Hogmanay's Dogmanay!

Scots will do anything to socialize with others and dogs will the pack.

While Hogmanay is filled with parties -street and indoors- for mostly humans, New Year's Day concludes the events with Dogmanay. Yup, that's right. Fuzzy faces that are either Alaskan Malamute, Samoyed, or Siberian Huskie team up to compete in dog racing on grass. They pull three-wheeled rigs round a set route on the grounds of the Holyrood Palace vying for first place.

This is definitely suitable for the whole family -except the cat.

It did rain and we thoughtfully brought the umbrella, but the landscape was gorgeous. An eventual mist took over Arthur's Seat (an extinct volcano) making photography an interesting challenge. The Palace Grounds, like any other lawn, were exceptionally green with all of the rain and responded like crushed velvet.

Happy New Year!!!

Power Naps were mandatory before we headed out to party with the Scots.

Andrew had scored tickets to the street party and a new venue at Hogmanay: the Hoog. We donned our paper bracelets and headed out without our constant daily gear of heavy coats, cameras, & backpack; I felt naked without them.

Strolling down the street, we noticed a similar herd to that of the Torchlight Procession, but without the fire. I believe we moved through about 50,000 people to attend our Hoog Party prior to the Fireworks. In the Assembly building, we grooved to brass bands, Ceilidh dancing, and smooching like Scots against pillars like it was the end of the year. Er, wait...

Anyhow, my time watching husband led us out before the gates closed to witness some fantastic fireworks lite from the Castle. We met up with celebrities like Brad, Angelina, a brooding Clooney, and Alyson. Of course, the Regal Nigel, Photographer at large insisted that his mug shot be taken as well.

Cheers!!

Edinburgh: Traditional Experiences

We began our day with the idea of taking it as easy as possible before our hearty party with the Scots tonight. My body hurt quite a bit yesterday, actually, both of us were exhausted that we passed on dancing at the street party last night. So, today we took in quiet traditional Scottish events today like touring the woolen mills, tasting whiskey, pints of beer, and hearty food.

Having never had Scotch Whiskey (smells like cleaning fluid to me), I decided while in Rome, er, Edinburgh, I should at least go for a decent tasting to gain appreciation. The Whiskey Expert at the bar assembled a flight of 4 distinct whiskeys with different flavors. While I was able to discern the sweet whiskeys from the smoked, I had difficulty appreciating the harsh affects of the spirit. Poor Andrew felt compelled to finish the 4. Bleck.

I'll stick with wine and beer although I think I saw a whiskey liquor come out of the closet and the Whiskey Expert talk about how much better it was than Baileys -I love Baileys. Hmm... I'll have to try that later.

It started to spit harder while we walked down the Royal Mile to locate a traditional Scottish Pub -that certainly isn't too difficult but price is always an issue. We happened on one on the corner of St. Marys & The Royal Mile for traditional fare. Andrew wagered that if he liked his bangers and mash here, that we would return Jan 2 and he'd have to try the haggis. Doesn't sound interesting to me since I'm not a huge red meat or "meat surprise" connoisseur.

Update: We just learned more about haggis, thanks to the FoodNetwork. Andrew's decided against it. Read the recipe all the way to the end -hilarious.