CHAPTER 10

MORE OF SCOTLAND
Scotland is marvellous. Escocia es maravillosa. It's a country of mountains and lakes, and everything I saw in my few days there was, without exception, beautiful. Es un pas de montaas y lagos, y todo lo que yo vi en mis pocos das haba, sin excepcin, belleza. I am not exaggerating and I can say this even though, from the minute Martin and I left Edinburgh, the weather was terrible. Yo no estoy exagerando y yo puedo decir esto aunque, del Martin diminuto y yo dej Edimburgo, el tiempo era terrible.(bueno??) It rained and rained, and then when the rain stopped, it rained again. Llovi y llovi, y entonces cuando la lluvia detuvo, llovi de nuevo. As we drove north, Martin started to tell me a few things about Scotland. Cuando nosotros condujimos )hacia el norte(, Martin empez a decirme unas cosas sobre Escocia. He didn't want me to think about the rain! l no quera que yo pensara en la lluvia! "Did you know that Scotland includes 787 islands?" he asked me. "Sabe usted que Escocia incluye 787 islas?" l me pregunt. "No, I didn't," I answered, looking out of the window at the grey sky, the dark grey clouds and the rain. "No, yo no," yo contest y mirando fuera de la ventana el cielo gris, las nubes grises oscuras y la lluvia. "Yes, and only 62 of the islands are bigger than five square kilometres," he added. "S, y slo 62 de las islas son ms grandes de cinco kilmetros del cuadrado," l agreg. "Hmm, do you think the rain will stop soon?" I asked. "Hmm, piensa usted que la lluvia detendr pronto?" Yo pregunt. "I hope so.

"Eso espero.(eso creo) We'll go to Dunkeld first. Nosotros iremos primero a Dunkeld. They've got their Highland Games on at the moment." Ellos llevaban puesto sus Juegos de la Regin montaosa en el momento." The rain was getting worse and I couldn't see the car in front of us. La lluvia estaba ponindose peor y yo no podra ver el automvil delante de nosotros. The mountains in the distance had disappeared. Las montaas en la distancia haban desaparecido. Antonio, you're not listening, are you? Antonio, usted no est escuchando, eres tu? Stop worrying about the rain. Para de preocuparte por la lluvia. I was going to tell you about the Highland Games, but you're obviously not interested." Yo iba a decirle sobre los Juegos de la Regin montaosa, pero usted no es interesado obviamente." "I'm sorry, Martin. "Yo lo siento, Martin. Of course I'm interested. Por supuesto yo estoy interesado. What are the Games?" Cules son los Juegos?" "They're a competition of the traditional Scottish sports," he explained. "Ellos son una competicin de los deportes escoceses tradicionales," l explic. "But you do sports outside. "Pero usted hace deportes de afuera. (al aire libre, sin pista interior) Won't they be cancelled if it's raining?" I asked. No se cancelarn ellos si est lloviendo?" Yo pregunt. "No.This is Scotland, not Andalucia! "No.sta es Escocia, no Andalucia! If we canceled something every time we had bad weather, we'd never do anything!"

