The Best Wee Country in the World

Alright, end of week two and I’ve graduated from “dumb American tourist” to an Edinburgh expert! I no longer get lost, it doesn’t take a millennium to count my Scottish coins, and I actually look the correct way when crossing the street. Woo hoo!

Ok fine, that’s all a lie…especially about the stupid Scottish money…but I’m getting there!

So, after an hour of wandering clueless through Edinburgh’s windy, nonsensical neighborhoods…

(it wasn’t that bad..)

..we finally found the Stockbridge Market!

The Scottish love their meat pies. I don’t blame them.

Oh, if you haven’t already figured it out, “wee” means small.

In fact, the Scottish dialect has a range of crazy words, many of which are impossible for an ‘Merican like me to pronounce correctly:

Aye=yes, always

ken=know

Dreich=cold, dreary weather

bairn=baby, child

ken what I know=Do you know what I mean?

Fit like=How are you? (in doric, which comes from Aberdeen)

Get a group of drunk Scots together, and I guarantee, you won’t understand ANTHING that they say…

Speaking of which, this is what drunk Scots would like Americans to know about their country:

1. Gingers are from Scotland, not Ireland. (another preconception debunked!)

2. Scotland is the best wee country in the world.

3. England sucks.

Yep, you guessed it! These guys were wearing kilts.

I’ve found Edinburgh’s pub culture to be a fantastic way to connect with locals and gain insight into Scottish culture. It was from the mouth of a drunk Scot that I first learned that Scotland is in the midst of a nation-wide debate regarding their possible separation from the UK. This particular Scot fervently supports separation, as does roughly half of the population. In September 2014, Scotland will vote in an independence referendum to determine whether or not to become an independent nation. Kind of a big deal!

Other Culture News:

Storytelling is a huge Scottish tradition, contributing to the modern prevalence of writing and literature in Edinburgh. To explore this aspect of Scottish culture, I attended an event at Edinburgh’s Scottish Storytelling Centre. The event was called “Café Voices: Winners & Losers”, and was basically an open-mic night where a group of jolly old Scots gathered around candle-lit tables, sipped wine, and took turns sharing stories with a theatrical flare. Most were old folk tales with an underlying moral or lesson. My favorite was “there is no cure for a foolish man…except a smart wife”.

In Exploration News:

Stumbled upon:

After more confused wandering (and help from the locals), I was able to find my way to Leith, a “more hip” district of Edinburgh.

Alas, we missed the Harry Potter party! Bummer.

My group also explored the Stockbridge area of Edinburgh.

Ugh. Awful view.

This is nothing compared to my tour of Loch Ness, Glencoe, and the Highlands.

(Even before I've left on the tour!)

Breathtaking.

Especially the highland coos (cows)!

Loch Ness wasn't bad either...

Sadly, this is as close as I got to spotting Nessie.

Still, it was worth the constant bus-sickness to see the beauty of Scotland beyond Edinburgh. So many shades of green!

Sadly, only one week left of “the best wee country in the world”. I’ll see what it brings me.

Oh, and since I know you’re curious about how that wild pigeon turned out…

Success! Quite delicious…tastes a lot like beef.

‘Till next time…cheers!