Burns Supper

For a Scotsman, January 25 is an important date. It is Rabbie (Robert) Burns birthday, and Burns Nights or Burns Suppers are still held throughout the world near this date to celebrate this well-loved poet's day.

Riverside School has a fair number of Scots on staff, and so it was only natural to plan such an event. The first one was held about 7 years ago, and the celebration has grown so popular over the years that this year's supper was sold-out!

The evening began as we were "piped" into the ballroom - a real Scottish piper was standing on the steps playing for every arriving guest. Whiskey is the drink of choice at these affairs, and each place setting had its own miniature bottle of Chivas Regal, and Johnnie Walker Red was available on each table. Ostensibly the bottle was to be a door prize for one of the table guests, but tradition dictates that whoever "wins" it, opens and shares with the entire table.

To begin the meal, the Selkirk Grace, written by Robert Burns, is spoken.

"Some hae meat and canna eat,

and some wad eat that want it,

but we hae meat and we can eat,

and sae the Lord be thankit."

The centerpiece or main course of such suppers is the haggis. It is brought into the room with great ceremony, led by the piper. There is a video of this procession below.

If you read the description of haggis provided in the link above, you may think that you would not touch it. I wasn't sure I wanted to try it, but when I got to the food table, the servers just piled some on my plate. I went back to my seat and with some trepidation, took a bite. I have to say it was delicious! If you don't think about the ingredients or the fact that it was cooked in an animal's stomach, it is really quite tasty. It helped that it was not a solid slice of meat like sausage, but it had a rather "fluffy" consistency. Anyway, I finished my entire portion.

Here is a still photo of bringing in the haggis. Don't forget to watch the video below.

After the haggis appears, there is a recitation of Mr. Burns' Address to a Haggis. See the second video clip below.

This gentleman served as the Master of Ceremony for the evening. A Scotsman's kilt can be worn for all dressy occasions, taking the place of a traditional suit or tuxedo. It was interesting to see the many different tartans.

The banquet hall, with over 160 guests...

Following the meal, there is a toast to the lassies (although it is more of a roast) followed by a response and toast to the lads. Of course, the toasting is done with.... yep, more whiskey.

Toasting the lassies.....

The band..

Scottish dancing..

All in all, a great party, and a good way to spend a winter evening!

Grandparent Joy

Tom and I just spent Sunday through Wednesday at Chris and Laura's house, taking care of the kids while Chris and Laura went to a conference in Dublin. It was fun to spend so much time with the kids. Owen and I went off to school together each morning, and then he got to stay after school and have all the toys to himself while I finished up my duties. Grandpa held the fort with Elliot, and I was able to see a lot more of Elliot than I normally do. Of course we didn't take any photos - we were too busy!! :-)

One year!

One year ago today we arrived in Prague, schlepping our 8 suitcases containing all our worldly possessions.



We've picked up a few things since then and we are quite comfortable in our new home.



Don't forget, we have a spare bedroom, (and a well-stocked bar cupboard) just waiting for company. :-)

Spain Holiday

On New Year's Day, Tom and I flew off to Spain. It is so neat to be able to go to other countries in a two-hour flight! We landed in Barcelona, and of course headed straight to the water's edge. This monument to Columbus is in the area of the Old Port, and also marks the beginning of the famous Las Ramblas - a wide street and pedestrian area full of shops and other attractions.



See below for one of our favorite views!! Boats!!

A street in old town Barcelona....

Spaniands are very big on green transport :-) tons of these motor bikes and scooters....

This is the central market of Barcelona, just off Las Ramblas.....

One of the meat stalls...

A seafood presentation....

Now multiply those two stalls in your mind and add candy, fruits and vegetables, many more meat and seafood booths, and a few bakeries in a building the size of the Center of Progress Building at the NY State Fair, and you will have an idea of what this market is like.

Back out on Las Ramblas, Cyndy gets accosted by a statue!

Unfortunately, our camera battery died the day that we visited the Montjuic Castle (which is a fort on top of a very high bluff that is reached by cable car and hanging gondolas). The view was fantastic from up there. We also missed photos of the old Cathedral, the antique markets in the square, and the Gaudi architectural sites in the city. I think that his work must have spawned the term "gaudy"!! His cathedral has been under construction since 1882 and is still not finished!

We then made a spur of the moment decision to take a side trip to Montserrat, which is a stone massif that sprouts from the mountain ranges outside of Barcelona, and was visible from our plane when we flew in. Once we realized that there was a monastery there that we could visit, we made the 1-hr. train trip. The views from the heights were breathtaking!

And of course, we enjoyed eating, drinking, and exploring the old sections of the city.

Sardines, anyone?

In Valencia, we arrived the day before their major holiday, King's Day or we know the day as Epiphany. King's Day in the church calendar is January 6, and is supposedly the day when the Magi arrived to worship the infant Jesus. In Spain, good children receive gifts from the "kings" on this day. (Bad children get coal.) So, the evening before, there is a procession that winds miles through the streets of Valencia with floats complete with riders who throw candy to the waiting children, bands, and representations of the 3 kings and the gifts they presented to Jesus. It was a very long procession.... The city knows how to do it up right however; we watched workers earlier in the afternoon setting out thousands of plastic chairs for easy viewing all along the parade route.

Waiting for the candy.....

the forerunners of this particular king...

Some of the floats were very unusual (like decorated double-decker buses) and would never be allowed in the US. (like the very real bear below). We also noted other practices that would be frowned upon in the US- carrying lighted torches and oil lamps with real flames!!

Don't know who or what this represents.....

More photos of the procession and our time in Barcelona and Valencia can be found on the Picasa site.

Valencia also has a very modern section with eerie buildings that look like they belong on the set of Star Trek.

One of these houses an aquarium, where we watched a dolphin show, and walked through glass tunnels with sharks swimming overhead. This is one of the best aquariums we have seen yet, and the dolphins, always my favorite, were amazing. Not only did they perform well as a group, they also did tricks with their human trainers that I have not seen before.

One of the "fish tunnels".....

We ended our trip by returning to Barcelona and flying back to Prague, where we encountered winter! We felt as though we were back in upstate NY, as there is over 6" of snow on the ground, and it is still coming down.


Remember, if you would like to see the full extent of our photos of Spain, the link is here.

New Year's Eve in Letna Park

We have learned that Praguians take their New Year's Eve celebrations quite seriously. Individuals, companies, families, groups - all find a favorite spot from which to send aloft the many types of fireworks that are available for purchase here.

We did not have any of our own, so we went to the nearby park and the overlook from which you can see the Charles Bridge and Old Town.

Happy New Year!!!