Christmas in a castle

It is not every day that one gets to visit a castle, let alone celebrate Christmas in one!!

Last week, I joined a Haggis adventure tour for the Christmas period with my friends Beth & Jase. On Christmas Eve we departed Edinburgh before the sun was even up. In our little 30 seater bus, our trusty driver Kenny weaved our way through the highlands of Scotland towards Carbisdale Castle. After dinner and a good chat with our new friends, we tried our hands at a little ceilidh - Scottish folk dancing.

I did have high hopes for a white Christmas, but instead we awoke to glorious sunshine on Christmas morning. There is no doubt that it was still cold, but the sun did make it that little more exciting. Instead of going to the mountains, we headed to Durnoch beach for a little fun in the sun. As you may have already noticed by my previous posts, I enjoy making snowmen. Without snow it was a little difficult to build a snowman, so I settled myself with a sandman instead!







In the afternoon we spent a wee time in the local pub – Aye, Jase & I dressed ourselves in replica traditional Scottish outfits. Yes, your eyes have not mistaken you… Jase is wearing a kilt… the real question is, however, what’s underneath??? Anyway, moving right along... in the early evening we dined in the castle with a Christmas feast including brussel sprouts… I still cannot fathom how people can eat them, but they are apparently all part of the tradition. (Mum, you’ll be pleased with me – I had two and only squirmed a little!) After our meal, we again danced the night away with some more ceilidh with a hundred odd other fellow travellers.








On Boxing Day, although I did have a fleeting thought of the cricket, it was quickly replaced as we explored more of the Scottish highlands, including a drive past Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in Scotland) and a stop at the mysterious Loch Ness. We did not catch any glimpses of a monster in the waters… except perhaps for the girl on the left in the photo below. Let me tell you that that smile is because I had no sensation from my shins down!

For the remainder of the weekend, we stayed at Edinburgh and did a little more sight seeing around town – I managed to see the Queen’s official Scottish residence this time round!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Tradition with all the trimmings...

This weekend I enjoyed a traditional Christmas meal (with all the trimmings) with my London friends, before we all head our various ways over Christmas. We even had my Grandma's special Christmas pudding which has been maturing over the past few weeks in the kitchen.

A special thankyou must go to Katrina for my apron - classic!! In the photos below we have: Jase, Michelle, Dwane, Ivan, Belle & Anne.

Fröhliche Weihnachten! (Merry Christmas!)

The year is almost over and Christmas is just around the corner. I love the lead up to Christmas and everything that it involves. In addition to the Christmas parties, fairy lights & the Christmas cheer, I have had the opportunity to experience the lead up to Christmas German style. Last weekend, I headed to Berlin with Anne. We had a great time achieving our two objectives: Firstly, it was to enjoy the German Christmas market experience, and secondly to understand a little more of the history of Berlin by visiting the sites.

Highlights of our weekend include:

• Christmas markets - The German markets were amazing and the vibe contagious, despite the zero degree temperatures. With over 50 markets located in and around Berlin, there was plenty to keep us occupied. We checked many stores which stocked handicrafts, decorations and scarves to name a few. At one market we even slid down a snow ramp on an inner tube!! The best thing about the markets however, was the food! Anne & I tasted many delights including currywurtz (a curry snag), schlumpf (marshmallow wrapped in chocolate) and schneeballen (broken pieces of biscuit joined with chocolate & coconut to make this huge ball). And of course we kept ourselves from freezing with the occasional mug of gluhwein.
  


• A walking tour of Berlin which included a comprehensive recount of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the fall of the Wall and the unification of Germany. We visited many sites within the city of Berlin including part of the Berlin Wall that remains standing; Hitler’s bunker; checkpoint Charlie; the Brandenburg Gate, which stood alone in the Death Strip for 28 years while Berlin was separated into the East & West!; and Reichstag, Berlin’s Parliament building.

One of the bizarre things that I did not know about Berlin was the amplemann. You may not know what I’m talking about, but trust me, everyone knows the amplemann! They are the traffic light men. East Germany had their own traffic light signs which controversially remained post the German reunification.

Torvill & Dean... maybe not

I kicked off the Christmas season yesterday with ice skating in town with a couple of mates. There are plenty of open air ice skating rinks in London, with each venue located nearby one of the many famous London landmarks. We decided to skate in the courtyard of Somerset House built in the 18th century, located along the River Thames. After a few laps next to the railing, I found my skating feet after several years off the ice and managed to venture to the centre of the rink with the others. I was impressed with the quality of boots we had – a definite improvement from the standard ones for hire at Maq Centre! It was a great day out in the fresh London air.

Return to down under

Over the past few weeks I headed down under to catch up with friends and family, including several new additions who have been welcomed into the world over the past 15 months. The primary purpose of the trip was to celebrate three new marriages including Ben & Bec, Ivan & Belle and my very own brother’s wedding. I’m pleased to announce I have a new sister and am very happy to welcome Sue to the family!! Below are a few snap shots of the happy couples who are all currently enjoying their respective honeymoons…










Although the majority of my time down under was in Sydney, my sister and I also went on a road trip up north via Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay, Burleigh Heads, Brisbane, Tenterfield & Tamworth. It was a good chance to spend time with my sister, enjoy the vast Australian countryside which I love as well allowing me a little time to relax.

Highlights of the road trip include:

• Catching up with family & friends along the way, in particular meeting my two cute 2nd cousins in Coffs Harbour


• Soaking in the sun, having a swim in the ocean and eating fish & chips at Byron Bay


• Watching the surfers tackle the waves at Burleigh Heads


• Camping in the back of my sister’s car at Bald Rock National Park… and rising early to climb Bald Rock itself. The streams of colour of the granite rock were impressive. It was just a shame we had limited visibility up the top to see the panoramic views. Driving in the area at dusk & dawn was also good fun - there was plenty of roo spotting & dodging on the roads and the corridors.

I’m now back to reality and ready to bunker down for my second winter in the northern hemisphere. Stay tuned for more blogs coming soon!