New Years Scotland - part 3

31 Dec 09 - Day 3
New Years Eve!

We went with our group on a tour of Edinburgh! It was great, we got to see the whole city with a very knowledgeable guide.

We stopped here to see a spectacular view of the royal palace (it's behind us and in between the mountain). We went to ANOTHER whisky distillery (the tour guide was super excited about this by the way). We finished the tour and were dropped off by Edinburgh Castle. We decided we want to see the castle and got in line which ate a big chunk of our time. We only had a few minutes to see the whole entire castle, before we needed to meet back on the bus. While in line, it started snowing!

Notice the clear blue skies here...didn't look like it was going to snow! Here is the front of the castle:

 We made our way back to the hotel to eat dinner and then it was off to Princes Street for the celebration. We got dropped off around 7:30 pm to check everything out. We found that everything was closed on the street BUT a Starbucks. We got some coffee and stayed in there for a while. It was freezing outside!! After Starbucks, we walked around for a while and then got in position for a great view of the castle. A few minutes before the countdown, some idiot threw a beer into the crowd and it hit Ben's camera and ruined it! It also hit some Asian guys ear...I'm pretty sure it was bleeding! We got over that situation and were happy again once the fireworks started! The fireworks were the best I'd ever seen in my whole life! I'll upload the video a little later!

Welcome to 2010!

On the way back home, we saw these very interesting crisps:

I mean, who wouldn't want Roast Ox flavored crisps?

New Years Scotland - part 2

30 Dec 09 - Day 2

We got up early, ate breakfast in the hotel and were soon off on a tour to see Stirling Castle, the National Wallace Monument, the Trossachs, a highland cow, and the Famous Grouse.

Stirling Castle is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland. It sits on top of a volcanic crag and it surround on three sides by steep cliffs. This is the castle where Mary Queen of Scots was crowned. It dates back to the 12th century.

Here is Benjamin at the castle, with a great view in the background.

We didn't have to tie to walk all the way up to the monument, it was a long way up with its 246 steps. The tour guide we had didn't like the movie Braveheart. He was sure to tell us that! Here is a picture of the National Wallace Monument.

The Trossachs are were the Highlands and Lowlands meet. It was absolutely spectacular! Here is a panoramic shot of me with the Trossachs in the background.

The highland cow, Hamish, was 16 years old! He reminded me of a Star Wars character. Benjamin said the character I was thinking about was called Bantha. See the resemblance?

The Famous Grouse is Scotland's oldest whisky distillery, established in 1775. Unfortantly, this is what happens when you are on in a tour group. Sometimes you don't get to pick what you want to do! However, Benjamin did get to taste some different kinds of whiskys. Whisky means 'water of life'.

After we got refreshed back at the hotel, we joined the tour group for a traditional Scottish dinner. We got wine, soup (which was the best we've ever tasted!), haggis (made of sheep's pluck - more on this in a bit), tasty main meals (I got chicken and Ben got roast beef), and a yummy raspberry dessert. After wining and dining, they started playing traditional Scottish music with bagpipes and we got to see some Scottish dancing. After the professional dancers were finished, they asked if people in the crowd wanted to learn how to dance. Benjamin and I were reluncant to try out Scottish dancing, but after the first few dances, we decided (Benjamin made us) to give it a try. It was so much fun!! I couldn't stop laughing!! For us, that was definitely the highlight of the night!

Disclaimer: For those of you with weak stomachs, you might not want to read this part.
Haggis - is a traditional Scottish dish made out of sheep's pluck. There I said it, oh wait...you don't know what sheep's pluck is? Oh, it's heart, liver AND lungs...of a sheep...cooked in a sheep's stomach...for a meal. Here is the haggis with a side of potatoes:

Looks yummy, doesn't it?

Benjamin trying haggis...don't worry I tried it too!

New Years Scotland - part 1

29 Dec 09 - Day 1

We left RAF Lakenheath around 6 am and began our 9 hour trip, headed to Scotland. We made a few stops along the way for breaks and lunch. The next stop we made was at the England-Scotland boarder.

