Piping in the New Year, a Hogmanay tale

When we left Mull we took a larger ferry that went to Oban. It was an enjoyable ride and we got to see Duarte Castle from the sea. We had thought about visiting the distillery in Oban but it was closed for the season. So off we went thanks to our GPS and some lovely directions from our friends. We were headed to Glasgow and it was a beautiful drive. We came out of the southern highlands and alongside Loch Lomond. Spectacular landscapes everywhere you turned. A fantastic drive. You can really see why the Scots who settled in the North Carolina mountains did so, it reminded them of home. I could go on and on about the scenery but really you should go and see it yourself! I already can't wait to go back.

Duarte Castle from the ferry

The girls at Loch Lomond

Arriving in Glasgow we navigated through the afternoon traffic and dropped Natalie off at her flat. We then followed the GPS and headed up the street to our hotel, the Hilton Grosvenor Place. After a brief bit of confusion and not being able to find the entrance we parked in the lot above the Waitrose grocery store next to the hotel and checked in. Parking is an issue in Glasgow just as it was in Edinburgh but this solution seems to work. It was amazing how small the parking lot was for this large hotel. There couldn't have been more than 25 spaces or so. A comparable size hotel in the States would have had a multilevel parking lot! We spent the rest of the day with Natalie and Aidan. They have a lovely flat in a quaint old building with a great location.

Natalie and Aidan's flat

After a meal of take out Italian in the flat, we called for a cab and headed off to see Cinderella!, a panto being performed at the King's Theatre. Panto, short for pantomime, is a British form of musical theater and I wish we had it here in the States. Traditionally, panto are performed in the Christmas/New Year season. It's usually a well known story but it's a combination of slapstick, musical comedy, actors in drag, songs, audience participation, dance and topical humor. I admit I must have missed half the jokes because I didn't know the context but it was a lot of fun. It's a family show but there were plenty of bawdy things that went over the kid's heads and were just for the adults. If you ever have the chance to see one, go! And to make it even better, there was a bar just for us peons in the balcony! And the King's is a beautiful old place, opened in 1904.

Shopping took up the next day. The girls and I took a cab to Buchanan Galleries, a Glaswegian shopping center and walked around. Conrad and Aidan were taking the subway later and catching up with us. We made sure to stop at the TARDIS and we picked up clothes and souvenirs. After the boys caught up with us we headed back to the hotel to change before heading out to meet Aidan's family for dinner at their house. We had a fantastic time at dinner and exchanged Christmas presents. More Christmas crackers! Yeah! And I got a lovely pair of kilt hose and flashes to complete my ensemble for the next evening!

Allons-y! Didn't see The Doctor though.

The following day was Hogmanay, or New Year's Eve. This is one of those great things about travel and getting to know another culture. Hogmanay is like our version of Christmas, New Year's and St. Patrick's Day all rolled into one. Most shops were closed but we walked about seeing what we could and stopping for a bite to eat here and there. There are these really cool charity shops and thrift stores up and down the street near Natalie and Aidan's flat. These are much more like an upscale antique clothing store here. I was able to get Elizabeth a beautiful fur coat in one store.

That night for Hogmanay we were all attending a ceilidh at a hotel just down the street from ours. A ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic gathering with folk music and dancing. Think super fancy square dance with kilts and you'll get the idea. For this auspicious occasion I wore my kilt and sporran, along with the new hose and flashes of course! There was a dinner of course and drinks and then the dancing began. I am not the most coordinated of people and I proved it. Sure, I can shag with a few drinks in me (NOT what you're thinking Scottish friends, it's a South Carolina beach dance and another story!) but this was something else. I made it through one or two and even recognized the Virginia Reel but mostly I just watched and tried to clap in time. I can also report I completely understand why Scots wear what they do under their kilts. Those things are freaking HOT! It's like wearing a wool blanket around your middle, which I guess it really is.

What a good looking group.

Happy New Year!

We shared our table with a lovely older couple and a friend of theirs. He was wearing a Cameron kilt and he explained that you wear your mother's or grandmother's kilt. I don't know that that's true but it made for good conversation. His wife cracked me up, she was one of those very direct people. She had no trouble expressing her opinion and I don't think there was a PC bone in her body. She had had mouth cancer but continues to smoke. She's just one of those wonderful people who live life on their own terms and damn the torpedoes!

As midnight approached the piper appeared in full regalia. It gave me chills despite the heat of the kilt. No Hogmanay celebration is complete without a piper. He played a bit and then we counted down to the New Year. Appropriately enough we all sang Rabbie Burn's Auld Lang Syne at midnight. I was the ignorant American who could only make it through the first verse but I made up for it with volume on the choruses!

The Virginia Reel

The kid has moves!

Entrance of the piper

Midnight!

The last day we slept in and recovered from the festivities. I got the sense most of the city, if not the country, was doing much the same. We grabbed lunch at one of the few open restaurants and then walked around the campus of the University of Glasgow. It's the fourth oldest university in the English speaking world, founded in 1451. It's always amazing to me how young our country is. This university was founded before Columbus landed, and more than 300 years before our nation was born! It's one of the top 100 universities in the world and we couldn't be prouder of Aidan and Natalie for studying there. The campus is a wonderful mix of the ancient, old and new.

Glasgow Uni

The girls say it's like Hogwarts

Just like Presbyterian College, Glasgow has a Confucius Institute

They say you have to pass through this to graduate. I guess if PC can have the nipple of knowledge Glasgow can have the vagina of learning.

That night we went to the pub in the hotel and watched Conrad's favorite team, Arsenal, on TV. I don't remember if the Gunners were victorious but I do know we had a good time. It's always great to catch a match in a pub. One of Conrad and my favorite memories from a previous trip was meeting a father and his sons in a pub in London while watching a match.

The next morning we got up early and drove from Glasgow to Edinburgh to return the car and catch our flight home. Natalie rode with us and caught a train back to Glasgow after seeing us off. As always it was sad to leave her but we had had a fabulous time. Can't wait to go back!