Halloween in Haunted York
We spent Halloween in York. Despite York being one of the most haunted cities in the world, it was a letdown compared to the Ponderosa There are several haunted pubs, we went into most of them. But saw no ghosts. We did meet a heavily tattooed, purple haired, woman in her fifties that introduces herself as a paranormal investigator (we met her at a pub). She told us which haunts to visit. A few notable ghosts are Dick Turpin (famous highwayman caught and hanged here in York), and Guy Fawkes was born and attended school in York. The school where he went is still a prestigious boys school here.
Celebrating an Execution; Bonfire Night
Instead of Halloween, Great Britain celebrates a holiday called Bonfire Night on the 5th of November. People make man-like effigies and burn them on top of a bonfire. Everyone does it. Also, add fireworks and children’s carnival rides and games. Towns make big bonfires and make it a city spectacle, but it is also done privately in backyards. So what exactly is Bonfire Night about? Guy Fawkes actually. Guy Fawkes attempted to kill the King of England by planting kegs of gunpowder below the Parliament building and blowing up the building on the date the King was addressing Parliament. He got caught. He was sentenced to a heinous death that differs depending on who you ask, but always ends with being burned in a semi-alive state. It is this burning that bonfire night is celebrating. The effigy was originally to depict Guy Fawkes burning on a stake. Today, they often put the face of unpopular people, mostly politicians, on the effigy. I probably do not need to mention that a lot of orange hair went up in smoke yesterday. I will post a video or pictures of the Bonfire Night we attended in Scotland.
Loch Ness Monster
On the theme of maybe real, but maybe not, phenomenon, we took a trip to Loch Ness. Monster or not, Loch Ness is a mystical place. But what we did not know is that Loch Ness is actually part of a chain of Lochs. It is a huge fault that goes the whole length of Scotland. A Loch is a large lake, usually narrower than long and very deep. Linking the Lochs here are short spans of canals/locks that link a waterway across Scotland. So Loch Ness is really big, and really deep. It looks clear and pretty on top, but there is so much peat in it that reportedly you cannot see your arm five feet down. And although a lake, it moves like it has a current. A lot. With the wind in the highlands, it can have waves big enough to surf. There are rips and streams of bubbles that look a lot like an animal is moving under the water. So maybe there is an animal moving under the water?
More to See
Other than that, we have toured more grand mansions in England. And castle ruins and unique landscapes in Scotland. Tons of sheep. We have seen eagles, and huge deer. No one hunts here, so the deer are not afraid of people. On a related subject, the American girl that posted shots of her smiling face with hunting trophies (i.e dead majestic animals) here in Scotland is very hated and the people are fired up. Scottish people, and English too, do not understand how anyone could be so proud of killing an animal that is standing still, with a high powered rifle and a high-powered scope. They kind of have a point.
English vs American languages
By now we have gone from York, England, to Inverness in the Scotland Highlands. We have collected a list of new words to use. Thing is, England speaks English, but we don’t exactly. And of course Scotland is different too. Below are a few words we have noted:
- In York, a street is called a “gate”;
- City gate is called “bar”;
- Bar is a “pub”
- Offer is a sale. They say: “On offer” vs “on sale”.
- “Chips” are French fries
- “Crisps” is the word for potato chips
- “Bits” is a little of something
- “Loads” is used like we use “a lot”
- “Bloke” is a manly man
- If you want to fit in here, use “Brilliant”, “lovely”, “loads” a lot
- “Moor” is a high open area, like a high meadow. Here they are covered in heather which is the only thing that grows in the ultra acidic soil.
- “Dale” is a valley. Really a valley created by a glacier that is inhabited with a small population.
- In Scotland there are different (and more) words for the same geographic things.
- Yorkshire pudding is the same as a dutch baby, which is the same as a big pop-over. Made from flour and eggs. It is served as the bread with Sunday Roast.
- “Pudding” is a word that describes a vast variety of foods. I think it also means “left-overs”.
- Black pudding is the consistency of soggy cake that won’t hold together, but tastes like nothing sweet. It is the weirdest taste and texture we have so far experienced. It is made from blood.
- Sunday Roast is served on Sunday from noon to half-two (2:30) in pubs. In England, not Scotland. It is a meat: usually roast beef or pork, duck fat dripping roast potatoes, a vegetable, and the yorkshire pudding. We look forward to getting back to England for more Sunday’s.
Tomorrow we are headed to the city of Edinburgh. We will be coming back up into the highlands again on the west coast of Scotland. BTW, we like it here. This is on the shortlist of where we could see ourselves living.