Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Lisa Nichols

History & Tradition

According to legend, an army of Norsemen under King Haakon of Norway landed at the coast of Largs intent on conquering the Scots. They moved inland under the cover of darkness, and to be all the more stealthy removed their boots to remain silent in the night. As they drew near to the slumbering camp of the Scots one of the Norsemen stepped on a prickly purple thistle and shrieked out in pain, awakening the clansmen to the danger of the advancing enemy. The Scots won the day and the lowly purple thistle was adopted as the Emblem of Scotland during the reign of King Alexander III (1249-1286).

The history of Scotland is filled with such incredible legends. These are stories of heroes and heroines filled with romance, thrills, mysteries and tragedies. These are stories of famous warriors and famous battles both won and lost that echo down the centuries from ancient bygone times. These are stories filled with the triumph of the Scottish spirit. To visit Scotland is to be immersed in these stories, and everywhere one might visit has a tale to tell. There are hundreds of historic sites to visit across the length of Scotland, from the Orkney Isles in the far north where the neolithic village of Skara Brae has been standing since before the pyramids of Egypt were built, to the castles, cairns and standing stones of Dumfries and Galloway in the southwest. A few of the most popular historic sites to visit in Scotland include:

• Edinburgh Castle – the seat of Kings and the scene of some of the bloodiest events in Scotland’s long history.
• Scone Palace – the ancient seat of the Pictish Kings.
• Bannockburn Heritage Centre – site of Robert the Bruce’s 1314 victory over Edward II that secured Scottish independence for 400 years.
• Wallace National Monument – built in the 1830s to commemorate Scotland’s National hero, the museum there houses the mighty sword of William Wallace.
• Culloden – Blar Chuil Lodai was the site of the last pitched battle ever fought on British soil on April 16, 1746, when the Jacobite cause of Bonnie Prince Charlie died under the English guns on Culloden Moor, an event that roils the hearts of Scotsmen to this very day.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by genevieveromier

These are just a few of the over 300 sites preserved across Scotland, from castles to abbeys to battle sites to stone age villages, all designed to preserve the history and culture of this storied land.

Sarah is a dedicated travel author who when not exploring different parts on the world, writes about them. She has a particular love for cosmopolitan cities and thrives of finding quirky places to hang out! Currently focusing on travel in the UK, she is looking into self catered holidays in Scotland. Edinburgh apartments have mnay great places to stay, as do Glasgow apartments. They have been a great resource so far as they have provided a wealth of information.

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Leaning Tower of Pisa was built as a freestanding bell tower of the Pisa Cathedral. However in the beginning, the tower stood uprightly like the majority of bell towers. But because of carelessly made ​​bases and soft soil it started to lean. Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the few cases where thanks to poor work it became popular throughout the world.

The building is approximately 55.9 meters high on the lower side and 56.7 meters on that higher one. To its top you can get by 294 stairs. Construction of the tower began in 1173 and lasted almost 200 years since it was interrupted several times due to the wars with its neighbours (Genoa, Lucca and Florence). Its top with the bells was finished in 1372. However at that time the tower was already inclined, actually since the completion of the first three floors in 1178.

Because the tilt of the tower was constantly increasing and threatening its collapse, the tower was closed to the public in 1990 and rescue works started. In 2001 the tower was finally reopened with the statement that it should be stable at least for the following 300 years.

Although the Leaning tower is the most famous attraction in Pisa, it is not the only one. It stands in a place called Campo dei Miracoli or “Field of Miracles”. We can find here other wonderful architectural gems, such as Duomo, the Baptistery, or monumental cemetery Campo Santo. All the buildings are really beautiful, but in fact, they still attract far less attention than the famous tower.

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