We arrived in Inverness, after our train ride through the
highlands and snow covered mountains to find the quaint costal town bathed in
sun. The weather was definitely on our
side.
We had been directed to Inverness by a Scottish co-worker
and had only one thing planned…Hogmanay Dinner on New Years Eve. But with a full day to explore, Martin and I
took the opportunity to see what the area had to offer.
Our first night in town, Martin finally satisfied his desire
to try Haggis and much to my surprise, his haggis, with neeps and tatties
(turnips and potatoes) and whiskey cream sauce was absolutely delicious. And
while I stole bites of his haggis, Martin surprisingly stole bites of my fish
and chips…it wouldn’t be the last time he willingly ate fish in Scotland. It was over dinner that Martin and I realized
that this trip was the longest we had spent with just each other in
awhile! Thankfully come to find out, we
still really like each other and have a good time regardless of where we are or
the weather.
In fact, even the hurricane strength winds and torrential
downpour the following day while touring the empty Urquhart Castle couldn’t
damper our good times. The castle,
located on the banks of Loch Ness, home of Nessie the Loch Ness Monster, has
been in ruin since the 1500 when the last occupants blew up the bridge tower to
avoid being captured. While wandering
the empty grounds and learning about its history, I couldn’t help but smile
when Martin commented about the violent history of England and Scotland… yeah,
I will let that one sink in.
We wrapped up the castle when the first tour bus arrived and
headed back into town to get ready for our big New Years celebration…or Hogmanay
as the locals call it!
While the town hosted a free outdoor party, complete with
food stalls and live bands, we were unwilling to chance the weather and booked
a nice dinner at a local hotel. We
arrived looking our best and were escorted to the “den” for champagne and
canapés. Walking into the room confirmed
our decision. We were greeted by
champagne, an old hunting lodge ambiance, and a regal affair. Men in kilts were standing around and
catching up while keeping a hand or eye on their women that sat nearby on the
plaid sofas. Deer heads hung on the
wall, the fire place was aflame and I was in heaven.
We were seated for dinner after a glass or two of champagne
and the evening only got better. Dinner
was a delicious four course event, complete with party crowns and party poppers
on the tables. And Martin once again
surprised me by eating his salmon appetizer.
Dinner wrapped up around 10pm
and the party continued in the hotel bar where a live band encouraged all
participants to join in the traditional Scottish dances. It took a few sips of liquid courage, but
pretty soon Martin and I were joining in the fun of Stripping the Willow, the
Sergeants Dance (where Martin got the pleasure of dancing with two ladies) and
a normal waltz. And if the moment could
not become anymore surreal, shortly before midnight a bagpipe led the entire
party out through the hotel to the river banks where we watched the city
fireworks and toasted the new year with more champagne and whiskey.
Between the kilts, bagpipes, whiskey, Scottish dancing and
fireworks…the moment was unreal.
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