Two years ago I had my first portion of Haggis in Edinburgh. Now we're back in this wonderfull city for a while and I'm sure that we're going to eat Haggis again. For those who don't know what Haggis is, I can only say that it is supposed to be Scotlands national dish and it is made from all that what you normally do not eat from a sheep. Just click on this link and you will know more.
The scottish highlands is a fabulous place -except for the midges, the smallest vampires in the world- and travelling around there you will always be surprised or stunned by the next view. Sometimes deserted endless roads through amazing valleys and suddenly you have to stop your car because a herd of cows' or sheep's just feel's like standing in the middle of the road. In the highlands you also meet traffic signs you've never seen before, but very nice ones,
and I would like to steal one of these and put it up in Alaunpark in Dresden on a Sunday, when the real traktors are on the move. In the Highlands you have not just mountains, sheeps and cattle. Every now and then one of the scottish lochs appears in the landscape and with those the many old castles like this one close to Kyle of Lochals and the isle of Skye; 
Eilean Donan castle, which was one of the locations for the film from 1986; "Highlander" with Christopher Lambert and the scotsman of all scotsmen; Sean Connery.
We are riding on the bus no. 47 to the city center of Edinburgh. We are on top in the front of the doppeldecker bus and we are just following this; 
while the scottish summer weather shatters the frontscreen. "Why are you taking that picture?" Catriona ask. "I like the composition and the colours!".Edinburgh has brought up many artists and among them many famours writers who found their inspiration in the narrow and often spooky streets and stairs of the city. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde and J.K Rowling started her first Harry Potter in one of the city's coffe shops. 
And no wonder because edinburgh has so much character and when the night comes the rain wet streets turns into mysterious and spooky locations from where you could expect al most everything. You never know what to expect when you want to make a shortcut through the next little hidden medival path way.
On the High Street or the Royal Mile, which leads the thousands of turists to the castle, just outside the court of session you will a mosaic built into the pavement formed as a heart. This is called "the heart of Midlothian". 
Normally it rains in scotland so this hart is normally wet, but even if it doesn't rain this mosaic seems to be wet. How can that be? Well it is not really wet and not all over as when it rains. It is just on some spots and it lookes more like big grollies than water. And so it is. The people of Edinburgh -or some of them- spitts on this mosaic when ever they pass it. Why it is like that? Either read the link or do what I do everytime I see one spitting there; I ask why. Last night it was the street cleaner who stopped his work, honked a few times and then send the biggest grollie out and down on the heart. "Why di you do that?" I asked: He stopped and looked surprised at me and said: "It's just tradition, you spitt on that stone when you pass it!" and then he continued his work cleaning the street. The next couple of days I will look for more answers, I promise you.
No comments:
Post a Comment