Robert the Bruce's cave. Half a dozen places have Robert the Bruce's cave. It is not totally unlikely that once he got the idea of hiding in a cave, he made a habit of it, until he became king and could live in a palace.
I then looked for a photo of Robert the Bruce and found he lived in the 1300s. Oops. Oh dear. I can't spend all day sorting through a dozen accounts of Robert the Bruce. I was interested to see the reconstruction of a face from a skull, supposedly proving he had leprosy.
Tartans and Tatties
I wanted to buy tartan to wear to give a talk on seeing Scotland and Robert the Bruce. The main shops I expected to have bargains like the Edinburgh Woollen Mill (which has outlets all over Britain) had no tartans in my budget. They tended to sell complete outfits, or he assistant pointed out that you needed the correct white blouse, and the shawl, plus for the gentleman, socks with a tartan or matching feather, a sporran, a cap, a jacket.
I was also worried about buying the wrong tartan. The one I wanted with jolly red was a clan tartan. The clans have got very clannish. You are not supposed to by a clan tartan unless you are a member of the clan. It's like a military uniform. Impersonating, like wearing the old school tie of a school you didn't go to. So you have to buy a general tartan. I like Black watch. I don't think anybody would really think I was with the Black Watch.
There's a Jewish tartan. I don't suppose anybody would want it unless they were Jewish or doing a comedy turn. Ah, there's an idea.
I ended up finding a tartan in a charity shop.
Tips
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/12/08/face-robert-bruce-reconstructed-showing-scottish-king-had-leprosy/
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and and speaker.
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