Sunday, 27 August 2017
26-27 August
Last show at the Fringe - "1 Woman, a High Flyer and a Flat Bottom". That about sums up the Fringe - slightly crazy. Was a one woman show by a UK comedian called Samantha Baines. Was good fun. The show was about 3 "lost" women noone has heard of despite their achievements. So slightly feminist show. Interspersed with funny personal tales and poetry readings. Was pleased that for last show was first in line - very me. Samantha Baines was apparently UK Pun Championship Finalist 2017 so Will would have appreciated the puns. Coffee at Printworks - wonder if should hand in coffee card tomorrow?!. Picked up sausages for dinner from local butcher - sausage and veg to use up left overs. Also bought The Weekend Guardian for me. The last of a few things then. Now to pack or artfully re-arrange things between 4 bags and 3-4 pieces of hand luggage to ensure come under weight limits. Should be fine..... Stephen getting portable weighing machine out and nervously weighing bags. Very early start tomorrow. Been great fun. Not sure quite ready to return but better get back before Will is tempted to change the locks. Mmm can hear rustling noises in bedroom - better check bags not completely full of fishing gear - may have bought a few things will need to squeeze in. Cheers (as I have learnt is popular send off - at least in Leith).
Saturday, 26 August 2017
22-25 August
The season seems to be slowly turning as we are down to our last few days. Leith Links is now full of football fields and much training on those fields in the afternoon and evening. The sun is also rising later and setting earlier suddenly. I almost put on fur-lined boots one day. Winter is coming as I un-originally say. Would be interesting in some ways to see the city turn into Winter but suspect I would struggle with the dark days for any length of time. Not sure I want to be walking to the gym at 7am in the dark and freezing cold.
We have been seeing a few more shows/exhibitions in the dying days of the Festivals. Decided am not too keen anymore on sitting in bad stand-up comedy pretending to laugh at young men and women in their 20's and early 30's attempting stand up. I am also sure they don't want me in their audiences staring at them trying to work out their jokes. Then again when you have an audience of 5, you probably can't be too picky. Saw some show called Green Bananas at the Counting House where comedians who perform very late at night are pitching their shows at 12 noon. Poor programming I fear. Aside from the poor comedians only having had about 2 hours sleep; the demographic for audiences attending stand up at 1 am is somewhat different from those attending at 12 noon. Quite funny actually and felt pretty sorry for the comedians.
Did see a fantastic Korean drumming group called Tago. Gigantic drums, martial arts, percussion, dance, singing and some humour. Delightful young men who were all very talented. Very high energy and upbeat show. We both loved it. Actually also sparked an interest in Korean culture although I fear given the situation with North Korea, South Korea may not be on our list of places to visit at present.
Spoilt ourselves and had lunch at one of the Michelin Star restaurants in Leith - Martin Wishart. Food and service were very very good. Probably my favourite restaurant meal of the trip. I had a lovely squid ink risotto and Stephen a pork terrine followed by sea bream for me and rabbit for Stephen. A cherry dessert and delicious coffee and petite forts ended the meal. Also a lovely light '"pre-entree"" including a beetroot macaroon infused with wasabi. Sounds bizarre but was delicious. Shared a bottle of some red wine (Sigh can't remember if was Italian or French - think French). Half a bottle for lunch is a lot for me so ""rested"" after lunch with book and TV on lounge. Ambitious plans to head into town after lunch came to nought. Stephen packed one bag - 2 whisky bottles and lots of soft clothing cradling both.
Made the most of sun shining one day and took lots of photos around Leith - especially the pubs as are definitely a significant part of Leith. Saw Sue Perkins - UK comedian, as well. She was delightful. Like a female Stephen Fry. Someone you would love to have over for dinner to hear her talk more. Very smart lady. Very wide demographic for her audience - from Bake Off to Game of Thrones. She handled it well. Interesting contrast with Hannah Gadsby. Sue Perkins is more comfortable in her skin. Suspect she had a much easier upbringing.
Cider and ale in our front courtyard on sunny day. Very Scottish - rush outside whenever sun is shining. Met local little black cat. Managed a head rub and she deigned to sit alongside us to join in the conversation. Gather from phone call with Will, our cat has been leaving ""presents"" in our room. Typical. Will like to see the look on her face when we walk in Tuesday night.
