Some Scottish odds and ends

When I got my ticket at Stirling and had a choice to make, the clerk said, "It's up to yourself." Made me smile. Detours are called "diversions." A yield sign states "Give Way." No lifts (elevators) in most of the hotels because so many of them are converted from old somethings, and few rooms on the ground floor because so many of the places are converted from old somethings so the ground floor is reception, the lounge, dining areas, etc. New Year's is Hogmanay, though most had no idea why it was called that. It seems to be a good reason to party excessively as the celebrations can start on 12/30 and continue until 1/3 or later. Some of the smaller villages have block parties so all the restaurant bars and pubs are just open. Sounds like a wild time. There is a tradition of first-footing, however, which means being the first person to cross the threshold of the home of a friend or neighbor and bringing an appropriate symbolic gift. Apparently that it still important in some of the smaller villages and towns.