Scotland is a country in the United Kingdom to the north of England. Its symbol is a thistle; its patron saint is St. Andrew. The country is divided into Highlands and Lowlands. The Highlands of Scotland are among the oldest mountains of the world. The highest of them is Ben Nevis. The lakes in Scotland are called “lochs”. The beautiful Loch Lomond is the largest.

The population of Scotland is about 5 million people. One-third of the people in Scotland live in or near its capital, Edinburgh, and its great industrial centre, Glasgow. The climate of Scotland is mild and wet. There are two flags in Scotland: National flag – a white St. Andrew’s cross on a blue background and Royal flag – a rampant lion.

Edinburgh is called Athens of the North. It’s an ancient city and if you walk around it you can touch on history at every step.

The two most interesting parts of the city are the Old Town and the New Town. The Old Town lies between the Castle and Holyrood Palace. The Castle hangs over the city like some Disney cartoon – but it’s real! The Castle is older than the city. No one can say exactly when the first settlers came to live there. Later they built a castle that used to be a fortress and then a royal palace. At night it looks like a castle in a fairy tale. The Edinburgh military tattoo takes place in front of the Castle every August and September and is famous all over the world. For 90 minutes six nights a week 600 people perform in the square in front of the Castle. The performers play military music and march to it. You can hear Scottish national instruments – bagpipes. The name “tattoo” has an interesting origin. Traditionally the soldiers returned to the living quarters at night by a beat of the drum which sounded

like “tat-too”. .

A line of streets, which runs from the Castle to Holyrood House, is called the Royal Mile. Holyrood House is a big royal palace which is the residence of the Queen when she is in Edinburgh. The most picturesque part is the Cannongate, which gives a good idea of what The Old Town was like. Closes (narrow streets) lead to little yards and attractive historical buildings.

One of the most famous monuments in Edinburgh is a monument to a dog called Bobby. This dog belonged to John Gray. When he died Bobby lived near his grave for twenty-six years. Later Bobby was buried near his master and his statue in the Old Town has become a symbol of devotion.

The most famous of the Scottish lakes is Loch Ness, because of the mystery of its monster. The water of the lake is dark and very cold. In the 6th century there was the first information about a strange creature with two humps on its back, the head of a snake, a giraffe-like neck and two very shirt front legs. People called the water monster Nessie. In 1934 the first photo of Nessie was made.

Do you believe in Nessie?

It is not surprising that many of Scotland's castles are associated with ghosts, apparitions and strange noises –some of them have 600 year old histories. There are 150 castles in Scotland where you can learn old ghost stories. Real or not – who knows?

Mr. Din liked travelling very much.Fortunately, he won a trip to Madagaskar.Unfortunately, there was a flight accident.Fortunately, Mr. Din had a parachute. Unfortunately, there was a hole there.Fortunately, he fell into the ocean. Unfortunately, there were hungry sharks there.Fortunately, he was a great swimmer. Unfortunately, the ocean is HUGE. Fortunately, he reached the shore.Unfortunately, it was a deserted island.Fortunately, there were many coconuts and banana

there. Unfortunately, Mr. Din felt sad and hungry.Fortunately, he was rescued soon. Unfortunately, he never got to Madagaskar.Fortunately, he went round the world then.