Saw AC Grayling at Book Festival. Talked about democracy and what is going wrong. Very interesting - talk ranged from Plato to Brexit to Trump. Audience middle aged to elderly. Hope demographic was just because was on a Friday morning and didn't reflect a lack of interest in the subject by younger people. Focus largely on Brexit (such a devisive issue here) and Trump and use of a group called Cambridge Analytica - big data group that apparently helped swing referendum and US election. Grayling seems to think Brexit won't happen and may be a second referendum. He is not a fan of referenda. Can imagine what he would think of our non-binding postal vote. Cambridge Analytica sounds like a scary bunch. Partly owned by US family that supports politically conservative causes. Just read about their role and impact on Brexit and the US election. Calls itself a ""global election management agent"". Yikes.
On a lighter note - saw International Photography Exhibition. Loved some of the wildlife photos in particular. Then went to St Cuthberts to hear the RAF Symphonic Brass Band. Two great pieces - Saint-Saens Symphony (with organ) - ""If I Had Words.."" symphony and a Spanish piece from the 1600's. Had to listen to 2 dirges from a modern composer before those but was worth the wait. He popped up and conducted both.
Dinner at favourite noodle restaurant and listened to some Irish music at Malones - pub on Princes Street. Good fun. More Fringe tomorrow and slowly starting to throw out various bits and pieces from flat that are not returning home with us.
We have been seeing a few more shows/exhibitions in the dying days of the Festivals. Decided am not too keen anymore on sitting in bad stand-up comedy pretending to laugh at young men and women in their 20's and early 30's attempting stand up. I am also sure they don't want me in their audiences staring at them trying to work out their jokes. Then again when you have an audience of 5, you probably can't be too picky. Saw some show called Green Bananas at the Counting House where comedians who perform very late at night are pitching their shows at 12 noon. Poor programming I fear. Aside from the poor comedians only having had about 2 hours sleep; the demographic for audiences attending stand up at 1 am is somewhat different from those attending at 12 noon. Quite funny actually and felt pretty sorry for the comedians.
Did see a fantastic Korean drumming group called Tago. Gigantic drums, martial arts, percussion, dance, singing and some humour. Delightful young men who were all very talented. Very high energy and upbeat show. We both loved it. Actually also sparked an interest in Korean culture although I fear given the situation with North Korea, South Korea may not be on our list of places to visit at present.
Spoilt ourselves and had lunch at one of the Michelin Star restaurants in Leith - Martin Wishart. Food and service were very very good. Probably my favourite restaurant meal of the trip. I had a lovely squid ink risotto and Stephen a pork terrine followed by sea bream for me and rabbit for Stephen. A cherry dessert and delicious coffee and petite forts ended the meal. Also a lovely light '"pre-entree"" including a beetroot macaroon infused with wasabi. Sounds bizarre but was delicious. Shared a bottle of some red wine (Sigh can't remember if was Italian or French - think French). Half a bottle for lunch is a lot for me so ""rested"" after lunch with book and TV on lounge. Ambitious plans to head into town after lunch came to nought. Stephen packed one bag - 2 whisky bottles and lots of soft clothing cradling both.
Made the most of sun shining one day and took lots of photos around Leith - especially the pubs as are definitely a significant part of Leith. Saw Sue Perkins - UK comedian, as well. She was delightful. Like a female Stephen Fry. Someone you would love to have over for dinner to hear her talk more. Very smart lady. Very wide demographic for her audience - from Bake Off to Game of Thrones. She handled it well. Interesting contrast with Hannah Gadsby. Sue Perkins is more comfortable in her skin. Suspect she had a much easier upbringing.
Cider and ale in our front courtyard on sunny day. Very Scottish - rush outside whenever sun is shining. Met local little black cat. Managed a head rub and she deigned to sit alongside us to join in the conversation. Gather from phone call with Will, our cat has been leaving ""presents"" in our room. Typical. Will like to see the look on her face when we walk in Tuesday night.
