Scotland Chronicles - Day 8 – August 27 – The Ceilidh

Today was our first wedding anniversary and the Ceilidh dance party that Stephen and his parents organized. In preparation I had brought four different outfits but of course I had to go buy something new. It was colder than I had expected, plus, how could I not shop in all the great stores and actually have a reason to spend money – even if it was a 2:1 exchange rate.

We arrived at the Royal Scots Club and were escorted downstairs to a beautiful banquet hall painted burgundy, setup with a stage for the band and numerous tables decorated with flower centerpieces in the colors of the Duncan tartan. Very simple and elegant the room looked amazing. The tables were around the edges of a giant dance floor. As guests began to arrive we welcomed people into the room and the evening was launched with champagne toasts by my father-in-law, my dad and Stephen.

I’ve been telling people the dancing was akin to a Texas Hoedown but really I guess that Hoedown grew out of the Ceilidh tradition. The band began with a waltz, inviting me and Stephen to kick-off the evening. Good golly we hadn’t practiced and I certainly don’t know how to waltz. I began to have a bit of a meltdown having not been warned and not having practiced. Stephen spun me in dizzying circles, not romantic, more like a airplane’s downward spiral after being shot out of the air. I immediately asked if there would be other dances I should know and demanded to know why we didn’t practice in advance. Too late. Luckily everyone was asked to join us about 30 seconds into the demonstration.

The band introduced their first participatory dance, thinking they were presenting something simple, but probably not realizing that the 23 guests from the states had never done these kind of numbers before. Charlie, the band leader, quickly reviewed the steps and off we went. It was a screaming blur of more dizziness and I had to take my leave and decided that photographing the guests was a safer chore for me. Friends John and Nicole refused to allow me to escape, commandeered the camera and spun me back onto the dance floor.

Luckily the band got the picture and all future dances were much easier – or maybe we all started to get the hang of it. Our little dance circles were dotted with experienced Scottish folks who took control of the situation, pulling, pushing and spinning us in the correct directions. It went on like this for several hours and by the end of the evening we had all invented our own interpretations of the dances. My brother-in-law Mandeep and my sister Marlene invented a Punjabi version, my dad gave up on finding his partner and usually ended up dancing with whomever was across from him, my mom was running in circles and my grandmother Minerva teetering between partners.

It was a blast. The food was superb. The Manager of the Club was also the owner of the B&B hosting my family so they catered to all our special dietary needs, even providing a superb version of vegetarian haggis. It all ended too soon as we spilled out onto the streets to find cabs home and watch the fireworks over the city. It was a night to remember and a true melding of cultures. Next time we will all party in Connecticut to Jewish dances with some Punjabi house music for extra fun.

Scotland Chronicles – Day 7 – August 26 – Minicoach Trip to Glasgow

Pronounced Glasgo (go go go) not Glasgow (like cow), this city is close to Stephen’s Heart. His grandfather was from here, Stephen worked in the city and he loves the architecture, cultural vibe and industry. It is a very different place from Edinburgh with its stately historic streets. Glasgow has an 1900s feel of contemporary commerce and is dotted with the architecture of Garnethill Synagogue in a 1800s synagogue and it is also the home to one of Stephen’s favorite galleries, the
We took our time exploring the space and pumping the elderly man for information. Turns out he doesn’t even go to this synagogue, he is the husband of the archivest. But he was more than happy to entertain our probing questions. Returning to the downstairs we had the pleasure of exploring the archive rooms which were filled with photos, trinkets and documents. Turns out our guide was featured in a few of the military images. Finally he took us to the paper archives and introduced us to his charming wife who talked with us about her history as a child in Germany before WWII and how she was exported on the kindertrains to the UK. The couple became a symbol of Judaism in Scotland and our group bombarded them with questions like a pack of CNN reporters. Everyone was instant friends and we learned that their daughter lives in San Mateo, CA.

What Stephen, Marlene, Matthew and I found most remarkable were all the Freemason connections in the Synagogue. In a hidden room upstairs next to the women’s balcony (we really made the rounds) we found all kinds of Freemason imagery and items. In the basement archive there was a framed document certifying the location as a lodge. Growing up we never had any connection to Freemasons in our Jewish education but Stephen knew much about the links. It was fascinating.

The heartbreaking moment of our visit were when the Constable arrived and began speaking with my parents candidly about the future of the synagogue. He was visibly emotional when he revealed that the congregation was aging and disappearing as families moved to the outskirts. He believed the archives would always exist but didn’t know if the building would continue to be in use as a place of worship and celebration too far into the future. I felt as though we were the last visitors to a well hidden secret. Stephen had once occupied an office just a block away and had never noticed the building in all his commutes past its Hebrew-engraved archway and regal façade.

Scotland Chronicles – Day 6 – August 25 – Minicoach Tour of Highlands

On today’s tour our friends John and Nicole from San Francisco, who generously flew out to join us for our one year wedding anniversary, joined us on our highland tour . So did Dad Duncan as with our previous day’s group (me and Stephen, Mom and Dad, the two grands, and two sibs).

Douglas, our driver and guide for the day, amused us again with stories of Scottish bleeding and suffering. At least John and Nicole were getting some new info while the rest of us predicted each upcoming gory fact. Even Dad Duncan was impressed and almost agreed with the driver. Our favorite line, “Mel Gibson’s Braveheart was more hysterical than historical.”

We started in Perth at the foot of the highlands. Stephen, John, Nicole and I were all recovering from our dining and whisky drinking fest of the previous night. We had to take advantage of our family-free time. Everyone broke in their credit cards some more and had the same shock when they saw the exchange rate. But we did get some amazing wool knits.

Next was lunch which was again an adventure. Poor John and Nicole were baptized into our Jewish feeding frenzy as we tried to care for each other’s interests without sacrificing any restaurant staff to our lions. Are lions Kosher? More shopping and then off to Queen’s View which is the most beautiful view of the Highlands you can imagine. John generously pushed Grammie’s wheelchair up the slope as we climbed for the view. At the top we were taking so many photos of glamorous John and Nicole that people thought they were celebrities on a fashion shoot. Why disappoint? We played along.

Next to see the world’s oldest Ewe tree (I just know I’m getting that name wrong) which was situated in a two-building town next to the ancient church that was still in use. On the way out Nicole noticed a stone circle but none of us could find the bathroom.

The final stop was the Famous Grouse distillery. Don’t be deceived, Grammie can put those shots away. She downed her sample in one gulp and began giggling and babbling. Dad Duncan was just as happy with his samples.

Back in Edinburgh the family headed out to the Chinese Circus which was in the big top next to the Lady Boys of Bangkok which soon became my favorite name for Stephen and my brother Matthew. Ringside seats gave us a close-up view of all the action, which didn’t seem too fake. We ended the evening with Indian food at the Bombay Cycle Club whose waiters weren’t pleased to see us at 10pm. We made the experience extra special for the waiters by ordering soups, drinks and missing the 10 p. per person minimum by a good 8 p. But it was by far the BEST Indian food I have ever had. Please don’t tell me the secret ingredients.