~An old Scottish proverb
Ah…the land of kilts and clans, bagpipes and drums, whiskey and beer, haggis and bangers, naps and tatties, dancing and singing…
GW and I went with some friends to the annual Scottish Festival and Highland games Saturday. I tell you…the Scots and Irish certainly know how to party!
We started at 9:30 and the weather was so nice although the wind was blowing a bit hard for my taste. I hate my hair to be mussed. But by the time 3:00 rolled around, I was begging for it to blow harder, hair or no! I doubt it gets this hot in Scotland.
We got brave and tried several new things. First on the list was a beginners Gaelic lesson. Not sure if I could ever master that difficult language but we did okay learning some basic greetings. And GW really got into the swing of things and did very well singing Old MacDonald had a farm in Gaelic. Especially the I AI I AI O part! Must have some Scot in him way back!
Next, we stopped to watch a bunch of big guys in kilts (BIG guys…I dare you to call them skirts in their faces!) throwing these big ball things called hammers. Evidently, the one who throws it the farthest wins. You know, men stuff. Always competing.
Around lunch, we visited the food court and, of course, we all had to try some original Scottish fare. We tried Scottish meat pies (pastry with meat) and it was a little bland, but not bad. Then we tried bangers and mash (little sausages and mashed potatoes covered in onion gravy) – again, not too bad.
Then we all got our courages up to try haggis. Okay, if you don’t know what haggis is, I’m not going to tell you…just google it, my friend, and clap your hands for our bravery! Tried it once, don’t have to try it again, LOL! But you know…when in Rome…or Scotland I should say.
To reward ourselves we hit the funnel cakes and the scones with strawberries and whipped cream. Worth the calories, trust me! After all that, along with my favorite drink – pear cider, and just a wee bit, I promise 🙂 – I was ready for a nap.
But we perservered and watched caber tossing, Irish dancing, music from harp bands to the Celtic rock band The Kildares. We left around 3:30 and ran a few errands and then came home and crashed big time! But it was so much fun!!!!
One of the Bagpipe Marching Bands:
One of the many breweries serving all kinds of beer. They even let you sample before you buy. I was a wuss and stayed with the pear cider. But I did try a sample of the others.
I have no clue who those people were, but they wouldn’t get out of the way! Everyone takes their time and like to talk and visit.
This is where we bought our bangers and mash and haggis.
Here it is – my first (and last) taste of haggis. The haggis is the brown stuff. It’s served with mash potatoes and rutabagas. Proof for posterity that I did try it!
We B rockin’ with this group called the Kildares! Soon after this picture was taken a girl with a fiddle joined the group and it was awesome! I plan on downloading some of their music to my iPod.
This group was called Clandestine. Due to the heat, the bagpiper was having trouble tuning his instrument so he took it apart to work with it. It confirms that the bagpipe is not a native Texas instrument, LOL!
Okay, girls, here’s what we’ve always wanted to know but afraid to ask. But, take my word for it not ALL of them wear shorts underneath, LOL!
This is called the Caber Toss. GW did a great job with these pics:
This kind of dancing takes so much stamina. Their heels are not allowed to touch the stage during the performance.
Some funny sayings I saw:
‘Some see it as a glass half empty.
Some see it as a glass half full.
But an Irishman just asks: Are you going to drink that?’
‘Be careful meddling in the affairs of dragons.
For they find you crunchy and taste good with ketchup.’
Seen on the t-shirts of some of the women:
‘Kilt inspector – spread’em lad!’
If you ever get a chance to attend one of these festivals, I highly recommend it.
BTW, do you know what the Gaelic saying in the title of this blog means?
…a 100,000 welcomes!
~Sandy