Si nosotros cancelramos algo cada vez que nosotros tenamos tiempo malo, nosotros nunca hariamos nada!" Of course, Martin was right. Por supuesto, Martin tena razn. The Games continued, despite the rain. Los Juegos continuaron, a pesar de la lluvia. We parked the car outside the pretty town of Dunkeld and walked out to the field where the competition was being held. Nosotros estacionamos el automvil fuera del pueblo bonito de Dunkeld y salimos al campo donde la competicin se estaba llevando a cabo. There were hundreds of different-cloured umbrellas and everyone was wearing a raincoat - everyone except the competitors (who were mostly men). Haba centenares de diferente-cloured los paraguas y todos estbamos llevando un impermeable - todos excepto los competidores (quin era principalmente hombres). They were wearing kilts and T-shirts. Ellos estaban llevando faldas escocesas y Camisetas. "People really wear kilts!" I exclaimed. "Las personas realmente llevan faldas escocesas!" Yo exclam. "Of course they do, but not every day!" laughed Martin. "Por supuesto ellos las llevan, pero no todos los das!" ri Martin. "Men have worn kilts since the end of the 1700s. "Los hombres han llevado faldas escocesas desde el fin de los 1700s. Women also wear kilts sometimes. Las mujeres tambin llevan a veces faldas escocesas. I wear one on special occasions, for a wedding, or something like that." Yo llevo uno en las ocasiones especiales, para una boda, o algo as." "You wear a skirt?!" I exclaimed. "Usted lleva una falda?!" Yo exclam. "No, Antonio. "No, Antonio. I don't wear a skirt, I wear a kilt. Yo no llevo una falda, yo llevo una falda escocesa. The kilt is a symbol of Scottish nationalism, the same as tartan." La falda escocesa es un smbolo de nacionalismo escocs, igual que el tartn."

"What's tartan?" I asked him. "Que es tartn?" Yo le pregunt. "It's the special pattern in the material that kilts are made from - the material with the different-coloured squares. "Es el modelo especial en el material del que se hacen faldas escocesas - el material con los cuadrados diferente-coloreados. Nowadays, there are more than 2,000 different patterns. Hay hoy da, ms de 2,000 modelos diferentes. Some of them are officially recognised and some aren't. Algunos de ellos se reconocen oficialmente y algunos no son. Historically, every `clan or family has its own pattern. Histricamente, cada `Clan o la familia tiene su propio modelo. For example, the Gordon clan has a tartan, the MacDonald clan has a different tartan and ... Look!" Por ejemplo, el clan de Gordon tiene un tartn, el clan de MacDonald tiene un tartn diferente y... Mira!" Martin pointed to the corner of the field. Martin apunt a la esquina del campo. There was a man with what looked like a tree trunk in his arms! Haba un hombre con lo que se pareca un tronco del rbol en sus brazos! "What's he doing that tree?" I asked. "Qu est haciendo l ese rbol?" Yo pregunt. "It's not a tree," he said. "No es un rbol," l dijo. "It's called a caber and the competition is called 'Tossing the Caber'. "Se llama un caber y la competicin se llama ' Arrojando el Caber'. Imagine the face of a clock on the ground. Imagine la cara de un reloj en la tierra. Each competitors stands in the middle of 'clock', lifts the caber vertically and puts it on his shoulder. Cada posiciones de los competidores en el medio de ' el clock', alzamientos el caber verticalmente y lo pone en su hombro.(clock, tambien puede ser cronometro)(arrggg que maaaaal joderrrrr) Then he throws it so that it spins in the air and it must land in a straight line on the ground. Entonces l lo tira para que hile en el aire y debe aterrizar en una lnea recta en la tierra. The person who can throw the caber closest to the 12 o'clock position wins.

Watch!" La persona que puede tirar el caber cerca a la 12 posicin de la hora gana. Reloj!"(vigilante) We watched several more competitions. Nosotros miramos algunos ms competiciones. Most of them consisted of throwing something heavy. La mayora de ellos consisti en tirar algo pesado. There were also some women competing, but they didn't have problems because obviously, these games require skill as well as strength. Haba tambin algunas mujeres compitiendo, pero ellas no tenan problemas porque obviamente, estos juegos requieren habilidad as como la fuerza. "Come on!" said Martin. "Vamos!" dijo Martin. "You've got to try some haggis before we leave. "Usted tiene que probar algn haggis antes de que nosotros salgamos. It's a typical Scottish food." Es una comida escocesa tpica." In the village, there was a little market selling local produce. En el pueblo, hay pocoa mercadoa que vendan producto local. There was honey and jam, cakes and biscuits. Haba miel y mermelada, pasteles y bizcochos. And haggis. Y haggis. "Yuk! What is that?" I asked, when Martin showed me the haggis. "Yuk! Qu es eso?" Yo pregunt, cuando Martin me mostr el haggis. It looked like a plastic bag with something brown and lumpy inside it. Se pareca una bolsa de plstico con algo el marrn y aterronado dentro de l. (picado con grumos) "It's a sheep's stomach," Martin told me. "Es el estmago de una oveja," Martin me dijo. "There's lamb inside it and onion and the heart, liver ..." "Hay cordero dentro de l y cebolla y el corazn, hgado..." "Don't tell me! "No me digas!

