When in Scotland, do as the Scottish do!
At the opening ceremony of the Adventure Travel World Summit, we were wined and dined with single-malts and haggis, a local dish consisting of minced heart, lungs, and liver of a sheep or calf mixed with suet, onions, oatmeal, and seasonings, and boiled in the animal’s stomach. Perhaps it was good we started with the scotch first, to build up our courage! Gruesome as it sounds, the haggis was quite delicious.
We were serenaded by a tribal pipes and drum band called Clanadonia, whose music is steeped in the Celtic/Pictish traditions of Scotland. They energized the crowd and gave us a taste of what was to come after dinner. (To listen to a sample of their music, check out my video here: Scottish band Clanadonia.) Note the wee drams o’ whisky lined up on the tables at the end of the video. Slainte!
The post-dinner entertainment included a cèilidh (a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves music and dance), whereby the band provided the jigs and reels to which the crowd learned to dance and swing together. There was much rejoicing (and sweating)!
Top it off with a million men in kilts, and there you have it. A true Scottish shindig.
Special thanks to VisitScotland for putting on this grand affair!
Adventure on,
Kristen
Exploring World Cultures with Kristen Gill 
Thanks for this page. I’ve read it in the metro with my phone and found it very interesting.
Kristen, It sounds like a great time, though I’m not sure I’d have had the corage to try that meal.
So glad you enjoyed your night and liked the taste of haggis. You got the ingredients wrong though – Haggis is actually a hairy wild beast that lives in the hills and can only fly at night. Very hard to spot 😉
Clanadonia look awesome! Where was the venue for this event?
Ha! Anna, you’re right…a Scotsman tried telling me about the elusive “haggis” creature, and how best to catch it…but I did not fall for that one! Clanadonia WAS awesome, and the event happened in Aviemore, Scotland, at the MacDonald Highland Resort http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/aviemore/index.htm?.
Thanks, everyone, for your comments!
Just checked with my husband and it was his company who did the audiovisual (lights, sceens etc) for this event. (www.savav.co.uk). What a coincidence!
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