Saturday, December 31, 2011

To Scotland For Hogmanay (New Year's Eve)!

We've bidden farewell to our friends in old London, and have made our way to Edinburgh via airship, all so we can share in the bright skirl of Highland bagpipes and thrill at the throng atop the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle.
For this holiday, we came dressed appropriately for the wintry weather there, some of us wearing tartan or plaid.......


Our Travel Attire




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The pleasures of wearing tartans and plaids are unending, as our friends can attest.......

Tartans & Plaids




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We took a brief side trip to a country lodge, where our Edinburgh Hangar Club friends provided us with good company, along with songs by the fire and the best in fine dining Scottish style--and I did not try the haggis!


Fine Dining Scottish Style



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We brought home a tin of homemade shortbread to nibble during the highly anticipated fireworks planned for New Year's Eve.

A Scottish Music Party



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We quickly learned there is much to see and do in old Scotland. We were rewarded at outset by visits with an elderly bagpiper of some repute, who piped us into dinner and then stayed so we could enjoy the many tunes he could play as we relaxed by the fire of the lodge's great hall. 
On exploring the upper rooms of the weatherbeaten castle nearby, we stumbled upon war relics of times past. One of us was lucky enough to find an old £20 note (unsigned, of course!) secreted in an old shoe at the back of a derelict, cobwebby wardrobe.

Adventures In Scotland




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We returned to Edinburgh just as it was starting to snow, with warm memories of our frolics in the countryside to keep us in good spirits for many days to come.

Visits To Edinburgh & Countryside


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Happy New Year!!! 

"...and days of auld lang syne...."



For Your Further Listening Pleasure......




Such grace!




Scotland the Brave!


For more on Scottish history in relation to New Year's Eve celebrations, you may find a great deal  to think about by going HERE.
And for more on the history of the singing of Auld Lang Syne, including the song's lyrics, you can go HERE.




Images used (prior to our fiddling)
courtesy nypl.org and Wikimedia Commons

12 comments:

Ann said...

what a wonderful post and images!!
i so enjoyed the videos!
my mother had Scots blood!!

Steam Tea Travels said...

Ann: Hoot mon!
;)

Sheila A. said...

First visit here......WOW. I LOVE it!!! I'm going to come back to finish looking at the videos. I signed up for your feed. GREAT, GREAT!!!

Mary Ann Tate said...

Happy Hogmanay!!! My parents were married in Glasgow on December 31st so New Year's Eve was always a big celebration in our house...bigger than Christmas even.

Steam Tea Travels said...

Sheila: We're so glad you could stop by here to visit. It's always so gratifying to hear from someone like yourself who's found us for the first time and is interested.
I'll be sure to try and hopefully follow your link via your Profile to see your blog (sure hope you included that link!).
Rose

Steam Tea Travels said...

May Ann: What an exciting time to be married! That sounds so ideal!
Just love hearing from you again
Rose

JulesinParadise said...

Could not have found a better way to spend New Year's Eve! LOve this blog!

Steam Tea Travels said...

Jules: Thanks my dear!
:)
Hope your 2012 is peaceful
Rose

Laurel Stephens said...

Hi! I followed the link from your profile today, and I'm fascinated by your blog here. You can be sure I'll be back regularly. You are SO creative!

Steam Tea Travels said...

Thanks, Laurel! We appreciate all the positive feedback we can get! We'll be sure to check out your scene as soon as there's time for it.
ANd thanks so much for stopping over!
Rose & Rhissanna

A Magical Whimsy said...

Hello, Rose
Thank you for sharing the sights and sounds of Scotland! I am Scot's Irish, and English but born far, far away in California. Alas! I would love to live in Scotland! At least I can enjoy this wonderful 'tour' on your blog.
Thank you so very much!
And thank you for visiting my blog!
hugs,
Teresa

Steam Tea Travels said...

Teresa: HEllo! Sorry to be so tardy in responding! Guess we hadn't expected anybody to pop on over once the holidays were done.
Thanks for the positive feedback!
Upcoming, expect something a little more exotic, as we are headed for another adventure , only this time in Cairo!
Rose