I'd prefer to eat it without knowing. Yo preferira comerlo sin saber. Why aren't you having any?" Porque no estas haciendo algo?"() "Oh, I've already tried it!" he laughed. "Oh, yo ya lo he probado!" l se ri. The lady selling the haggis gave me a little plastic plate with hot haggis on it and I ate it with a fork. La seora que vende el haggis me dio un poco el plato de plstico con haggis caliente en l y yo lo com con un tenedor. When I didn't look at what I was eating, it tasted quite nice! Cuando yo no miraba lo que yo estaba comiendo, sabia bastante bueno! * * * * * * * * * That afternoon, we drove through the Grampian Mountains. Esa tarde, nosotros condujimos a travs de las Montaas de Grampian. It was still raining, but I didn't mind. Todava estaba lloviendo, pero no me import. The scenery was beautiful. El paisaje era bonito. In between the mountains there were wide open spaces and it was all so green. Entre las montaas haba espacios abiertos anchos y era todos tan verde. The hills seemed endless. Las colinas parecan interminables. We stopped and camped that evening outside a little village. Nosotros detuvimos y acampamos esa tarde fuera del pequeo pueblo. It sounds crazy to camp in the rain, but it was wonderful. Parece loco para acampar en la lluvia, pero era maravilloso. We had bought some tins of food and some bread and wine and we sat in the tent and cooked on a little camper stove. Nosotros habamos comprado algunos comida enlatada y un poco de pan y vino y nosotros nos sentamos en la tienda y cocinamos adelante un poco la estufa del acampador.()0oO[]{} Then we played cards. Entonces nosotros jugamos a las cartas. Eventually, the rain stopped and we could see the sun through the clouds as it disappeared behind the mountains. Ms adelante, la lluvia detuvo y nosotros podramos ver el sol a travs de las nubes cuando desapareci detrs de las montaas.

It was truly beautiful. Era verdaderamente bonito. "Tomorrow, we'll go and find Nessie!" said Martin. "Maana, nosotros iremos y encontraremos Nessie!" Martin dijo. "Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster?" I asked. "Nessie, el Lago el Monstruo de Ness?" Yo pregunt. "Yes. There will be a lot of people at Loch Ness, but you can't leave Scotland without going to its most famous lake." "S. Habr muchas personas en el Lago Ness, pero usted no puede dejar Escocia sin ir a su lago ms famoso." "So is `loch the Scottish word for lake?" I asked. "As que es `Loch la palabra escocesa para el lago?" Yo pregunt. (loch=lago=lake)(escoces,espaol,ingles) "That's right. "Eso es correcto. There are lots of lakes in Scotland but Loch Ness is the biggest. Hay muchos lagos en Escocia pero Lago que Ness es el ms grande. It's 39 kilometres long and the deepest part is 229 metres deep. Son 39 kilmetros de largo y la parte ms profunda es 229 metros de hondo. There's a lot of loch for Nessie to hide in!" Hay mucho lago para que Nessie se esconda!" That night I dreamed about monsters. Esa noche yo so con los monstruos. I woke up to the sound of rain. Yo me despert por el sonido de lluvia. I looked at my watch; it was 6.00 am. Yo miraba mi reloj; eran las 6.00. By 6.30 AM the rain had stopped and I opened the tent. All las 6.30 la lluvia se haba detenido y yo abr la tienda. The sun was rising and there was white mist on the ground. El sol estaba subiendo y haba llovizna blanca en la tierra. I put on my jumper and my boots and went outside. Yo me puse mi saltador y mis botas y sal. (fui fuera) I walked up to the top of a hill and looked down into the valley. Yo camin a la cima de una colina y miraba hacia abajo en el valle.

