I have considered this scrupulously. I know what I love about Scotland but the reasons can’t entirely be why the country is so under my skin. No, my rapturous love for Scotland is all about the way of life. One of the things about living in America that we take for granted is that everything is so incredibly convenient. We have huge fridges that store a week’s worth of food. We live in a world where the town center is no longer important; the mall is important or the Super Stop & Shop. In Scotland (and England) the town center is the cog of life. I must admit that when I was younger, the town center was even more important there than it is now. But for better or worse (I say worse), the US way of doing things is rubbing off in the UK. I think there’s something really great about walking to the butcher, the fish monger, the produce store, the cheese and bottle shops to pick up the evening’s meal. You see your neighbors, stop for a pint, share a laugh with your pastor or make golf plans along the way. The town center has a pulse, its own life. I positively LOVE that. In St Andrews, where my home is, I can walk everywhere. If I wanted to go out for dinner, I could walk to 25 restaurants and an equal amount of pubs. If I wanted to see a movie, I could walk to the local cinema where three current movies are on offer. I wouldn’t have to jump in the car and drive to the multiplex where there are 15 films vying for my attention. OK, so I don’t have as much of a choice but is that a terrible thing? I could wait until next week when all three movies change. Even though I live today in the middle of a large city, I long for a simpler life. But I don’t want to live in isolation. A small town, where I can walk to everything, suits me. I can walk to golf, the beach, the botanical gardens, the theater or the cafe. Is that available anywhere in the US? Maybe in a resort town but then you are faced with isolation in winter. Scotland has everything I want.
Yet, I am still here.
Here’s a quick joke for you:
What’s one thing you will never hear in Scotland?
Oh that car? That’s the bagpiper’s Porsche.
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It does have everything great that you mentioned, and cheese. I miss good cheese (that doesn’t cost a bomb). I miss butchers and bakers too, though I’ve learned how to make a good sausage roll. Isn’t it great to have the ability to walk everywhere? It’s so easy. And, the nearest city isn’t that far away if you need whatever it offers too. I miss the transport system too. Nothing worse than trying to drive into Edinburgh and find a reasonable parking space.
I’ve been to England, and The Republic of Ireland. I LOVE London, but I really, really want to go back to Ireland. I would live there, in the west, in Connemara.
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I so agree. A neighborhood needs a corner shop. A town needs a center. What’s the point of getting in your car to go to a big store, and stocking up so much that you only have to do that once a week? Do you really want to live in your own home and not ever see anyone? When we first moved here and I didn’t know anyone, I could literally go for days without seeing another adult to talk to (except my husband). It’s very isolating.
I agree about St Andrews. The perfect size of town. Just a pity it doesn’t have better rail/air links. Then it really would be perfect.
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