stuff Scotland does well, and stuff they do "weird"

consider this a pro/cons list, lessons learned, or things to be advised of for future travel/travelers Should you choose to go to Scotland, just know that: Pro's 1. green - if you like the outdoors, they have it in spades. everything that isnt rock has grass or trees on it. and some of the rock has moss on it 2. architectures - bear in mind, I work in teh building business - the construction or modification of buildings - so I see alot of them. America spends tons of money on marginally built buildings that are relatively easy to take down. Stone constructed castles that are 800+ years old is simply shocking to me 3. fuel stations - while rare, are in good shape and ALL pay inside after you pump. it would appear that the average Scot is more trustworthy than the average American 4. fish and chips - this meal is everywhere and average in all locations. it had to be the inspiration for Long John Silvers, but LJS does it better, with more fish and a chicken option to boot 5. history - by comparison, America is a 7 year old schoolboy (and often acts like it). Scotland is LOADED with old stuff/history/etc 6. more reasonable vehicles - and I say this as a heavy duty truck owner - Scots have vehicles that are appropriate for their lifestyle. Most drivers of F-150's would be better served with a car that got 30 MPG, cause they dont really "haul" stuff. I saw less than a dozen "light duty trucks" in Scotland, and I think it works fine for them, and it'd work fine for most Americans, were it not for a need to make up for testosterone atrophy 7. in fact, most campers (aka Caravans) are single axle, and likely, just fine for the job. 8. blackout curtains - most places in Scotland are equipped with these so you can sleep past 6am in the summer. win 9. general lack of land development - most folks in Scotland live in town, even if they are out in the country. seems like rare's the man that owns much land. public land, or at least.... public access a plenty in Scotland 10. whiskey ice cream - never heard/seen this before and a 120% win. well done, brothers Con's 1. yes, they drive on the "wrong" (left) side of the road. it's more than a little weird to do, and it'd be pretty easy to get in a wreck if you're doing "a lot" of driving on your trip 2. rain - in late June - we got rain in some form on about 60-70% of our days. not the end of the world, but if you were planning an extended event outside (say....... golf, or a hike) you were pretty likely to deal with precipitation 3. road configurations - from roundabouts, to no stop signs, to 1 lane 2 way roads, their roadway infrastructure "wants" a bit by American standards. that said, we rarely encountered traffic that impeded flow, so maybe it's fine - just different... 4. the pound to dollar ratio is not favorable to us. stuff is more expensive in Scotland than it is in TX - but then again...... good luck finding fresh caught salmon in north TX... 5. public toilets - a real issue. if you're going to Europe...... pee first. public toilets are rare. 6. signs - holy moly, from the "Otter Crossing" to "Give Way" to the total lack of Stop signs, this takes some getting used to. 7. "a dram" of whisky - how they measure a shot is really not enough, and grossly overpriced. a drams worth of whiskey is 25ml, looks like a single ounce, and is around $6-8, which is just silly. fail all in all, thats more wins than losses, and a beautiful land populated with friendly people who genuinely want you to enjoy their homeland. I cannot say Americans welcome foreigners at all like Scotland does, and for that, I'm a bit ashamed. I am very glad to have visited this place, and feel blessed to call them "my people", even if "my people" left 4 centuries ago... until we meet again, Scotland, Slainte! :)