EC Photo of the Day: All the Way From Scotland!
A golden opportunity for tourism. VisitScotland’s Sarah Drummond helps promote tourism in Scotland as the Kelpies are light in gold to mark the start of The 2014 Ryder Cup. PICTURE BY GARETH EASTON PHOTOGRAPHY
Today’s EC Photo of the Day comes all the way from Scotland, at Gleneagles in Perthshire to be specific. This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of the Ryder Cup, an international golf tournament that pits some of the best USA golfers against an elite team from Europe.
Members of Team USA for this prestigious event include such well-known competitors as Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, and Matt Kuchar, among others. A few of the members of Team Europe include Paul McGinley, Rory Mcllroy, and Ian Poulter.
To welcome competitors and thousands of spectators to Scotland this weekend, the magnificent Kelpie statues were lit up in gold. What’s a kelpie?
The actual full scale Kelpies are 100 foot tall sculptures, the largest equine sculptures in the world. They were created by artist Andy Scott by welding hundreds of pieces of steel plates that were then dipped in molten zinc. The inspiration for the statues came from the Clydesdale horses that used to pull boats and cargo along the towpaths of the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals in Scotland.
In Scottish folklore, a kelpie is a shape-shifting water-horse that is said to haunt the rivers and streams of Scotland. The creature supposedly has the strength of ten normal horses, can be distinguished by a mane and tail that forever drips with water, and has skin that’s deathly cold to the touch. But, watch out! Although, they might be beautiful and mysterious, the kelpie is very deadly; they’re known to trick unsuspecting travelers and children by encouraging them to take a ride just before diving into the water to eat their prey…
