I'm dreaming of a............non-white christmas?

Christmas in Germany is traditionally celebrated on christmas eve and it is white with piles of snow everywhere. Not this year! We had plus 10 degrees and the only thing coming from the sky was light rain.
We had a lovely christmas eve dinner with Maren's family, complete with lots of food (leberkase - like a meatloaf, cooked ham and potato salad AND the chocolate mousse and green and red jelly THAT I MADE - yes that's right people, I COOKED), lots of wine, presents and crazy kids running round leaving wrapping paper and toys all over.

Christmas day is known as the "first christmas day" and boxing day is known as the "second christmas day". So ultimately that is three days of eating, drinking and socialising - these people know how to do it! Then it is goodbye to the christmas markets - another 11 months until gluhwein and pfaffengluck make their much anticipated reappearance!
Then it was another overnight bus - this time a 4 hour train to Cologne, a 14 hour bus ride across to London (complete with a middle of the night ferry trip from Calais) and getting dropped off at 4.45am in the backstreets behind Victoria Coach Station with 2 suitcases.

Edinburgh Christmas markets

Torch ceremony

Next day straight off again up to Edinburgh for Hogmanay - the New Year celebrations. We stayed at an amazing luxury apartment in a cobblestoned street about 10 minutes walk (uphill - they love their hills in Edinburgh) from the main shopping street.

On the 30th we joined in a torch light parade from the Old Town up to the Castle - thousands of people streched out for kilometres walking along and carrying flaming torches and finished off with a fireworks display - pretty spectacular.

Edinburgh Castle

Apartment street - Circus Lane

The 31st was the big Hogmanay street party - stages with concerts, bring your own alcohol, portable toilets (nearly got crushed in a crowd surge at the 11.30pm line up - then when i finally got to a loo it was almost overflowing - fabulous) and people EVERYWHERE.

NYE fireworks

Fantastic fireworks display at midnight with a perfect view from the street up to the Castle with the fireworks exploding over the top - definately the highlight of the night.

AND STILL NO SNOW!!!