what do you expect?

[David Thornton]

I would be more inclined if the $ would rebound, but to answer your question..Wife is Irish and has been back there, neither of us have been to Scotland, so it is a natural destination choice. I would love to come over for some grouse on the moors, just to have seen it, maybe some rough shooting, maybe some stalking.

[Jock Scot]

I would be more inclined if the $ would rebound, but to answer your question..Wife is Irish and has been back there, neither of us have been to Scotland, so it is a natural destination choice. I would love to come over for some grouse on the moors, just to have seen it, maybe some rough shooting, maybe some stalking.

Hello David,I can just remember 4 dollars to the Pound!Yes, I am afraid that shooting is a pricy past time these days,it never was cheap though!One of these days I am sure that you will make it here.

[auld argonian]

You pose an interesting question. There are many people over here in the States who express a desire to go to the "Land of Their Forefathers" in order to make some kind of connection with Their past.

I look at this as an example of the mind seeking order and a very human trait, particularly among Westerners, to feel some kind of sense of belonging to a family or larger group. The problem with this, as I see it, is that people often romanticize the past because it gives them more of a sense of comfort.

I'll take an example from my own family: my Great Grandfather emigrated from Poland. Having heard about what a penurious, nasty son of a bitch he was reputed to be, I really doubt that he had anything but his own self-interest, comfort and survival in mind...he wasn't standing in the prow of the ship looking at the Statue of Liberty and thinking that future generations of his family would be so much better off because he had taken this great step. Do I want to visit Poland to see his birthplace and walk on the village paths that he walked as a boy? Hell no. Yet I can go out right now and round up a whole lot of folks who are dying to go to Ireland to see the quaint, turf burning cottages that their ancestors lived in and drink in the pubs that most probably didn't exist when their ancestors were schlepping around back in the day. Once again, the story is better than the reality, so let's hang on to the story because it makes us feel better/nobler/more special.

So...I'm a cynic.

I want to visit Scotland because it's historically interesting...seems like it's always kept a healthy sense of political and intellectual independence and I admire that. It's interesting to see how the Scots of today deal with that legacy. From all that I've seen, it has some really beautiful places that I'd like to take in. And there's the connection that I feel that I have to some of these Xmarksers...I gotta try to get together with one or more of you guys...would I travel several thousand miles just to have a beer or a bite to eat with some of these guys who I consider kindred spirits? Most definitely...what's life for, anyway?

All cultures are dynamic systems...you can't go back looking for a way of life that existed several hundred years ago because it ain't there anymore. You can see the artifacts and meet the descendants of the people but those people are living in the here and now.

Best

AA