Scotland Vacation and Kilts

[ziggy]

One of the reasons I don't wear the kilt more often is that I am sick sorry and tired of having my picture taken and I am not alone with those thoughts.

I have made a lifetime study of whisky and I will need at least another lifetime to finish the job! Have fun when you visit and I know for a certain fact that you will enjoy yourself here.

Well possibly when I'm in the area we can have a dram together. I really am looking forward ot it. It's a trip I am sure many would come with me but I am chosing to do it alone, be design.
Meanwhile as far as pictures being taken, maybe I'll figure out to do a scottish accent and take some of the weight off the Scots from tourists :P

The Oban distillery tour is great. You learn a lot, get a very nice free glass and a chance to taste the malt. Very nice! Tour cost was £7.95 but well worth it.

Interesting. I hear the Aberlour tour is excellent too, no reason I can't do both! If I make it to the orkneys I'd like to do the Highland Park distillery as well.

[BoldHighlander]

Nice photos. I especially love the sunset.

[andyfg]

A few more pics.

Jane and I on Iona



The "Tears of the MacDonalds" as a memory for the many MacDonalds who died after the Campbell massacre in 1692.



On Mull



Burial ground of the Clan McNab.

[Macman]

Thanks for sharing the pics; they're excellent!

[Asser 1]

While I was in Scotland this summer, I have to admit I saw very few kilts. Other than the folks at the Brigadoon hotel wearing kilts for a wedding and the odd piper piping the only others in kilts I met were visiting Americans or employees of tourist attractions and hotels.

Great pics and I have to admit I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the highlands.

[andyfg]

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Great pics and I have to admit I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the highlands.

Yes, I don't think the pictures begin to do it justice.

[Smitty]

The pictures are beautiful. I can't wait for my next trip to Scotland. I haven't been in 9 years...

Anyway, I don't know that I'd be packing my kilts for a trip to Scotland. The only kilts I saw last time in 2+ weeks were on pipers, except for two military types in uniform in Glasgow.
My aunt, who lives just outside Glasgow, swears that she can tell just by looking if a man wearing a kilt is Scottish or American. I never asked her to elaborate, but I'm a bit self-conscious about wearing a kilt there. If I could put together a proper formal outfit, I'd wear it to an appropriate event, but I just wouldn't feel comfortable wearing a kilt casually in Scotland.
But that's just me...

[andyfg]

... but I just wouldn't feel comfortable wearing a kilt casually in Scotland.
But that's just me...

Smitty, I think I know what you mean. I was more self-conscious in a kilt in Oban than I am in Ithaca NY. I am not sure quite why.

[Smitty]

Smitty, I think I know what you mean. I was more self-conscious in a kilt in Oban than I am in Ithaca NY. I am not sure quite why.

I think, for me, it has to do with being seen as a poseur. Here in the USA, if I say that I am Scottish, it is generally understood that I mean that I am of Scottish descent. It has been said of Americans that we are "never American until we leave", meaning that if asked at home about our nationality/ethnicity, we are likely to identify with our heritage. When overseas, of course, we are seen by others (and usually ourselves) as Americans.

In Scotland, I would expect to be perceived as American, not Scottish. I would be reluctant to wear the kilt because I don't wish to be perceived as trying to be something or someone that I am not.
As much as I am in favor of viewing the kilt as a garment, ot a costume, it is a garment that carries with it a great deal of cultural identity and history. I would not want to disrespect that out of ignorance or arrogance.

It seems to me that in Scotland the kilt is generally reserved for special occasions, and that is how I would treat it. For instance, if going to a Clan gathering, where most men would be expected to wear the kilt, I would be pleased to do so. However, I would not wear it simply to go sightseeing.

Here in the USA, ironically, the kilt seems to be more accepted for everyday wear. It's not that you're likely to see someone wearing a kilt that often, it's simply that if you do wear one, the most significance that is likely to be attributed to it is that you are of Celtic descent. (For some reason, if anyone asks about the kilt around here, they usually want to know if I'm Irish. When I say that I'm of Scottish descent, I'm usually met with a puzzled look, and maybe a grunt. Go figure...)

[McClef]

And what a beautiful sunset picture.