Saw AC Grayling at Book Festival. Talked about democracy and what is going wrong. Very interesting - talk ranged from Plato to Brexit to Trump. Audience middle aged to elderly. Hope demographic was just because was on a Friday morning and didn't reflect a lack of interest in the subject by younger people. Focus largely on Brexit (such a devisive issue here) and Trump and use of a group called Cambridge Analytica - big data group that apparently helped swing referendum and US election. Grayling seems to think Brexit won't happen and may be a second referendum. He is not a fan of referenda. Can imagine what he would think of our non-binding postal vote. Cambridge Analytica sounds like a scary bunch. Partly owned by US family that supports politically conservative causes. Just read about their role and impact on Brexit and the US election. Calls itself a ""global election management agent"". Yikes.
On a lighter note - saw International Photography Exhibition. Loved some of the wildlife photos in particular. Then went to St Cuthberts to hear the RAF Symphonic Brass Band. Two great pieces - Saint-Saens Symphony (with organ) - ""If I Had Words.."" symphony and a Spanish piece from the 1600's. Had to listen to 2 dirges from a modern composer before those but was worth the wait. He popped up and conducted both.
Dinner at favourite noodle restaurant and listened to some Irish music at Malones - pub on Princes Street. Good fun. More Fringe tomorrow and slowly starting to throw out various bits and pieces from flat that are not returning home with us.
Monday, 21 August 2017
17-21 August
Back from Berlin. Forgotten how much we enjoy the place. I actually prefer it to Paris. Possibly in part because it is so organised and that is me but it is just a very interesting, sophisticated city as well. The shops are very impressive. Just as well we only had carry on baggage and were only there for a couple of days with friends. I think I could have done a lot of shopping. Lots of things we don't see in Sydney. I believe the shops are better than in Paris. The restaurants are also great and I could just happily stay for a month to visit the museums and galleries alone.
The hotel was in the Mitte district which is in the old East Berlin part and was right on the river Spree. Very good location. Also had a very good tapas restaurant which we tried one night. The city looks and feels very prosperous. We got to one museum which was the "Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe". It is new since we were last there and as well as an information centre, which contains many very sad bits about the holocaust, there is an outdoor part which consists of 2711 concrete blocks of various sizes (The Field of Stelae). It is open to interpretation as to what it means. A guide told me that to her it seems like an empty city. I thought they looked like tombstones, while one of the friends we went to Berlin with thought they were the barracks from the camps. Anyway was quite eerie. There is also an information centre that has various parts to it but is all very personalised eg diary entries of camp victims, scraps of postcards, letters and last notes. The number of victims for each European country appears on the walls in one room. There is a Room of Families where various Jewish lifestyles are shown using examples of 15 families with photos etc before the War; also a Room of Names (names of all murdered and missing European Jews) and a Room of Sites (showing where the camps all were). Stephen and I thought we have now done enough Holocaust history this holiday.
The friends we went with had not been to Berlin before so we played tour guides a bit. Saw the usual suspects - Reichstag, Tiergarten, Brandenburg Gates and Berlin Wall (bits are still there). Also took them to some of the main boulevards -Unter den Linden and Kurferstendamm. We wandered in and out of the shops including Ka De Wa (like Harrods). The Food Hall at Ka De Wa was very very impressive. I think it leaves the Harrods Food Hall for dead.
There are a lot of new buildings since we were last there (about 12 years) and I would be very happy to go back . Will add it to the never ending list.
Back in Edinburgh for final week of the Fringe. Off to see Ed Byrne tonight - crazy Irish comedian so that should be fun. Also seeing Scottish friend on Tuesday night to farewell him and hand over some wine we will not get to plus some nice wine glasses we were given by Majestic Wines. Not leaving them for the next visitors or people upstairs. Vaguely starting to consider which bits of clothing etc may be left behind and how on earth we are going to fit in 2 bottles of whisky. I'm sure we will work it out by Sunday night.
The hotel was in the Mitte district which is in the old East Berlin part and was right on the river Spree. Very good location. Also had a very good tapas restaurant which we tried one night. The city looks and feels very prosperous. We got to one museum which was the "Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe". It is new since we were last there and as well as an information centre, which contains many very sad bits about the holocaust, there is an outdoor part which consists of 2711 concrete blocks of various sizes (The Field of Stelae). It is open to interpretation as to what it means. A guide told me that to her it seems like an empty city. I thought they looked like tombstones, while one of the friends we went to Berlin with thought they were the barracks from the camps. Anyway was quite eerie. There is also an information centre that has various parts to it but is all very personalised eg diary entries of camp victims, scraps of postcards, letters and last notes. The number of victims for each European country appears on the walls in one room. There is a Room of Families where various Jewish lifestyles are shown using examples of 15 families with photos etc before the War; also a Room of Names (names of all murdered and missing European Jews) and a Room of Sites (showing where the camps all were). Stephen and I thought we have now done enough Holocaust history this holiday.
