by Pierre Grange (level B2)
Did you say "Scottish shower"?
Last week, I had the opportunity to go to EDINBURGH with a group of friends to attend the rugby match of the 6 nations tournament: Scotland – France.
But as a
little warm-up to my report, I would like to give a very brief reminder about
Scotland.
Here is a map:
Scotland has over 5 million inhabitants.
Its capital is Edinburgh (530,000 inhabitants) but the largest city is Glasgow (approximately 600,000 inhabitants).
Here is the Scottish flag :
In the 2016 Brexit referendum, over 62% of Scots voted to remain in the European Union.
Since
Brexit, a growing movement among Scots has been advocating for Scottish
independence from the United Kingdom.
Scotland is
affected by Brexit.
And since Brexit, the currency is the pound sterling.
Scotland is a small country but It is the birthplace of many celebrities.
Perhaps you know some of them ?
First, a legend:
Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, supposedly living in a lake in the Highlands.
William
Braveheart Wallace (1270-1305), a Scottish patriot who led his people against
English occupation.
His story
was told in a film in 1995 starring Mel Gibson.
John Boyd Dunlop (1840–1921), inventor of the tyre in 1888
Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922), inventor of the telephone in 1876
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
The author
of "Treasure Island" and "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde"
Arthur
Conan Doyle (1895-1930)
The author
of the Sherlock Holmes investigations.
Sir Alexander Fleming (1881–1955), discoverer of penicillin in 1928
Sean Connery (1930-2020)
Actor
(James Bond, The Name of the Rose, Indiana Jones…)
Singer of
the group Eurythmics (Sweet Dreams)
Andy Murray
(1987-…)
Tennis
player
Speaking of
sports, do you know what the historical sport of Scotland is?
Golf: it appeared in the 15th century.
The most famous course is St Andrews, the "birthplace of golf."
How can one
talk about Scotland without mentioning Harry Potter and the famous Hogwarts
Express?
In the real world, the Hogwarts Express is called the Jacobite Steam Train.
At the end
of the journey, there isn't Hogwarts School, but Mallaig, a charming little
corner of Scotland in the famous Highlands.
How can you go to Scotland without eating the famous "haggis"!
Haggis, or stuffed sheep's stomach, is a traditional Scottish dish consisting of a sheep's stomach stuffed with a mince made from meat, traditionally sheep offal, and oats.
But of course, the main goal of our trip was above all to attend the rugby match of the 6 nations tournament: Scotland – France.
Before
attending the match, we made the traditional city tour on foot, by bus or by
taxi.
We had to
make a selection. Here are the most well-known ones:
The castle
Perched
atop Castle Rock, the castle overlooks the city.
It is one
of the city's most iconic and most visited landmarks.
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Old Town is the district of the Scottish capital where most of Edinburgh's tourist attractions are located.
The Royal
Mile is the main street in this part of Edinburgh.
The volcanic hill of Calton Hill is located about a hundred meters above sea level and offers a breathtaking view of Edinburgh.
So, after
this quick warm up about Edinburgh and its points of interest, let’s talk a
little bit about rugby!
Do you know Murrayfield Stadium, where rugby matches are played?
Why this name?
Simply
because the stadium is located in Murrayfield, a residential suburb west of
Edinburgh.
It's a stadium with a capacity of 67,000 spectators.
By the way, you all know that the emblem of the French national team is a rooster.
But do you
know what the emblem of the Scottish national team is?
The
thistle, of course!
The French jersey
And why the
thistle?
According to legend, a group of sleeping Scottish warriors were saved from an enemy ambush when one of the enemies stepped on a thistle.
His cry of
pain is said to have awakened the sleeping Scots, who then defeated the
invaders.
Since this
legend, the thistle has been adopted as the national symbol.
The atmosphere :
For the match, the stadium was packed.
The French supporters were really numerous.
It seems there were almost 15,000!
No violence with the Scots. Here it’s rugby, not football…
And a very
good atmosphere thanks to the music, the songs of supporters and of course, the
show on the pitch.
French supporters were very colourful…
…like the Scottish!
The
Scottish national anthem, "Flower of Scotland" :
After the famous episode of William Wallace (Braveheart), the Scots, led by Robert the Bruce, sent the army of the proud Edward of England packing (Proud Edward's army in the song).
That's why the English always look a bit glum when they hear this anthem.
There's a
unique tradition before playing "Flower of Scotland" at Murrayfield.
The beginning of the anthem is played by a bagpipe player standing on the stadium roof!
Here is "Flower of Scotland" with the lyrics in French and in English :
How can you not get chills when tens of thousands of Scottish supporters sing their national anthems? It was very impressive!
The game:
Thousands of French supporters had come to Scotland hoping for a French victory.
In fact, it was more of a Scottish shower…
The French
team played with their heads in the clouds…
...and lost 50 to 40...
After the match, a large majority of the spectators, Scottish and French together, went to the downtown area to drink a glass of beer either to celebrate the victory or to forget a painful defeat.
Yes, we could say :
Well done
Scotland for your victory!
And thank
you, Scottish public and players, for the chills and this lesson of rugby.
You'll do better next time.
So, see you
soon, guys,
in Scotland!
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