Experiencing Scotland

    Scotland is a unique and austere place， laden with history， where you can find aristocratic palaces and castles， as well as the traditional parades in national costumes. It has some of the most beautiful cities in Europe， a living testimony of a proud and splendid past.

    In order to see and discover the true soul of Scotland today， what forged the character of this splendid region， we have to go towards the northern regions， to the Grampian Mountains. Beautiful and unspoiled， it was difficult to farm. The Scots subdued the environment with simple spades and strong arms.

    The history of this ancient struggle， and its people's ancient love affair with the hard land， is enclosed within the walls of the Angus Folk Museum. You are able to get a feel of the typical rural atmosphere of times past from the everyday artifacts displayed here.

    From coastal Aberdeen in towards the interior of the Grampian Mountains there runs the Castle Trail， a road that touches on many fortresses， which are witnesses of continual revolts against the dominion of neighboring England in Scottish history.

    Perhaps the most uplifting moment for Scottish autonomy is the one experienced inside this ancient abbey of Arbroath， where， in 1320； the Declaration of Independence was celebrated， at the instigation of King Robert the Bruce. He carried out the plan for autonomy drawn up by the great popular hero William Wallace， to whom cinema has dedicated the wonderful film "Braveheart"， the winner of five Oscars.

    This is Glamis Castle. It is often remembered for being the residence of King Macbeth and Queen Elizabeth in her childhood. Among the most assiduous guests here are the inevitable ghosts， which are nourished， if not actually created， by ancient popular beliefs. These have been handed down over the centuries by a people inclined to live with mystery， with the forces of the supernatural.

    Another attraction here is a legendary monster： the Loch Ness Monster. Is it real or imaginary， this monster， which has been nicknamed Nessie， has collected a good 3000 sightings over the last 50 years？ To fuel the debate about the monster， and perhaps also curiosity about the lake， a price of 500，000 pounds sterling has been put on Nessie's head.

    The true flag of Scotland， tartan， is recognisable from the brightly coloured plaid patterns which are used to distinguish the various clans. Over the last few decades this fabric has made a comeback and is part of the daily life of this country.

    The typical Scottish garment， the kilt， is de rigeur when the Scots play the Great Highland bagpipes， especially when they march in parades.

    Bagpipes and dancing open the competitions of local sporting events， which are called Highland Gatherings. The games， which have strange rules， involve a spirit that has more to do with brute force than with athletics.

    蘇格蘭是一個(gè)獨(dú)特的地方，自然條件雖不得天獨(dú)厚，歷史的厚重感卻隨處可見。豪門望族的府第與城堡歷歷在目，儀仗隊(duì)的士兵也還穿著傳統(tǒng)服裝。這里有全歐洲最美的城市，訴說著蘇格蘭昔日的榮光。

    想看看真正的蘇格蘭，追尋這里民族精神的源泉，就得去北部的格蘭扁山區(qū)。格蘭扁山區(qū)景色怡人，還沒有受到現(xiàn)代文明的污染。格蘭扁一度不適合耕作，倔強(qiáng)的蘇格蘭人，憑著雙手征服了這片土地。

    蘇格蘭先民的艱苦勞作與他們自古對這片貧瘠土地的眷戀，在這個(gè)博物館里一覽無余。這里展出的都是平常的物品，營造出往日鄉(xiāng)間的氛圍，使人油然而生懷舊之情。

    從沿海的阿伯丁，有一條古堡之路，一直蜿蜒到格蘭扁山區(qū)深處。沿途很多昔日的要塞，都是蘇格蘭在歷史上不斷反抗英格蘭統(tǒng)治的見證。

    蘇格蘭爭取自治的過程中最大快人心的時(shí)刻莫過于1320年在這個(gè)修道院，布魯斯國王鼓動(dòng)百姓大肆慶賀獨(dú)立宣言簽訂。布魯斯采納傳奇英雄威廉。華勒斯所獻(xiàn)的計(jì)策，完成了自治大業(yè)，這個(gè)故事后來被改編成電影《勇敢的心》，該片曾摘取了五項(xiàng)奧斯卡獎(jiǎng)。

    這座城堡之所以名聞遐邇，卻是因?yàn)樵��?jīng)的兩位主人——蘇格蘭國王麥克白與幼年時(shí)的伊麗莎白女王。如今這里最相看無厭的客人當(dāng)數(shù)傳說中揮之不去的幽靈，這些傳說即使不是源于世代相傳的民間故事，也大有借鑒化用的嫌疑。蘇格蘭人似乎生來就篤信超自然的力量，因此才有了這些傳說。

    這里游人如織的另一個(gè)原因則是尼斯湖的怪獸。真假姑且不論，這個(gè)昵稱Nessie的怪獸在過去的半個(gè)世紀(jì)中已經(jīng)吸引了三千余名游客。如今它頭上有五十萬英鎊的懸賞，使得學(xué)術(shù)界的爭論日益激烈，或許也會(huì)令游人的好奇日盛吧。

    蘇格蘭格子呢是蘇格蘭真正的旗幟。它顯著的花格子圖案曾經(jīng)是區(qū)分不同宗族的標(biāo)志。在過去幾十年里，格子呢在蘇格蘭再度流行，如今則已在日常生活中不可或缺。

    蘇格蘭傳統(tǒng)的褶裙按照禮節(jié)是應(yīng)該在演奏高地風(fēng)笛時(shí)穿的，尤其是列隊(duì)前進(jìn)的時(shí)候。

    高地風(fēng)笛與利爾舞揭開了高地運(yùn)動(dòng)盛會(huì)的序幕。運(yùn)動(dòng)會(huì)的比賽項(xiàng)目規(guī)則奇特，與其說是田徑比賽，不如說是大力士的較量。