Carnival! Hogmanay style.

Hogmanay Carnival has come to town. From my building I can hear the sounds of the Ghost Train and the screams of anyone who dares to do the bungee catapult. Last night, in a spontaneous post-cocktail maneuver, my friend and I decided to end the evening on a high note (literally). We went for Mach-1, pictured fourth from top, in which you sit in a little pod and are swung around on the 'spoke,' and then your pod flips you upside down and all over the place. And in addition to the cocktail, I had just eaten a buffalo haggis burger (it was actually called the Kilted Buffalo Burger). I have a pretty tough stomach when it comes to theme park rides, so I wasn't actually very concerned, but still... It's a little unreal to open your eyes (when you remember to) and see Edinburgh Castle and all of the illuminated Christmas trees upside-down. But also one of the best things EVER!

Edinburgh isn't known for its festivals for nothing, it would be appear! I can't wait to share my Hogmanay experience with you all! :)

Happy New Year!!

I hope everyone had an enormously lovely New Years Eve, whether you enjoyed it from your cozy couch or went out and par-tayed like it was 15 years after 1999. The Street Party at Edinburgh's Hogmanay was like nothing I've ever done/seen before, and I'm so happy that I was able to experience it, even just once. I'm so lucky to have been able to see a bit of the set by Chvrches, and then one of my favorite artists of the last couple years, King Creosote, whose set ended at the exact moment that 11pm fireworks went off. I hope you can excuse the poor quality of these photos, but crowds/cameras/beer don't mix... I was being pretty conservative with the picture-taking.

That was, of course, before I spent a half hour miserably wedged like a sardine in what I can only describe as a heaving sea of people, hardly able to move at all. It might be the only social situation in which literally hugging strangers is acceptable, mostly for safety reasons. Once I got out of that rather terrifying debacle, I gladly downed a pint of Strongbow, managed miraculously to find my group of friends as we counted down to midnight and took in the amazing fireworks displays both from Edinburgh Castle and, behind us, Calton Hill. I've never seen a pyrotechnics show of that calibre in person before.

After midnight we beat the crowds to a pub in Old Town to warm our toes and dance a little. Then I waited another half hour at the chippy for a kebab and chips at 3am, but it was totally worth it! All around, a really amazing event, with a fantastic musical lineup (it was hard to choose), and a memorable finale. I even bought a souvenir t-shirt, and that's kind of unusual for me.

I wish you and yours the best year ahead. I foresee 2014 being truly exciting!

Cheers,
Kate xx

P.S. Things may quiet down a wee bit on the blog over the coming couple of weeks, since I'll be hopping a flight back home to Wisconsin dark-and-early tomorrow morning. But I'll try to keep up! ;)

Hogmanay Torchlight Procession

Last night I partook in Edinburgh's Hogmanay Torchlight Procession, for which upwards of 35,000 people joined in, buying torches to benefit charity. Headed up by a number of pipe bands from around Scotland (bagpipes and drums) and a Jarl Squad (Vikings!) who traveled down from Shetland, the procession wound from George IV Bridge and down Princes Street. The ultimate goal was Calton Hill, where the Acropolis was lit in bright blue and two spotlights crossed in the air to form a Saltire. For some pretty amazing professional photos of the event last night, check this out!

The procession lasted a little over an hour, and once we reached the foot of Calton Hill, there was some entertainment from PyroCeltica who performed routines with fire. There was also a food truck serving burgers, so I grabbed a venison burger for dinner and awaited the Son et Lumiere, or light show finale. The fireworks were timed to Adele's 'Set Fire to the Rain.' I decided to stay down just off of Calton Hill in order to avoid the massive crowds (and get out of there more quickly), but it was a really lovely little display. A preview of the fireworks yet to come tonight!

Happy Hogmanay, everybody! HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE! Any big New Years Eve plans for you?

Cheers!
Kate xx