Winter Wonderland (part 1)

It snowed this weekend! Actually, it's still snowing...According to Bloomburg Businessweek, this is the most widespread snow the UK has gotten since November 1993.  This makes sense, considering no one appears to be able to handle it.  We've had about 6 inches so far, and as a result the city appears to have come to a standstill.  Most classes were cancelled today (although I still had my earliest one), there's a citywide snow day for Edinburgh public schools, the airport was closed all morning, and the gym closed early so I can't go to hip-hop tonight.  To be fair, the roads are really bad-but that's probably because it's been snowing for two days and I have yet to see a plow or street sander.  Hmm.  Good job, Edinburgh City Council.

Anyways, before everyone panicked today, Lydie and I had a great time exploring the winter landscape over the weekend.  It started on Friday night with a trip to the newly-opened German Christmas Market, followed by a snowy adventure to Edinburgh Castle and back down the Mile to tea.

Again, most of these pictures were taken by Lydie.  I'm pretty sure that has something to do with why I seem to be unable to re-orient them the right way up.  Anyways, this is the ferris wheel at the Christmas Market.  There were a few rides in addition to the food and craft booths in this part of the fair, and everything looked rather magical all lit up in the distance.  In the lower part of Princes Street Gardens (where the market is located) were tons more attractions, including an ice rink.  I can't wait to go skating when I've studied for exams!

The official light ceremony and market opening were on Thursday-the lights will be up until after Hogmanay, the Edinburgh New Year's celebration.

This slide is called a Helter-Skelter.  I remember going to the Fourth of July carnival when I was little and riding similar slides (your legs go inside a sack), but I don't think they were ever shaped like a lighthouse!

It was really nice seeing Lydie-in fact, it was almost like having family there for the holiday weekend.  We didn't actually go on the carousel, but they're still my favorite!

We also both tried Haggis for the first time at the "Highland Market".  Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish made of ground mutton with oats and spices, cooked inside the stomach of the sheep.  I was a little hesitant to try it because I don't eat much meat and I've barely ever had lamb, but it was really good!  I had haggis in a baked potato, which was yummy and really warm and perfect for the cold, snowy night.  Lydie had hers the traditional way: with "neeps and tatties," or mashed potatoes and turnips.

The stalls at the market sell all kinds of awesome, kitschy Christmas decorations and crafts.  I love nutcrackers-when I was little my Dad took me to see the ballet in Boston, and we always have a nutcracker or two in the house at Christmastime.  We gave Lydie one the year she lived with us, and she told me at the market she still has it (along with her football)!

My favorite from this display was the "Highland" nutcracker, wearing a a little tartan outfit and banging a drum.  Ridiculous and so cute.

This stall was a favorite among my group!  It was selling cookies, marzipan, and fruit dipped in chocolate.  I'm not a huge fan of chocolate, but they also had white chocolate, which I love.  Most interesting was a habanero pepper dipped in chocolate!  I am definitely not brave enough to try that one yet.

In addition to the slide and carousel, there was also a "flying swings" ride.  I haven't been on one in years, and they are so much fun!  It was freezing, but we braved the winds to fly over late-night Christmas shoppers and the lit trees in the gardens.