My favorite thing in the world about traveling is those little gems of culture that just delight you to your toes.  That wonderful thing you can’t wait to tell your friends about the way things are done somewhere else.  The perfect Facebook post!  I was blessed with just such a finding on a trip to Aberdeen, Scotland a few years ago. 

So it begins like all great stories of ‘found treasures’ begin, I was bored.  It was late, but not late enough.  The hotel we were staying in was beautiful and charming, and not encumbered with all those American amenities that overtake elegant decor.  Yes, I am saying there was no television, and not enough outlets to charge our phones and the laptop too.  But then I thought, “You’re in Scotland! Why would you watch television anyway?”  So I said to my boyfriend, “Let’s go have a nightcap.”

We set out with intentions of going to the restaurant bar inside the hotel, but it had already closed.  So we asked the front desk for a suggestion within walking distance.  We got the most delightful response!  I don’t recall the first suggestion that was made; it was an average bar and didn’t catch our interest.  It was the second offering that made our heads snap up, in unison, from the map spread on the counter.  We looked at each other, as if for clarification, and then back at the desk clerk, “Did you say church?”  With a slightly confused expression the clerk nodded his head and said, “Yes, well it’s a church during the day, but at night it is a casino.  But they have a bar.” 

Again, my boyfriend and I traded stunned expressions. We had experienced this before; it was merely a communication gap. As soon as we figured out which word had a different meaning we would get this whole thing sorted out.  But how to go about questioning the young man?  One more shared look with the boyfriend and we had mentally agreed it would be easier to go find answers for ourselves.  So we accepted the directions and headed for the door.

When we arrived at the address, holy cow, it was a church!  Not just any church; it was one of those old cathedral churches that is probably 500 years old or more and has the kind of architecture that people intentionally visit on vacation.  Now we were giggling like school children.  We let ourselves in the huge, ornate, front doors where a young lady dressed like a Vegas Blackjack dealer greeted us and asked if we were members.

After filling out a very brief membership application, we received a plastic membership card and a tour of the facilities.  The Casino was located upstairs, and occupied most of the 2nd story of the church.  They had blackjack, roulette and slots; my boyfriend headed for the blackjack table while I grabbed a Caucasian and the nearest slot machine.  The friendly staff let us now that the Casino was open until 5am, and if we stayed until close, they provide a warm breakfast, free of charge! 

While waiting for my second Caucasian I chatted up the bartender who explained that church buildings like this one are very expensive to upkeep and Sunday morning donations aren’t cutting it anymore.  Opening up the church in the evening, as a safe place for the community to have a cocktail and entertain themselves with Casino games, helps keep the church open to its parishioners. Creative problem solving or blasphemy?  I guess we each have to decide that for ourselves, but I really had a nice time and felt good about losing money to a good cause.  Our little find was called “Soul Casino,” but locals told us that these are becoming common all over Europe.  So if you are traveling abroad, look up “church bars”, “church casinos” and “church conversions” for something a little different with your nightcap.