The friends we went with had not been to Berlin before so we played tour guides a bit. Saw the usual suspects - Reichstag, Tiergarten, Brandenburg Gates and Berlin Wall (bits are still there). Also took them to some of the main boulevards -Unter den Linden and Kurferstendamm. We wandered in and out of the shops including Ka De Wa (like Harrods). The Food Hall at Ka De Wa was very very impressive. I think it leaves the Harrods Food Hall for dead.
There are a lot of new buildings since we were last there (about 12 years) and I would be very happy to go back . Will add it to the never ending list.
Back in Edinburgh for final week of the Fringe. Off to see Ed Byrne tonight - crazy Irish comedian so that should be fun. Also seeing Scottish friend on Tuesday night to farewell him and hand over some wine we will not get to plus some nice wine glasses we were given by Majestic Wines. Not leaving them for the next visitors or people upstairs. Vaguely starting to consider which bits of clothing etc may be left behind and how on earth we are going to fit in 2 bottles of whisky. I'm sure we will work it out by Sunday night.
Wednesday, 16 August 2017
16 August
Well that was disappointing. Saw Part 2 of The Divide and went on much too long, poorly directed, the dialogue was often quite predictable as was story line. It should be a one 3 hour play. It even ended with a short lecture on how everyone should love one another no matter what your religious, sexual etc affiliation is. Good grief. I think Alan Ackybourn has lost the plot. The acting of the 2 leads however was superb so worth it alone to see them. The theatre itself was also amazing. It looks a bit like a mini-Palais Garnier from Paris. Given the posters of Maria Callas in the place I suspect it was once used for operas or recitals at least. The theatre was also half empty so I suspect the word has got around not to bother with Part 2. As wise Stephen says with regards to the Festival: "Sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs". I think this was mostly a frog in the end.
Packing now for Berlin. Temperatures in the high 20's some days. Actual Summer clothes may be worn!! Have thrown a small number of T shirts, light jeans and a jacket in small bag as hand luggage only for this short trip. Looking forward to the change and we will then have one week still of the Festival before we head home. Going to rush around next week taking photos of favourite places in Leith. Stephen wants a collage of pubs. I agreed as long as he gets one of The Marksman (a very traditional working class Leith pub that I would not set foot in) with at least one of the locals hanging around outside puffing away. I suspect they may even pose for us if we asked. Early start with taxi pick up at 7am so will attempt an early night.
Packing now for Berlin. Temperatures in the high 20's some days. Actual Summer clothes may be worn!! Have thrown a small number of T shirts, light jeans and a jacket in small bag as hand luggage only for this short trip. Looking forward to the change and we will then have one week still of the Festival before we head home. Going to rush around next week taking photos of favourite places in Leith. Stephen wants a collage of pubs. I agreed as long as he gets one of The Marksman (a very traditional working class Leith pub that I would not set foot in) with at least one of the locals hanging around outside puffing away. I suspect they may even pose for us if we asked. Early start with taxi pick up at 7am so will attempt an early night.
10-15 August
More theatre and generally enjoying the crowds. Place is absolutely packed. There has been a bit of publicity in the news about smaller communities complaining about the volume of tourists being too high and airbnb pricing renters out of the market (plus removing a fair number of places from the long term rental market). This is from places as far afield as Croatia to Spain to the Island of Skye in Scotland. Having been here before the Fringe and seeing the change, I can see what the conundrum is. Tourists bring money but Edinburgh is actually quite small usually - about half a million but during the Festival it must be more than double that. The streets are often conveyor belts of people. Love the Fringe but hard to see how the place could sustain any more people. There are even tourists at our local coffee shop at Leith!! Saw a grumpy Scots wearing a kilt, plaited beard and a black T shirt saying on the front ""Get out of my way"" and on the back ""I live here"". Stephen thought he was being funny. Maybe but I am not so sure he meant it to be completely humorous.
