Hogmanay In Edinburgh
As always this trip started and ended in disorganised chaos, as nine members of S-Division spent hogmanay in a poky flat in central Edinburgh. Jim and Jamie got their timing completely wrong and arrived 24hrs before anybody else. Rather concerning for the early arrivals was that the flat felt rather full with only four people in it - five more arriving the next night was going to be� interesting.
We whiled away the hours waiting for the others to arrive as only we could, Jamie cut Simon's head off with a double handed axe and Jim got mistaken for a mad scientist in the Edinburgh Dungeon.
Thanks to our organisational skills and the standard of GNER/Virgin services everybody arrived in dribs and drabs across the course of the day. Eventually the team was assembled and before Simon could say he was hungry we were eating Chinese in the Great Wall. Here we learnt a very important lesson, nine enthusiastic fencers and food on a turntable does not mix well - not if you don't want all surfaces in a 10 metre radius coated in chinese food.
Stomachs full it was time to investigate new year in Edinburgh. The 'Night Afore Fiesta' Entertainment in George Street provided interesting entertainment, involving loo roll thrown everywhere, ceilidh music and Bryony's favourite - people on stilts.
Hogmanay
We soon learnt how long it takes 9 people to get ready of a morning in a tiny flat with one shower, which was so small you were supported by walls on all four sides. But around lunchtime we were ready to climb Arthurs Seat - the steepest side of course!!
After a brief stop for Haggis in Howies there was enough time to explore the castle, before our hogmanay celebrations began. (After of course more food in the flat while watching Paddington Bear - thus providing inspiration for a trip later on in the year.)
I really wish I could go into detail about Hogmanay celebrations, but it's all a bit hazy. The fireworks were spectacular and we drank more beer and whiskey then I would admit to. Jamie even went round the bar drinking all the leftovers he could find. We danced on the tables in the Pear Tree till late, very late. The photos from the next morning tell all�
The Pear Tree Hogmanay & The Next Day
New Years day was spent in the traditional way, in recovery. But one thing was still missing from this trip - no tigers. A trip to the zoo was in order. Hours were spent watching ducks slowly freeze in a pond, penguins for some bizarre reason seemingly unable to cope with the snow and ice (even the one cunningly disguised as a pelican), observing Dan de-evolving in the evolution maze and of course the tigers. After all this poor Dave (III) was so hungry he resorted to eating muscle shells brought to us by an Italian from Casablanca (well my brother was fooled). We ended the trip with a sing-a-long in a rowdy pub on Southbridge, at three in the morning, with a group of locals who seemed convinced that Jim was Harry Potter?!?!?
