Tinned Kiwifruit at Hogmany

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Ten Kiwis travelled North to Edinburgh in Scotland for the new years eve party of Hogmany (no not tinned kiwifruit, its just my accent). We gathered from all over Western Europe into a small flat just off the Royal Mile in the Old Town of Edinburgh.

Our first day together we set out to invade a castle, or maybe just visit for a history lesson. We took a drive an hour from Edinburgh to Stirling. Here we explored the castle that was the gateway between the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands, it was perched on top of great outcrop of rocks and had a view of the surrounding countryside, including a view over to the William Wallace Monument. Again I was amazed to be treading in the footsteps of such well know historical figures.

In the evening we nourished ourselves at Monster Mash, a bangers and mash restaurant. The selection included classic, Guinness & beef, mexican vegetarian, herb & garlic and haggis sausages accompanied by mash and gravy. I followed up my feast with deep fried icecream to complete the healthy Scottish meal.

On New Years Eve we took a stroll up towards Arthurs seat for a view over Edinburgh. From our vantage point we could see the Castle, Hollyrood Palace and the new Scottish Parliament.

In the evening we joined the revellers at the Hogmany street party on Princess Street. It was a suprisingly mild and clear evening, although I was wearing 2 pairs of socks, 4 layers, scarf, gloves, hat etc and had had a drink or two. There were thousands of people in the streets and somehow we all managed to stay together for the countdown to Midnight. The start of 2009 was celebrated with a spectacular fireworks display over the Castle.

New Years Day was a touch more subdued, after a great big kiwi fry up for breakfast we all went back to bed for a nap. Later in the afternoon Jo, Amy, Neil and myself went to a flash hotel for high tea. I had Darjeeling, Jo- Scottish Breakfast, Amy - Famous Edinburgh and Neil - Jasmine. This was served alongside a selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes. It was nice to sit amongst the upper classes for a couple of hours, even if we were a touch underdressed in our Kathmandu attire.

We all said our goodbyes on the 2nd and headed back to our own parts of Europe. I really enjoyed my time in Edinburgh, it is a very beautiful city, full of history and charm. I can see why a lot of Kiwis would prefer to live there instead of London, just a shame about the long dark days of winter, I will have to get back there in summer.

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