Saw Part 1 of Alan Ayckbourn's new play - The Divide. Was in the Kings Theatre -lovely theatre in the west end with boxes on the side. Seats ridiculously uncomfortable. Spend some time at the gym at the moment uncricking my back - repairing the damage from these and similar seats. Play was very good. See Part 2 on the 16th. 3 hours with interval so was relieved was as good as expecting. Play is a re-telling of a dystopian future after the particular era has ended. The Divide refers to men and women having to live separately although probably also refers to other 'divides' within each community. Background is that women apparently have contracted a deadly disease which kills men if they come into contact with women. The women are carriers only. The women therefore are sinful and have to wear black from the age of 11 onwards. In fact they are completely encased in black including with their hair covered under bonnets. Reminded me of The Crucible type of clothing that women wear. Without overtly saying so, the play-write makes some clever comments about societies/cultures that require women to cover up their bodies and heads. There is also not a lot of fun in the women's community.
By contrast the men get to wear white from 13 (from memory) onwards as they are pure. The men's community sounds more fun - they have alcohol and nightclubs etc. However of course not as simple as that as there are divisions within each community between the ''çonservatives'', "moderates" and "progressives". The staging and use of lighting and multi-media was very effective. One memorable scene for me was very simple but effective. The main female character who is dressed all in black stands on the stage alone and is just bathed in a shimmering purple light after she has seen some colourful dresses. Acting was great. We have seen the lead female in Call the Midwife (the nurse who decides to become a nun) and the lead male was the brother in the TV show The Missing. Play was potentially 15/20 minutes too long but it is premiering here before it goes to London so there may be some changes still to be made. I gather it was even longer originally. Glad saw the slightly shorter version.
Also saw some poets at the Book Festival. Went to see 2 poets with Emma (from upstairs). Imtiaz Dharker and Daljut Nagra. Pakistan/Indian heritage respectively. Imtiaz lives in Glasgow so has a broad Glaswegian accent and she married a Welshman. Daljit is English and from Punjabi heritage. Daljit was a bit like a '"rap"" poet. Not quite that ""shouty"" but similar. He read from his latest book and one was particularly funny about his Indian Uncles demonstrating their love of Scottish words. I loved Imtiaz's poetry in particular and ended up buying her latest collection called ""Over the Moon". She also draws, so a pretty talented lady. She read out some beautiful poetry - some about dreaming about her husband who unfortunately has died. She also had some funny poems including about English/Scottish swear words.
Also went to hear John Boyne speak as just finished reading his latest book - The Heart's Invisible Furies . He was so Irish. He did a reading from the book and it was hilarious. The book came alive with his reading. He read a funny bit about Cecil attending confession and plucking up the courage to tell the priest he was gay. Did not end well as the priest fell out of the confessional in shock and died of a heart attack. This part is set in Ireland in the 1950's. The place was packed and there was an interesting discussion about the themes in the book and his take on topical issues like gay marriage (John Boyne is gay). He spoke about his relief when the Republic of Ireland voted for same sex marriage. Australia did not get mentioned.
The Book Festival is held in Charlotte Square - very elegant square towards the west end that is normally closed to the public. Nicola Sturgeon has her official residence in the square and we saw her in the morning walking across the road to attend the Book Festival. Was nice to see she did not have to be surrounded by bodyguards. That is the second time I have seen her this trip. She must be stalking me.
Lastly, saw another play from the Baxter Theatre Group from South Africa. This one was very different. It was a re-enactment of the university students protests in South Africa (starting in 2015) about the level of discrimination against blacks at the Universities including the small number of black lecturers, the syllabuses which basically ignore their history and also raised other issues of discrimination including the discrimination within the black community itself against women. The impetus was a request for the statue of Cecil Rhodes to be pulled down at Cape Town Uni. The actors were all very young and it was brilliant. Lots of singing and dancing and the script was very tight. Showed what a complicated issue it was and the divisions even within the black and "coloured" communities themselves. The human race can be interesting at times. Reference was made to the selective and biased reporting by the world media which Stephen and I were not surprised about as we do not recall hearing much if anything about this. They got a standing ovation.
Finished the night at a favourite noodle restaurant called Yacoco. Lovely fresh Asian noodle dishes. We do miss the variety of Asian food that we get at home.
Tomorrow we get to see Part 2 of The Divide. Have been doing my stretches at the gym to get in shape for the seats.
