Entries about torch

Happy belated New Year everyone! Sorry about the delay in writing about our time over the last month. This was our New Year in Edinburgh. A great time and an amazing festival! ...Luckily we both had got over a nasty flu I managed to get in London and then pass over to Lewis as a Christmas gift (So nice I know!) but thankfully we were all back to normal by the New Year and ready to join the Edinburgh festivities.

Our Hogmanay experience began with the torchlight procession. The procession is lead by local vikings and everyone has a torch...They let over 30,000 people loose with fire! It was an amazing experience dodging torches and walking the streets with thousands of others. It is a extremely friendly occasion. The whole event is an extremely friendly event, everyone is merry and happy to enjoy the moment. It is an absorbing experience and you can't help but be merry with everyone else.

We started up in the old town area of Edinburgh by the Royal Mile and walked through the main street to Calton Hill. It was pretty amazing to look back and see masses of torches behind you. It was amazing to see the glow and the flames when you looked back. They went for hundreds of meters! When we finally reached the top of the hill a massive bonfire was lit and fireworks and a light show went off to the music, (for us it was James Bond Skyfall song). It was magical to watch. I was like a little kid watching the lights and firework show.

I ended up having a photo with a few Scottish lads in the full kilt assemble...Lewis photo skills failed to catch this...I think he was ready to go home at this point and didn't get why I wanted the photo. We dropped our torch in the flaming inferno that was the designated rubbish bin...it appears that the memo to use the water bucket to put out the torch before putting it in the bin was missed. The fire in the barrel was massive and was melting the plastic signs above. It was pretty entertaining watching people trying to add their torch to the flames.

I went home buzzing! So happy to have been a part of the amazing tradition. When I arrived back to our house I went to show our lovely AirBnB host my photos. And I discovered the above photo...there are two things wrong with this photo...yeah I have no idea what is in the bottom corner..I have decided it has to be an umbrella. Haha. It makes the viking that is posing with the policemen look normal!

The next night I was so excited about the massive street party that Edinburgh is famous for. I couldn't imagine how it could top the night before. Alcohol is able to be brought in for the festival...as you can imagine the streets are a very merry place and people of all ages are everywhere.

We headed to Hot Dub Time Machine to count in the New Year with a remixed song from each year until the countdown with thousands of others. We arrived and starting making our way through the hoards to Crowded House. It seemed so appropriate to arrive to a kiwi tune. Fireworks are massive here. They had fireworks on the hour to countdown to midnight and then at midnight the spectacular display lasted for over 10minutes! It was even more spectacular than the night before! I don't even know how that was possible!

The crowd was amping with everyone befriending the person squashed next to them and wishing everyone a happy new year.
We walked home merry after the amazing evening. An event like Hogmanay would struggle to get all the required safety and council approvals in New Zealand. It's sad but exciting that at least in one country you can have one magnificent street party and run around with torches!

It is definitely you need to experience! I can't wait to experience it again.