Ceilidh Craigmiller Tattoo

One nice event that occurred here at Dalkeith House the other night was a Ceilidh. This is a Scottish dance tradition, not unlike our square dancing. Some local musicians and a dance instructor came in and we all had a great time learning the dances and moves. I understand that it was not a "proper Ceilidh" as there was no Scotch served and it didn't last until the wee hours of the morning, but it was still fun!

 

Another event that the students and staff took part in was a trip to the Craigmiller castle. This castle, built in 1467 and set on a hill  south of the city center where the "main" castle is, was used by Mary Queen of Scots to "get away from it all."

Part hike, part castle tour, this outing was very enjoyable as we had some great weather that day. 





The prominent building in the center of the far skyline is the Edinburgh Castle in Old Town



Finally, an event that really gave one a great feeling of being in Scotland was the Military Tattoo.  This event took place in Edinburgh in a stadium built specifically for the event. The stadium is connected directly to the Edinburgh Castle and features military bands from Scotland, England, and other countries that put a two hour show together each year. They put the show on each night for the month of August. Below are some sights from that event.

In the shadow of the castle we get seated for the show

8,000 seat stadium built just for the Tattoo



England's Band



Brazilian Band



Dutch Bicycle Band



Bulgarian Band

All of these events were a part of Orientation Week for the faculty and students. It is a great way for us all to get to know each other as we enter into our semester abroad together. Classes started yesterday (Wednesday) and so far, so good. 

As I am typing this, students are on "Cleaning Duty" for an hour before afternoon classes. They are mopping, "hoovering" and dusting the palace. It helps them to gain a sense of ownership and camaraderie. There is also a rotating schedule of serving and doing the dishes for all the meals. It's good to do one's own chores.

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Oh yea, we went to a professional Rugby match too - Scotland vs. Italy - Scotland won. We didn't always know what was going on, but it was very entertaining to see the locals out pulling for the home team.

It is a very rough and tumble game. The guys are huge and run into each other at full speed, then monkey pile until the ball pops back out ,then run and tackle again. That's what it looked like to me anyway - very entertaining!