Oct 24 2006
To see the first installment of my Scotland series click here.
One of the best parts of being in Edinburgh during the holiday season is the Kris Kringle Mart being held along Princes Street Garden at the footsteps of Edinburgh castle (I have no idea why the folks of Edinburgh were having a Germany christmas market...but they had hot mead...who the hell is going to argue with that!). Princes Street Garden is a long swath of park that formally was bogland and had once been Nor Loch. Along the gardens is a giant skating rink, festival rides, and a marketplace where local merchants sell arts and crafts. If you've never been to a European christmas mart, it's an experience not to be missed. Old booths are brought out, hot mead is served, and the local populace spends hours meeting up in the center of town. While in Germany I had the pleasure of attending the huge Krisk Kringle Mart in Munich. Thousands of people headed to the center of town and the local children sang Christmas carols high atop a local building. Or at least I think we did...we ended up at Hofbrau house afterwards....but I digress.
After a day touring Edinburgh Castle and Old Town Edinburgh we headed off to the festival, picked up some holiday mead and meandered through the marketplace along with hundreds of other Scots. We purchased a few trinkets and then headed off towards the festival rides near Scots Tower, the Ferris Wheel being the prime attraction. Now, being scared of heights and a bitter cold evening doesn't really make me a prime candidate for a ride on the Ferris Wheel. But where else could you get a view of all of Edinburgh lit up for the holidays?
I can say we safely finished the ride, but damn it was cold. Would I do it again? Maybe with a few more glasses of hot mead along for the ride! A great experience none the less.
Today's photo is the Ferris Wheel with Scots Tower blurred in the background. I didn't have a tripod so a quick handheld shot was all I could do, but I think the blurred lights of the Ferris Wheel come out pretty good.
December 2004
Edinburgh, Scotland