And it was on a trip to the Scottish Highlands with UNTOURS, a company with its own unique traditions, that I got to relish in all of it. UNTOURS puts you up in unusual accommodations in multiple cities in more than a dozen European countries – perhaps a castle, a vineyard, or a delightful old church like ours. It provides a car, inundates you with information, connects you with a local contact to answer questions, and sets you off to see what you want to see when you want to see it, unencumbered by anyone else’s set schedule or preferences.

Should we sleep in – or get an early start? Have dinner out – or eat in. Spend the day exploring our home town – or visit some of the towns within an easy hour car ride? Enjoy a sampling of a variety of Scottish single malts – or revel in other less-indulgent sightseeing options? Such are the many decisions with which we had to cope on our Scottish Highlands UNTOUR, an unrivaled way of traveling that encourages you to live like a local. Which means one decision you never have to make in whether or not to unpack.

We were spending the week in our own apartment, part of an 1837 church in a former life, near our home base of Inverness – and it indeed felt like home. Although a street sign on the corner with arrows pointing to a museum, the bus station, a market, and “Castle and Toilet” warranted a double-take. As did all the neighborhood signs where the Gaelic translation appears below the English ID. Dead language? Not close – they still teach it in school. Very hard to understand though. But then again so is the language they speak, which they claim is English…

Kilts, tartans, whisky – not your everyday window-shopping options.  If there were a singular symbol for Scotland, it might be tartan: from hotel interiors and tabletop items to cookie tins and everyday clothing. And then there are the wings of planes at the airport sporting bright plaid colors. Scottish tradition in inescapable.

Case in point — the Highland Games. A throwback to ancient Scotland, it is a unifying rite of passage for any Scot. Amidst the vast ocean of tartan, bagpipes and clans sits a cultural event steeped in skill, tradition and community going back more than a thousand years. Now, the games are held in several cities throughout the summer – and we found ourselves at one on the only day of our week that was dry and drenched in sunshine.

Similar in style to the Renaissance Faires in the states, only here the men are wearing kilts rather than English robes. The music, of course, the incredibly distinctive bagpipes emanating from competing bands, never leave your ears. And, of course, every pipe band sports its own tartan — all of which I wanted a sweater made of — so the multitudes of plaids create a fashion visual that is hard to forge from your eyes. And I can’t tell you how many times I heard the words bonny, aye and laddie. To say, the Highland games are an assault on all the senses is a wee understatement.

And although some of the games such as track and cycling may be recognizable, the chanter, caber tossing, hammer throw and tug ‘o war are not. Men throwing heavy sticks, balls, hammers – and probably their arms out! The Highland dancers, from age six to seniors all decked out in colorful costumes, their intricate steps, toe-tapping music and enthusiasm galore enchant, whatever the age. At one point, I noticed that silence had descended upon the arena and I realized it was the first time a bagpipe couldn’t be heard somewhere off in the distance. It didn’t last long.

So kilts, bagpipes, Highland games all attesting to Scottish heritage. That still leaves whisky. And, oh yes, the damn haggis.

Scottish single malts – celebrated locally as whisky (no e) – are known all over the world for their richness and smoothness – and cost. With a history dating back as far as the 11th century, Scottish whisky is an important part of the country’s identify, with most of the 140-plus distilleries in the Highlands. Being more of a pedestrian imbiber of alcohol, I was not the ideal candidate for a whisky distillery tour and tasting. But I soldiered on.

At the Glen Ord Distillery, serving up its single malts for almost two centuries, I sampled a flight of their 3 brands of whisky – a dram each which I learned was 25 ml. At 12 years of age, they were just kids. Three very different flavors, or so I was told, but I was useless as a connoisseur. They all tasted the same to me. I’m not proud. Then, as instructed, I added three drops of water to each dram to “separate the flavors.” And yes, I noticed they were more potent – but still tasted the same. I slinked out of the distillery.

But I was braver there than with one of Scotland’s most traditional dishes – the inevitable haggis, a lovely concoction of a sheep’s liver, lungs and heart which I chose not to pursue. I opted for another single malt which should tell you how much I didn’t want haggis.

A visit to The Highland House of Fraser reinforces the uniqueness that is Scotland because there, for a mere $750, you can have your own personalized kilt made. And should you not have your own family tartan, you can choose from 750 different plaids from other clans. And you can even watch a kiltmaker weave your threads while, of course, listening to some bagpipe music.

And lest you think the kilt is itself a throwback to history, not so. They are often worn at every celebratory gathering from birthday parties to weddings to funerals – and sometimes just because. As our local UNTOURS rep told us, he takes his kilt and bagpipes with him wherever he goes – apparently both wrap up well for traveling — which conveys how very much a part of everyday living the old traditions are today.

So despite Britain’s efforts to destroy the language, the clothing, the traditions and the lifestyle of the Scottish people, it all remains alive and well today. And UNTOURS encourages its own traditions. Picking up a roasted chicken and another bottle of wine at a local shop in our home town, we headed back to our cozy apartment to think about what other historic/modern Scottish traditions we would next explore. For more information, visit www.untours.com/scottish-highlands.

P.S. I actually wish I HAD tasted haggis – if only for the sake of this article.

The post Scotland: Where Old Traditions are Alive and Well Today appeared first on Traveling Archive.

1 Anne Frank’s Childhood Friend Recalls Their Years Before the Holocaust – Smithsonian Magazine

2 Will AI destroy the music industry? – theweek.com

3 Guide to the Scottish Highlights – tripsavvy.com

4 FDR’S First Fireside Chat: March 12, 1933 – Miller Center

5 How Native Hawaiians Have Fought for Sovereignty – history.com

6 Common Causes of Foot Pain – verywellhealth.com

7 The Jewish Refugees Who Fled Nazi Germany—Then Returned to Fight – history.com

8 Costa Rica Wildlife – Meet the Red Brocket Deer – ticotimes.net

9 Movement and Nature’s Patterns of Leadership – kathleenallen.net

10 The 10 Best Films of 1971 – Traveling Boy

“If you want to make a documentary you should automatically go to the fiction, and if you want to nourish your fiction you have to come back to reality.” – Jean-Luc Godard

The post Spring: History, Health, Film & Wildlife appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Window to the Soul

I got a lot of favorable comments from last week’s blog. You can read some of them here.

Have you ever made eye contact with someone across the room and realized you both were staring at each other? I have. Have you ever looked away from someone across the room, only to sneak a second look when you thought the coast was clear and found that that person did the same thing? I have. Have you ever looked away from someone across the room, only to sneak a second look when you thought the coast was clear and found that that person did the same thing and then you stumbled on your face because you weren’t looking where you should have in the first place? I have.

What is it about our distracting, unnerving “window to our soul?” Why do we connect as individuals in such a powerful way through our eyes?  I confess, I see people’s souls all the time when I do my portraits — probably even more than an optometrist. While eye doctors examine the nerves, in my best days, I become sensitive to my subjects’ aura, their personality … their souls. As an artist, I need to do this in order to capture their essence in paper. Most of the time though, I tone it down a bit. Otherwise, the connection will be too intense for me to focus on the initial impression … the vibes, of that person.

I’ve seen deep sadness, innocence, evil, troubled marriages, deep insecurity, many nervousness, uncontrollable laughter, lots of self-consciousness in my “little caricature office.” There have been powerful bosses who could not stare into my eyes for fear that their sins would be revealed.

The post Tagalog: Strangest Language in the World appeared first on Traveling Archive.