Everything looked very mysterious, quiet and calm. Todo pareca muy misterioso, callado y en calma. There was complete silence except for the birds. Haba silencio completo salvo los pjaros. "It's perfect!" I thought. "Es perfecto!" Yo pens. I stood there and watched as the sun came up. Yo estaba de pie all y mir como el sol surgi. When the mist had evaporated, I saw the sun reflected on the water of a loch below me. Cuando la llovizna se haba evaporado, yo vi el sol reflejado en el agua de un lago debajo de m. It was a very special moment. Era un momento muy especial. When we got to Inverness, Martin turned right. Cuando nosotros conseguimos a Inverness, Martin dobl a la derecha. I was looking at the map. Yo estaba mirando el mapa. "Martin, we should have turned left to go to Loch Ness," I told him. "Martin, nosotros debemos de haber doblado a la izquierda para ir al Lago Ness," yo le dije. "I know, but I want you to see something special first," he said. "Yo s, pero yo quiero que usted vea algo especial primero," l dijo. "My parents live in a village not far from here. "Mis padres viven en un pueblo no lejos de aqu. Near the village there's a castle. Cerca del pueblo hay un castillo. It's a beautiful place and it has an interesting history. Es un lugar bonito y tiene una historia interesante. The legend is that in 1454, the Lord of Cawdor wanted to build a new castle. La leyenda es eso en 1454, el Seor de Cawdor quiso construir un nuevo castillo. He filled a bag with gold to pay for the castle, put the bag of gold on a horse and said he would build the castle at the place where the horse stopped. l llen una bolsa con oro para pagar por el castillo, puso la bolsa de oro en un

caballo y dijo l construira el castillo al lugar donde el caballo detuvo. (Seguramente muerto) It stopped under a tree, so he built the castle around the tree. Se detuvo bajo un rbol, as que l construy el castillo alrededor del rbol. You can still see the tree in the cellar." Usted todava puede ver el rbol en el stano." We stopped near the castle and got out of the car. Nosotros detuvimos cerca del castillo y salimos del automvil. "I usually spend New Year's Eve at my parents' home," said Martin. "Yo normalmente gasto la Vspera de Nuevo Ao en la casa de mis padres," dijo a Martin. "When I do, I always visit the castle. "Cuando lo hago, yo siempre visito el castillo. It's a special place, isn't it?" l es un lugar especial, no lo es?" "Yes, it is," I agreed. "S, lo es," yo estaba de acuerdo. "By the way, how do you and your family celebrate New Year's Eve?" "A propsito, cmo celebran usted y su familia la Vspera de Nuevo Ao?" "Well, we usually have a big party with lots of people and then at midnight, we listen to the bells of Big Ben on the radio," Matin answered. "Bien, nosotros normalmente tenemos una fiesta grande con muchas personas y entonces a medianoche, nosotros escuchamos a las campanillas de Ben Grande en la radio," Matin contest. "After the bells, we stand in a circle, hold hands and sing a traditional Scottish song called Auld Lang Syne." "Despus de las campanillas, nosotros estamos de pie en un crculo, nos agarramos las manos y cantamos una cancin escocesa tradicional llamada Auld Lang Syne."(Pues no se) He sang some of the song to me and I realised that I knew it! l me cant algo de la cancin y yo comprend que yo la conoca! We used to sing it in America at New Year as well. Nosotros lo cantbamos tambin en Amrica al Nuevo Ao. "Does everybody kiss after that and say 'Happy New Year'?" I asked him. "Todos os besais y despus decs Nuevo Ao Feliz?" Yo le pregunt.