We had an amazing view of Scotland, especially with all the snow on the ground! We continued into Scotland and finally made it to the hotel at around 3 pm. We had time to freshen up and meet back on the bus, which would take us into Edinburgh, to explore the nightlife. We decided to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was great and we didn't even have to wait very long for seats.

Here I am at HRC.  The hostess and the waiter were extremely Scottish and extremely nice! After dinner we decided to walk around and find a pub and get some drinks before we headed back to the hotel. We found a pub, apparently a 'world famous' pub, called Dirty Dicks. We asked the waitress why this pub was so famous and she told us the story behind the name. The pubs name comes from a guy who used to clean up horse dung from the streets in Edinburgh and sell it for manure. After a hard days work, he would find hospitality in the pub that now bears his name, as he was often called Dirty Dick. We still don't really understand why it's world famous, but the waitress suggested it could also just be the name.

We saw the Edinburgh Castle on the way to eat and it was BEAUTIFUL at night, all lit up!

We also saw the opening event for Hogmanay, Scottish New Year! The Torchlight Procession starts on the famous Royal Mile and ends at Son et Lumiere.

It had been a long day so we decided to head back to the hotel at around 9 pm. The tour guide kept telling us that all we had to do was get on bus 31 and it would take us back to the bus stop right outside the hotel. We decided to do that instead of taking a taxi. It took us a few minutes to get tickets, because we needed EXACT change only! Well, we ended up only getting one ticket, because we had too much money to get another ticket. It was a mess, but we decided we would just have to spend 30 extra pence to get on the bus...no big deal. We get on the bus and waited. After a few minutes, I thought we were going in the wrong direction, but didn't really think too much of it. Edinburgh is pretty small and assumed we would turn around at some point. Then, thirty minutes later, the bus comes to a complete stop, lights go off, the worst possible thing that could of happened. We ask the bus driver if the bus is going to the Marriott and he says, 'Oh, you've made a terrible mistake. I can get you to your hotel in about an hours time'. We should have gotten on bus 31 going in the other direction, but the tour guide never said that at all. Benjamin and I are pros at underground subway systems...not so good at bus transportation. We finally got back to the hotel well after midnight! Here is a picture of that darn bus we were on for so long!

Scotland bound

Benjamin and I are leaving early in the morning (0545) to go to Scotland for New Years. We'll be back on the 1st! See everyone in the 2010!

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Scotland Trip

I just booked our New Years Eve trip to Scotland!! We booked our tickets through ITT(Information Tickets and Travel) on RAF Lakenheath. You pay for the trip and they do all the rest!
I got our information for Scotland off the ITT website:

Details:
New Year at Edinburgh's Hogmanay "the world's best New Year celebration"
Currency: Bring pounds for spending money on this trip.

Departures:
December 29 (4-day tour) <- We are doing the four day trip! December 30 (3-day tour)
December 30 (3-day tour)

Tuesday/Wednesday
We depart from local pickup points early morning and travel northwards by executive coach to Bonny Scotland, with comfort stops en-route. We arrive at our hotel late afternoon, where there's time to relax, freshen up and get ready for a fantastic evening where you can join us for an optional meal. (4-day tour only)

Wednesday
(4-day tour only)After breakfast, spend the day in the city of Edinburgh or join our optional day tour to Stirling Castle and the Trossachs.(Both tours)This evening there is an optional Traditional Scottish Evening that includes a meal, wine, pipers, singers, dancers and much merriment!

New Year's Eve
After a hearty Scottish breakfast, join our optional panoramic tour of Edinburgh. The tour concludes at Edinburgh Castle (admission not included). The afternoon is free for you to explore this fascinating cosmopolitan city, famous for its shops and hospitality. It's New Year's Eve or "Hogmanay" when Scottish hospitality comes to the fore and the night comes to life. Spend your night anywhere in Rose Street, the Grassmarket or the Royal Mile and you can be assured of a warm welcome. At midnight, the Scots gather at the Trone Church on the Royal Mile to hear the bells ringing in the New Year. Others gather in Princes Street to watch the fireworks over the Castle.

Final Day
After a late breakfast, we load our luggage aboard the coach and return south. We arrive back at our drop off points, early in the evening with wonderful memories of Hogmanay in Edinburgh.

Sounds good to us!!