I think Scotland has always been a bit of a misunderstood country.  Always following in the shadow of its southern-ly neighbour England, the two nations have always had somewhat of a tense albeit friendly relationship.  This has resulted in Scotland developing a very strong national identity that sometimes is not clearly understood by the outside world.  Yes, there is more to the Scots culture than whisky (with no ‘e’), shortbread, and tweed kilts.

I’ve just found probably the best exhibition in recent memory which explores how Scotland’s culture has come to rise, with particular attention to more modern developments.  The National Museum’s Scotland: A Changing Nation uses multimedia, video, and text to take the visitor on a journey through Scotland’s development.  My favourite part is the multi-screen video section where Scottish residents, both famous and non, answer various questions like ‘What do you like most about Scotland’, ‘What is worst’, and ‘what is your favourite Scottish food.’  It is quite funny – although displeased to see Karen nor myself were featured.

The section about emigration to Australia is quite interesting, and the footage of all the bands, actors, and actresses who are Scottish was an eyebrow-raiser, some of them I didn’t realize – Sean Connery was there of course, but don’t forget his musical colleagues Annie Lenox, Travis, and Simple Minds.

Best part about all of this?  It’s free!  Just head up to the top floor in the museum.  It’s probably worth mentioning that the museum has quite a few different exhibitions, both permanent and rotating.  You’ll want to dedicate a few hours to explore, but it is next to impossible to see everything in one day.

 Photo by yellowbookltd