Scotland is a fascinating country, but it has also confused me a little. I’ve always thought that Scotland was very much like Australia, in that it has political ties to United Kingdom and the British Crown but is an independent country. Apparently it’s more complicated than that. Sure, it has it’s own language Gaelic (which I’m trying to learn), it’s apart of the European Union but the currency is the English pound, it’s National Animal is the Unicorn yet it’s National Flower is the Thistle, and although the Scottish legal system is separate from the UK, Scotland is apparently going to be having a referendum of independence on 18 September 2014.
Political intrigue aside, I’ve always wanted to do is visit Scotland, I’ve always thought of it as this magical mysterious place, and the Celtic culture and history of Scotland are a HUGE inspiration to me. So if I could visit Scotland, here’s some of the places I’d like to visit or stuff I’d like see:
The Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh
Castles in Edinburgh & The Lothians
National Museum of Scotland
They even have a Loch Ness Film Festival and
A Writer’s Museum. It centers mostly around Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson but other Scottish writers are also mentioned.
However, it’s their New Year’s Eve aka Hogmanay Celebrations that intrigue me the most. They have this activity known as the Stonehaven Fireball Ceremony, in which they collect bits of newspaper and other flammable stuff and shove it into a ball made out of chicken wire with a long wire cord, set it on fire, swing it around a bit as they walk down the street and throw it in the nearby water source.
In Edinburgh, they have a special tradition of setting a Viking longboat on fire as well (not entirely sure why though)
So, what place have you always want to go and why? What would you like to do once you’re there? Let me know in the comments 🙂
Ambiguous Pieces 
Gaelic is a language of some Scots but not all (in fact only a small minority speak it) and there are Scottish pounds as well as the ones issued by the Bank of England.
Scotland, as part of the UK, is a member of the EU but should it become an independent country that membership is the subject of some speculation.
The education system in Scotland is also different from that in the rest of the UK
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Thank you so much for commenting :). I understand Gaelic’s mostly spoken the rural areas of the scottish highlands correct? Sorry if that isn’t the case. Tempted to bombard you with questions about Scotland, especially the education system and independence situation, but that probably take up too much of your time. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
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The largest number of Gaelic speakers, outwith the Western Isles is to be found in Glasgow.
Much support for the language has been given by the Scottish government and a dedicated television channel,BBC Alba, was set up a few years ago.
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