Saw Part 1 of Alan Ayckbourn's new play - The Divide. Was in the Kings Theatre -lovely theatre in the west end with boxes on the side. Seats ridiculously uncomfortable. Spend some time at the gym at the moment uncricking my back - repairing the damage from these and similar seats. Play was very good. See Part 2 on the 16th. 3 hours with interval so was relieved was as good as expecting. Play is a re-telling of a dystopian future after the particular era has ended. The Divide refers to men and women having to live separately although probably also refers to other 'divides' within each community. Background is that women apparently have contracted a deadly disease which kills men if they come into contact with women. The women are carriers only. The women therefore are sinful and have to wear black from the age of 11 onwards. In fact they are completely encased in black including with their hair covered under bonnets. Reminded me of The Crucible type of clothing that women wear. Without overtly saying so, the play-write makes some clever comments about societies/cultures that require women to cover up their bodies and heads. There is also not a lot of fun in the women's community.
By contrast the men get to wear white from 13 (from memory) onwards as they are pure. The men's community sounds more fun - they have alcohol and nightclubs etc. However of course not as simple as that as there are divisions within each community between the ''çonservatives'', "moderates" and "progressives". The staging and use of lighting and multi-media was very effective. One memorable scene for me was very simple but effective. The main female character who is dressed all in black stands on the stage alone and is just bathed in a shimmering purple light after she has seen some colourful dresses. Acting was great. We have seen the lead female in Call the Midwife (the nurse who decides to become a nun) and the lead male was the brother in the TV show The Missing. Play was potentially 15/20 minutes too long but it is premiering here before it goes to London so there may be some changes still to be made. I gather it was even longer originally. Glad saw the slightly shorter version.
Also saw some poets at the Book Festival. Went to see 2 poets with Emma (from upstairs). Imtiaz Dharker and Daljut Nagra. Pakistan/Indian heritage respectively. Imtiaz lives in Glasgow so has a broad Glaswegian accent and she married a Welshman. Daljit is English and from Punjabi heritage. Daljit was a bit like a '"rap"" poet. Not quite that ""shouty"" but similar. He read from his latest book and one was particularly funny about his Indian Uncles demonstrating their love of Scottish words. I loved Imtiaz's poetry in particular and ended up buying her latest collection called ""Over the Moon". She also draws, so a pretty talented lady. She read out some beautiful poetry - some about dreaming about her husband who unfortunately has died. She also had some funny poems including about English/Scottish swear words.
Also went to hear John Boyne speak as just finished reading his latest book - The Heart's Invisible Furies . He was so Irish. He did a reading from the book and it was hilarious. The book came alive with his reading. He read a funny bit about Cecil attending confession and plucking up the courage to tell the priest he was gay. Did not end well as the priest fell out of the confessional in shock and died of a heart attack. This part is set in Ireland in the 1950's. The place was packed and there was an interesting discussion about the themes in the book and his take on topical issues like gay marriage (John Boyne is gay). He spoke about his relief when the Republic of Ireland voted for same sex marriage. Australia did not get mentioned.
The Book Festival is held in Charlotte Square - very elegant square towards the west end that is normally closed to the public. Nicola Sturgeon has her official residence in the square and we saw her in the morning walking across the road to attend the Book Festival. Was nice to see she did not have to be surrounded by bodyguards. That is the second time I have seen her this trip. She must be stalking me.
Lastly, saw another play from the Baxter Theatre Group from South Africa. This one was very different. It was a re-enactment of the university students protests in South Africa (starting in 2015) about the level of discrimination against blacks at the Universities including the small number of black lecturers, the syllabuses which basically ignore their history and also raised other issues of discrimination including the discrimination within the black community itself against women. The impetus was a request for the statue of Cecil Rhodes to be pulled down at Cape Town Uni. The actors were all very young and it was brilliant. Lots of singing and dancing and the script was very tight. Showed what a complicated issue it was and the divisions even within the black and "coloured" communities themselves. The human race can be interesting at times. Reference was made to the selective and biased reporting by the world media which Stephen and I were not surprised about as we do not recall hearing much if anything about this. They got a standing ovation.
Finished the night at a favourite noodle restaurant called Yacoco. Lovely fresh Asian noodle dishes. We do miss the variety of Asian food that we get at home.
Tomorrow we get to see Part 2 of The Divide. Have been doing my stretches at the gym to get in shape for the seats.