"Of course! I think people kiss each other at New Year in most Countries!" Martin exclaimed. "Por supuesto! Yo pienso que las personas se besan al Nuevo Ao en la mayora de los Pases!" Martin exclam. "But you know, New Year's Eve is a very important celebration in Scotland and is called Hogmanay. "Pero usted sabe, la Vspera de Nuevo Ao es una celebracin muy importante en Escocia y se llama Hogmanay. And the traditional way of celebrating Hogmanay is very interesting. Y la manera tradicional de celebrar Hogmanay es muy interesante. The tradition is that people stay at home until after midnight and the first person to come into your house after that must be a man with dark hair." La tradicin es que las personas se quedan en casa hasta despus de medianoche y la primera persona venir en su casa detrs de eso debe ser un hombre con pelo oscuro."(QUE PEDAZO TONTERIA) Why? I interrupted. "Por qu"? yo interrump. "Because that's the tradition, I don't know the reason!" Martin answered. "Porque sa es la tradicin, yo no s la razn!" Martin contest. "The man must also bring a piece of coal, so that the house will always be warm, a bag of salt, so that the family will always have something to eat and a bottle of whisky, so that the family always have something to drink. "El hombre tambin debe traer un pedazo de carbn, para que la casa siempre fuera calurosa, una bolsa de sal, para que la familia siempre tuviera algo que comer y una botella de whisky, para que la familia siempre tenga algo que beber. Anyway, my parents have an old friend who loves this tradition. En cualquier caso, mis padres tienen un viejo amigo que ama esta tradicin. He's a dark-haired man and after midnight, he always comes to my parents' house with these three presents. l es un hombre de pelo oscuro y despus de medianoche, l viene siempre a la casa de mis padres con estos tres regalos. Of course, all the whisky is drunk that night!" Por supuesto, todo el whisky se bebe esa noche!" (Gisqui) "And then what happens?" I asked. "Y entonces que pasa?" Yo pregunt. "Well, then we continued with the party, like everywhere in the world at New

Year!" Martin laughed. "Bien, entonces nosotros continuamos con la fiesta, como por todas partes en el mundo al Nuevo Ao!" Martin se ri. "But the tradition of Hogmanay makes Scotland unique. "Pero la tradicin de Hogmanay se hace en Escocia solo. I like that," told him. Me gusta eso," le dijo. We went Loch Ness and I took photos of a big, empty lake. Nosotros fuimos Lago que Ness y yo tom fotografas de un lago grande, vaco. About 80 other tourist were doing the same thing! Aproximadamente 80 otros turista estaban haciendo la misma cosa! A man called Hugh Gray took the first photo of Nessie in 1933 and several people since then have said that they saw `her. Un hombre llam Hugh Gray tom la primera fotografa de Nessie desde entonces en 1933 y varias personas han dicho que ellos `la vieron. I don't know if there really is a monster in the Loch, but I like the legend. Yo no s si hay realmente un monstruo en el Lago, pero me gusta la leyenda. (NO, no lo hay, lo han demostrado estudios cientficos actuales) I think it's important that we keep our legends and myths about where we live. Yo pienso que es importante que nosotros guardamos nuestras leyendas y mitos sobre donde nosotros vivimos. They're part of our history. Ellos son parte de nuestra historia. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to see much more on that visit. Desgraciadamente, yo no tena tiempo para ver mucho ms en esa visita. It is a little difficult to see the whole of Scotland in three days! Es un poco difcil de ver el todo de Escocia en tres das! (cmprate un satlite IDIOTA GILIPOLLAS MAMN, CABRN no tienes por que contarme tu vida en un estupido libro de MIERDA, y si no te llega para un satlite te compras un loro y le matas a cuentos) Next time, I want to go all the way up to John O' Groats, Scotland's most northern point, and then take the ferry to the Orkney Islands. La prxima vez, yo quiero subir toda la calle a John O' Groats, el punto ms norteo de Escocia, y entonces tomo la barca a las Islas de Orkney. Even if it's raining! Aun cuando est lloviendo!