yeah, I'm being a crotchety old git.
(and I do apologise. sort of)
but at the same time, you may well "feel" a connection, but those who actually have lived there, look at you as utter fucking dicks.
Fuckit. I live in Scotland. there I said it.
and every year I lived there, I watched Americans roll in wearing polyester tartan skirts, yelling "hey! you! I'm scawttish! where's Eedinboro Castle?" (while standing on princes street. with the fucking castle looming like a black monolith over you...)
the locals who had even less patience than I did put them on the #31 bus to Craigmillar castle. which is in the middle of a council estate. (think rather nasty urban inner city projects, and you've got the picture.)
We watch them turn up in Stirling and yell at the castle staff about how they were related to William Wallace, because their name was Wallace...
( Apparently the staff sometimes run a sweepstake at the Wallace Monument on how many "past lives" Wallaces or french princesses they get a week. )
We watch them arrive at Glencoe, and shatter the peace by loudly telling everyone their surname is Cameron.... (yes, seriously, I've seen this with my own eyes. and ears.)
you THINK you have a "connection". you really dont. you have no idea at all what the countries you think you're from are like. you have no idea of their customs, their manners. Every year, they flock here on boats or planes, and we grit our teeth because amongst the dozens who are decent, there's always one fucking loud arsehole who thinks he's "Scawttish".
and the Irish, the Germans, the Norwegians, and the Dutch I know all say the same thing happens there.