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.
One of the 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 3,000 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 pur on Nessie's head.
The true flag of Scotland, tartan, is recognizable 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.
参考中文译文
苏格兰是一个独特的地方，自然条件恶劣，但是这个国家的历史却十分悠久。豪门望族的府邸与城堡尽在眼前，仪仗队的士兵也穿着传统服饰。这里有全欧洲最美的城市，诉说着苏格兰昔日的荣耀和辉煌。
想要探寻真正的苏格兰精神，造就这一绚丽地区的精神，就得去北部的格兰扁山区。格兰扁山区景色怡人，还没有受到现代文明的污染。格兰扁一度不适合耕作，倔强的苏格兰人，凭着勤劳的双手和简单的工具征服了这片土地。
苏格兰先祖的艰苦劳作与他们自古对这片贫瘠土地的眷恋，在安格斯民俗博物馆里一览无余。从这里展出的平常物品，让你可以感受到往日乡间的氛围。
这里游人如织的一个原因是传说中的尼斯湖水怪。真假姑且不论，这个昵称“Nessie”的水怪在过去的半个世纪中已经吸引了3，000余名游客。如今它头上有五十万英镑的悬赏，使得学术界的争论日益激烈，也引起了游客关于尼斯湖的好奇心。
苏格兰格子呢是苏格兰真正的标志。它显著的花格子图案曾经是区分不同宗族的标志。在过去几十年里，格子呢在苏格兰再度流行，如今则已在日常生活中不可或缺。
苏格兰传统的褶裙按照礼节是应该在演奏高地风笛时穿的，尤其是列队前进的时候。
高地风笛与利尔舞揭开了高地运动盛会的序幕；运动会的比赛项目规则奇特，与其说是田径比赛，不如说是大力士的较量。