An expat's adventures in Scotland, from the author of The Armchair Anglophile
Showing posts with label visiting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label visiting. Show all posts

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Spot the Tourist/Spot the Local

 The Fringe Festival is starting up, which means this city is FULL of tourists. I've heard so many American accents lately it's like I never left the U.S. Old Town and the most central part of New Town is where they tend to gather, which means a walk down Prince's Street is a great opportunity to play "Spot the Local/Spot the Tourist". How do you tell the two apart? Here are a few clues.

Tourist: Stopping to take pictures of Edinburgh Castle
Local: Slamming into them while texting

Tourist: Dressed in sensible shoes and suitcase-friendly, anti-wrinkle clothes
Local: Dressed in black stockings, high heels, and a short skirt

Tourist: Bundled up like it's January because it's only 62 degrees out
Local: Wearing shorts and a tee shirt because it's 62 degrees out!

Tourist: Looking befuddled by the weather
Local: Carrying an umbrella even though it's perfectly sunny out

Tourist: Taking pictures of double decker buses and the Royal Mile
Local: Riding one and steering well clear of the other

Tourist: Looking up whiskey tours
Local: Grabbing a bottle from their local corner shop

Tourist: Wondering why there are so few kilts on the street
Local: Wearing a non-traditional kilt mostly around their neighborhood or renting one for a wedding or other special occasion, because the full kit is seriously expensive

Tourist: Thinks the pasties and sausage rolls at Greggs are "English Food"
Local: Thinks the pasties and sausage rolls at Greggs are "drunk student food"

Tourist: Tripping over cobblestones
Local: Tripping over cobblestones (some things are just universal)