the heart of the matter

Here is a traditional scottish bagpiper. I stood and watched him for a long while silently praying for a hearty gust of wind but alas my prayers were not answered...sigh.

Here on the street below me I noticed an interesting relic in the cobblestone street that passers by would carefully walk around so they would not step on it . However, what most people did do is take aim and spit a huge loogie towards its center. I was pretty grossed out and determined to find out what this tradition was all about!
It was during a walking tour of the city that the mystery was finally solved. They call it the "Heart of Midlothian" and legend has it that this very spot is where the tax man set up his booth so the average citizen could line up and get shafted by the government. If you did not have the dough to pay your taxes you were shackled to the village square and just taunted if you were lucky. When times changed and the small area was torn down, they placed this as a reminder of times that were not so great and that is why the locals "pay their respect" to it as they walk by. It is not a joke when they say it is the filthiest place in all of Scotland.

One funny story our guide told us was one day, they witnessed a young tourist on his knees in the center of the heart proposing to his lovely girlfriend as everyone around either cringed or yelled "Ewe Gross!" That couple probably left Scotland thinking that romance is dead here.. If only they had did a little homework before they arrived!