Gentlemen, lets not forget the fact that this is an opportunity for us to get together with some friends we've never met before. I'm looking forward to meeting many of the Xmarks rabble that I would otherwise probably never get to know in person.
As Cessna points out, we all tend to take for granted the things we are familiar with, while others are fascinated by them.
I have wanted to go to Scotland for years but never seriously planned anything until the Gathering came along and it gave me a nice kick in the pants to get me going. Now I'm less than 2 days away from leaving for a 2 week adventure, only a small part of which is the actual Gathering. Most of my time will be spent in the highlands exploring the mountains, the history and maybe even having a wee dram or two.
So, tourist trap or not, I'm glad the Gathering is happening and I look forward to seeing many of you in the coming weeks!