30th December 2011-2nd January 2012
Hogmanay is the Scottish name for the last day of the year as well as the celebrations surrounding this time of the year and this four day trip came very well recommended and seemed the thing to do for New Year's Eve in the Motherland. We had a couple of days to explore mixed in with the Hogmanay festivities and have tried to summarise our adventures below.
Hogmanay 2011/2012 The acrostic
How long was the bus ride? Less than the time it took to Tignes, only 10 hours with a lot more entertainment. We had to play speed 'dating' to get to know the others on the tour and also watched a couple of movies including none other than Braveheart!
Old. From the castle to the old city walls to the street we were staying in, everything was hundreds and hundreds of years old with fascinating tales of tears and triumph to match.
Got straight into the spirit of things by participating in the torchlight parade which marks the beginning of the Hogmanay festival. Initially we were just walking with the crowd to get amongst it but part way through a lady gave us her torch as she had to leave-we were suddenly genuine participants!
Meandering through the imposing Edinburgh Castle as well as surrounding streets was how we used our spare time before the street party.As many as 80,000 people were expected to attend Edinburgh's street party and the majority seemed to be antipodeans-Australians and Kiwis everywhere! The effort of being amongst such a large crowd of people was made worth while at midnight when we were witness to the fabulous fireworks set off from the castle.
Nuts, crazy, silly. How else can you describe those who jumped into the River Forth on New Years Day? Julian was one of those loonies who participated in the Loony Dook, the annual 'swim' which acts as a fundraiser for a local charity as well as a hangover cure for those who are crazy enough to brave the chilly water.
A trek up one of the highest points in Edinburgh was made worthwhile by not only the amazing views but the romantic dinner we treated ourselves to that night too.
Yikes! A 7am departure was a shock to the system to get on the road back to London but we can now tick Edinburgh off the list.
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| Views of Edinburgh from the castle |
