More haggis and scotch pie adventures..... oh and whisky fudge too.

My weekend trip to Scotland, it may only have been 3 days and 2 nights but it has not only charmed me with it's spectacular scenery but it has given me a chance to discover and learn more of the country's history, the noble people and famous individuals who were either born here or have settled here including some trivial information I might need to tell my friends to keep them amused. I've actually started making notes (isn't that sad?) so I can have something I can finally write in one of my travel journals. I summarised below what I have in my notes so far (don't count on me for accuracy so I'm really welcome to corrections) but here's to hoping you will benefit from this little knowledge I'm about to impart so here it goes:

St.Andrew is the national saint although St.Columba was more instrumental in propagating Catholicism in Scotland. St.Columba was Irish.

Robert Louis Stevenson - well known Scottish writer, author of famous books "The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", "Treasure Island", "Kidnapped" was born in Edinburgh. He spent most of adult life ill and was believed to have tuberculosis which was a common illness during his time. Our tour guide showed us his house in Heriot Row. The door is painted red. There is a long list of famous Scottish writers and noblemen. I have no intention to write them all down here. Only the few ones I mentioned are the ones listed in my notes.

Alexander Graham Bell - inventor of the telephone is Scottish. We were shown where he used to live in Edinburgh. I think the color of the door was blue. :)

Listerine (the famous mouthwash) was invented by Lord Joseph Lister. He is also Scottish. So if you're wondering where the word Listerine came from, you probably guessed it right. I saw his house too, cant remember the color of the door though. :) I don't know but this made me remember Thomas Crapper - inventor of the ballcock (a mechanism for filling tanks). He inventing the flush toilet is a widespread misconception although people could easily relate the toilet to the name "crapper", you know what I mean right? Don't let me explain, it could be gross.

J.K Rowling - the English author of Harry Potter books was based in Edinburgh while she was writing HP. We were shown the cafe where she used to write because her apartment was unheated. She used to be poor but now she is one of the richest women in the world.

Sir Sean Connery, the Hollywood Actor is Scottish. He was knighted in Hollyrood house in Edinburgh.

Loch Ness - the most famous Loch in the Highlands, especially for a foreigner like me. I have heard of this Loch Ness when it was rumored to have a resident monster living in it. The loch is only the second the biggest but is regarded to be ridiculously deep at 800 feet for a loch (river). There are plenty of rumored sightings but our local tour guide is too cynical to believe their is a dinosaur-like creature in it. I didn't see anything strange when I was there. I'm not bothered, I already have a fluffy and furry version of Nessie given to me as a present. It would do. :)

And of course, who wouldn't know about the epic movie "Braveheart" in 1995 starred by the Aussie actor Mel Gibson? The movie was inspired by a real person, a Scottish knight called Sir William Wallace who fought against the English during the first war of independence. I don't think our local tour guide was too bothered to talk about the movie. I guess it was too Hollywood-ized for the Scottish taste that if they had to show how Sir Wallace was executed, it won't be allowed in the big screen because it would mean they had to rip apart Mel Gibson's chest cavity and take out his beating heart and crush it infront of him while still conscious, that makes beheading sound tame. Execution during in the medieval era was that grotesque, I guess that's why they were called barbarians then. If you are the sadistic type and would like to get more ideas of torture, I suggest you visit the Tower of London in UK where they have what I call the "torture museum".

So there you go, more useless information for your daily life conveyed to you with passion! Have a great day.