Wednesday, 9 August 2017
6-9 August
6 Aug - Today we enjoyed particularly good coffee at Printworks as owner was the barista (got to start the day properly) and saw 2 Fringe shows plus some good guitar and drum music at The Arches. Also walked up the Royal Mile enjoying the general mayhem. Again 2 people thought we were locals. One an American and one another local. I guess Stephen can stop wearing the kilt now.
Saw a brilliant play called Tobacco by a South African theatre company called Baxter Theatre. A one man show with an actor called Andrew Buckland. Recording the names in case I ever read that they are to perform in Sydney. Unlikely but you never know. Afterwards read that is an adaptation of a Chekhov play called "Tobacco & the Harmful effects thereof". The theatre company are putting on 5 plays and we have booked to see another one called The Fall which is about South Africa and the end of apartheid.
The other show was really story telling rather than a play. It was called The Duke and was performed by a Welsh actor called Shon Dale-Jones. The story centres on a week of his life and loosely around a porcelain figure of the Duke of Wellington but is really about what we value in the world including the current refugee crisis. He is performing for free and the Fringe gave him the venue at a substantially reduced price plus his show is half price although you are asked to donate to Save the Children afterwards. Had a number of interesting themes including the role of the artist, moral principles versus the artistic work and the refugee crisis. We had no idea what to expect but was very good. Entertaining and funny but with some thought provoking material in there as well.
7 Aug - saw 3 shows today. Ramping it up. One was at the "Free Fringe" and is a show I saw 2 years ago and thought Stephen would enjoy. It is quite bizarre - a married couple one of whom is a neuro scientist and the other a rap artist. The show is about how the brain works and they perform various experiments (some of which using rap music) including with audience members to demonstrate the different parts of the brain you use to perform tasks. Good fun. The funniest part however was as we are queuing up we ran into some friends we know from London. Totally unplanned which is pretty impressive given the number of show that are on. After our rap/science show we went to St Pauls Church to hear the "Voices of Lions". This was a boys choir from a London school. Mainly a cappella singing. The best bits were the more traditional music - possibly suited the venue more. We finished the day with a stand up comedian - Phil Jupitus. An English comedian that Stephen particularly likes. We found ourselves in the front row in the centre. Not my favourite seating for a stand up show. Fortunately did not have to engage in banter with him but he did direct some comments at me. The show was good. He is quite wacky so was good fun. We have seen him on QI at home with Stephen Fry etc. He did some pretty funny stand up on the awfulness of Scottish fried food.
8 August - More music today interspersed with drinks at The Bow Bar with London friends -John and Jackie. Went to St Cuthberts to hear the Edinburgh City Organist play some Pachelbel, Bach and traditional Scottish and Danish (?) music. Impressive organ playing. Sounded like he had 4 hands and 4 legs at some stages given the intricacy of the melody (and the noise). Felt exceedingly young which was nice for a change as feel exceedingly old at some Fringe shows (mainly the young male stand ups shows). Also went to Usher Hall in the evening (like a smaller Carnegie Hall) to hear the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra play Schuberts "Unfinshed" symphony; a piano concerto - Schumann which was lovely and Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra - so more loud organ music in part. The orchestra was very good as was their conductor - very tightly disciplined. The conductor is Danish I think - Thomas Dausgaard and the soloist was Armenian - American (Sergei Babayan). I sat next to a very knowledgeable man from Bologna who told me all about the music we were hearing which was good as we had managed to completely forget what we were going to see and didn't buy a program. Frankly was a bit relieved neither of us dropped off to sleep as we had quite a few drinks in the afternoon with our friends - Stephen had downed 3 pints in a little over an hour so was looking pretty chilled by the time we got to the concert. Fortunately concert was excellent and in any event the seats were unbelievably uncomfortable so there was no way either of us was drifting off.'
Also saw another part of Edinburgh which I really liked. It is in the south and is called the QaurterMile - around Edinburgh University and there is a huge park behind it called the Meadows. It used to be a loch - Burgh Loch and supplied the city's drinking water. It was then drained and is now the park we saw today. Very popular on a sunny day.
