Day 1.
Today I arrived with a morning train from London to Edinburgh. Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. The trip took me about 6 hours. After a quick lunch I made a plan for the day.
The first thing I wanted to see was the Edinburgh Castle, so I found a sightseeing bus. I found a seat at the roof of the bus. In front of the bus there was a man who was telling about the tourist attractions and the history of Scotland.
First stop was Edinburgh Castle. It is a beautiful building built on a rock. The rock was a dead volcano. The man said that it was built in the 11th century. The castle is open for tourists and there are about 1,2 million visitors every year. He told about a historic attack against the building in 1314. The attack was led by the first earl of Moray, Thomas Randolph. Edinburgh Castle was one of the only remaining castles that still were under English domination. The attack was successful. The man said that Scotland has been a part of the UK since 1707.
The second stop was the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The palace is the royal family's residence in Scotland. Scotland and England have the same queen. (Elisabeth 2nd) This castle is also open for tourists. The castle was built by David 1st of Scotland in 1128. It was built as a monastery, not a castle.
Day 2
Since football is the Scottish national sport, I can't leave Scotland before I’ve seen a football match. I saw on the internet that there was a football match today, in the largest city of Scotland: Glasgow. (Celtic- Rangers) So, I took a train to Glasgow. The match ended 2-2.
After that I walked around in the city, and watched at shops. I bought a kilt as a souvenir. The kilt is the traditional dress for men in Scotland.
Then I ate haggis at a restaurant. Haggis is the national dish in Scotland. It is made of sheep entrails. The waiter told me that the Scottish people always eat haggis at Robert Burns night. This is 25 January, and is to celebrate Robert Burns. He is Scotland's national poet, who lived in the 17th century. His poetry is very important for the Scottish people.
When I was looking for a hotel here in in Glasgow, I heard a melody. The melody was from a man who played bagpipe in the street. There was a crowd standing around him. He used a instrument I’ve never seen before. When the song was finished I asked him what it is. He said that the instrument was called a bagpipe. The bagpipe is the national instrument of Scotland. Then I checked in on a hotel.
Day 3
Today I've visited Glasgow University to find out more about Scotland. I asked one of the students. He said that Scotland was divided in three parts: The Highlands, that is the northern part of Scotland. The Lowlands, that is the central part of Scotland. The Southern uplands, that is the southern part of Scotland.
The capital is Edinburgh, but the largest city is Glasgow. He told me about the Loch Ness lake, and that the Scottish people have believed that a sea monster, Nessie, is in the lake since 1933. It would be fun to visit the Loch Ness lake, but it's too far from here. I am going to leave today, and have not enough time.
The population in Scotland is about 5,2 millions, and it is in the the Lowland most of them live. They speak English with Scottish accsent. Scotland's national day is 30. November, and its called St. Andrew's day.
The pictures of the trip:
Edinburgh Castle
Palace of Holyroodhouse
Celtic VS Rangers
The traditional dish Haggis
The guy that played bagpipe
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