Tattoo!

I know what you're thinking.....but it's not THAT kind of tattoo! When Scott and I originally decided to go to Edinburgh for the weekend our first priority was to attend the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo which takes place every night for 3 weeks each August. The Tattoo is a perennial sell out, but we were able to get two tickets to the late performance on a beautiful Saturday evening. Military bands from Switzerland, Norway, Australia, England, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa performed, as well as The U.S. Naval Forces Europe band and, of course, a variety of military bands from around Scotland, several accompanied by Highland dancers. All in all, there were close to 1000 performers. The Edinburgh Castle is the backdrop for this event, and creative lighting against the castle walls was used to enhance the performances. Fireworks closed out the evening. It was absolutely fabulous, a "not to be missed"! The Tattoo runs at the same time as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, so check your calendars for next August because it's a great time to visit! Scott took almost 200 photos during the Tattoo, most really amazing! Here's your visual "taste" of the Tattoo.....

The crowd outside waiting to get in!

The Scottish bands opened the show.

Highland Dancers -- They told the story of Scottish whiskey.

The U.S. Naval Forces Europe Band is stationed in Naples. They played a selection of "Super Heroes" music.

Spiderman!

Batman!

Superman! This one was a real crowd pleaser! Did you notice the symbol on "Superman's" chest and enlarged on  castle wall? That's the lion - the symbol used for the Queen.

Switzerland's Top Secret Drum Corps. They were definitely impressive!

Top Secret Drum Corps

Massed bands and dancers

P.S. I wondered why it's called a "Tattoo". The answer can be found on the official Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo website: "The word ‘tattoo’ comes from the closing-time cry in the inns in the Low Countries during the 17th and 18th centuries - ‘Doe den tap toe’ (‘Turn off the taps’)."