Scotland - Scottish songs, sights, places and people

The Flag of Scotland

The flag of Scotland has a diagonal white cross on a blue background. The x shape has equal length arms. The cross is called a saltire, which means diagonal or X shape. The word saltire comes from the French word for a stile which has an x shape wooden pieces for hikers to clamber over or push back and forth, whilst keeping the sheep or cows inside in a fenced field.

Shall we visit Scotland, at least online, for the sake of auld lang syne?

Scotland is known for sheep which provide food, meat, milk, cream and butter, and wool, as well as goats in the mountains. The deer are another feature.

This Author's Personal Stories

When I met my husband, he was a lecturer at Aberdeen university. We went to the Scottish opera week. Since then we have returned to Scotland for the Edinburgh Festival. 

My favourite memory from the Edinburgh Festival was when we ran up to join the crowd in the street around a street performer. he ran up to me and shouted, "Mother!" He had done the same to my husband a moment earlier, addressing him as "Father!"

You can imagine our expressions of shock and surprise. The audience was in hysterics. They had seen this happen several times during the performance. Later I learned that the performer did the same every year.

The UK flag

Traditional Scottish Songs

Auld Lang Syne

A Gordon for me

Banks of the Dee

Famous Scottish Writers and People

Bonnie Prince Charlie (now you know one local word, bonnie)

Robert Burns Birthplace Museum -  in Ayr

Dr Livingstone - museum

Authors' flagstone trail - Edinburgh

For Sherlock Holmes in his deerstalker hat, go to London, England, and the statue outside Baker Street station, and the shop cum museum in Baker Street around the corner.

William McGonagal - an inspiration to aspiring poets, bad poets poor poets. Famous for his poem about the dreadful Tay Bridge disaster. 

Mary Queen of Scots

Events

Edinburgh festival - August, annual

Edinburgh tattoo 

New Year's Eve

Food

Scottish oats (Oats are served for breakfast in Scotland, with salt; whereas, in England, hotels and homes serve oats with sugar.) 

Scottish shortbread biscuits

Drink

Whisky - distillery visits. (Irish whiskey spelled with an added e.) 

Clothes & Gifts

Scottish tartans

Buy a tartan which identifies you as from your family clan, a Jewish tartan, or a popular multi-purpose pattern tartan which is for tourist use.

Scottish wool

Deerstalker hats

Lock Ness Monster Museum and souvenirs of triple arches of pottery

Blog post being researched and written. Come back later to see more pictures and text. If you have any information to add, please send it to me. 

List of places to visit>

Edinburgh

National Gallery of art and portrait gallery

Scotts monument

Glasgow

Art Gallery (Rennie Mackintosh)

Useful Websites

http://www.rampantscotland.com/songs/blsongs_gordon.htm

http://www.rampantscotland.com/songs/blsongs_dee.htm

https://travelandy.com/the-scotland-of-sherlock-holmes/

The author