Christmas is in the air here in Edinburgh. Friends are flying home left and right, the shops are decorated and all lit up (one blares carols over an outdoor speaker on the weekends), and I even came across a Salvation Army's brass band playing Christmas carols ala Mr. Bean! Last night a couple of us had a Girl's Night Out at the German Christmas Market that has sprung up around the art galleries at the centre of town. It was a chilly, foggy evening -- perfect for a hot mug of mulled wine and some goodies. The castle was completely hidden from view, regardless of all the lights they shine on it at night and the trail of lit trees leading up to it along the side of the hill.
We then walked around the market, watched the skaters trying to skate through the slushy ice of the outdoor skating rink that's been set up down in Princes Street Gardens, and checked out the carnival rides. People were going on the ferris wheel next to the Walter Scott Monument even though between the dark sky and the dense fog you wouldn't have been able to see anything. Two of my friends went on the swings, which flew so high and so fast around that they were a bit worried that their feet were flying too close to the monument! After that we needed to warm up in an indoor setting, so we walked down George Street, which has gorgeous starry Christmas lights strung up all along it, and found our way into Wetherspoons, a chain of pubs known for using gorgeous buildings with lovely interiors and selling uber cheap drinks. £1.50 'luxury' hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows was the perfect cap to the evening.
In the upcoming week pretty much all of our friends who are still around are flying home for Christmas. It looks like my birthday party will be pretty small, but excellent none-the-less. Bowling, pizza and cheesecake are the plan, so it can't fail to good evening! This will be our first Christmas in Edinburgh, or indeed away from home. We're looking forward to walking around this beautiful city on Christmas Day, which apparently shuts down completely for the day. But we're going to be missing family and friends back home, so there's already plans in the works for Skype video-chatting for my birthday, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Derek's working on his Christmas Eve evening menu of snacks and nibbles, and I am almost completely done my Christmas shopping and card sending. We decided to not have a tree, as there'd be no place to store it through the year and we don't know where we'll be next Christmas. Plus it seems the big trend here in artificial trees is black ones, which to me look dead rather than festive.
After Christmas we'll be going to the massive street party for Hogmanay (the big New Year's Eve celebration) again this year, and this time we'll have family coming to share it with! Yes, my cousin is touring around Europe for a couple weeks for a variety of functions and family stuff, and will be stopping by to use our sofa bed in time for New Years Eve, so that's perfect. I'm really looking forward to seeing a familiar face, in person, here in Edinburgh. And if you're thinking about heading this way, we've got a pull-out couch that has been tested and approved by friends, so we're all set :)
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