9 August - Sun was shining so decided to skip the Fringe today and went for a walk up Salisbury Crags. The crags are some very high cliffs (about 46 metres) at the top of a ''subsidiary spur of Arthurs Seat'' -basically runs underneath Arthurs Seat and assume part of the same volcano/glacier land mass as Arthurs Seat. They are rocks that are the remains of a glacier and when you get to the top there are some great views of Edinburgh. Read that apparently they were chipping (or eventually dynamiting) away at the rocks from the mid 17th century until the mid-1800's to use for the street cobble stones. They stopped when people started to notice that the crags were getting substantially smaller. Anyway glad they stopped as is interesting place to walk along. One online thingy says it is a cliff face that looks down on Edinburgh like a grand fortress. I thought that about summed it up. Off to dinner tonight in the west end near Charlotte Square to a place called Wigams. This is with our friends from London. Expecting a longish night and possibly not going to get to the pool early tomorrow morning.
Saw a brilliant play called Tobacco by a South African theatre company called Baxter Theatre. A one man show with an actor called Andrew Buckland. Recording the names in case I ever read that they are to perform in Sydney. Unlikely but you never know. Afterwards read that is an adaptation of a Chekhov play called "Tobacco & the Harmful effects thereof". The theatre company are putting on 5 plays and we have booked to see another one called The Fall which is about South Africa and the end of apartheid.
The other show was really story telling rather than a play. It was called The Duke and was performed by a Welsh actor called Shon Dale-Jones. The story centres on a week of his life and loosely around a porcelain figure of the Duke of Wellington but is really about what we value in the world including the current refugee crisis. He is performing for free and the Fringe gave him the venue at a substantially reduced price plus his show is half price although you are asked to donate to Save the Children afterwards. Had a number of interesting themes including the role of the artist, moral principles versus the artistic work and the refugee crisis. We had no idea what to expect but was very good. Entertaining and funny but with some thought provoking material in there as well.
7 Aug - saw 3 shows today. Ramping it up. One was at the "Free Fringe" and is a show I saw 2 years ago and thought Stephen would enjoy. It is quite bizarre - a married couple one of whom is a neuro scientist and the other a rap artist. The show is about how the brain works and they perform various experiments (some of which using rap music) including with audience members to demonstrate the different parts of the brain you use to perform tasks. Good fun. The funniest part however was as we are queuing up we ran into some friends we know from London. Totally unplanned which is pretty impressive given the number of show that are on. After our rap/science show we went to St Pauls Church to hear the "Voices of Lions". This was a boys choir from a London school. Mainly a cappella singing. The best bits were the more traditional music - possibly suited the venue more. We finished the day with a stand up comedian - Phil Jupitus. An English comedian that Stephen particularly likes. We found ourselves in the front row in the centre. Not my favourite seating for a stand up show. Fortunately did not have to engage in banter with him but he did direct some comments at me. The show was good. He is quite wacky so was good fun. We have seen him on QI at home with Stephen Fry etc. He did some pretty funny stand up on the awfulness of Scottish fried food.
8 August - More music today interspersed with drinks at The Bow Bar with London friends -John and Jackie. Went to St Cuthberts to hear the Edinburgh City Organist play some Pachelbel, Bach and traditional Scottish and Danish (?) music. Impressive organ playing. Sounded like he had 4 hands and 4 legs at some stages given the intricacy of the melody (and the noise). Felt exceedingly young which was nice for a change as feel exceedingly old at some Fringe shows (mainly the young male stand ups shows). Also went to Usher Hall in the evening (like a smaller Carnegie Hall) to hear the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra play Schuberts "Unfinshed" symphony; a piano concerto - Schumann which was lovely and Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra - so more loud organ music in part. The orchestra was very good as was their conductor - very tightly disciplined. The conductor is Danish I think - Thomas Dausgaard and the soloist was Armenian - American (Sergei Babayan). I sat next to a very knowledgeable man from Bologna who told me all about the music we were hearing which was good as we had managed to completely forget what we were going to see and didn't buy a program. Frankly was a bit relieved neither of us dropped off to sleep as we had quite a few drinks in the afternoon with our friends - Stephen had downed 3 pints in a little over an hour so was looking pretty chilled by the time we got to the concert. Fortunately concert was excellent and in any event the seats were unbelievably uncomfortable so there was no way either of us was drifting off.'
Also saw another part of Edinburgh which I really liked. It is in the south and is called the QaurterMile - around Edinburgh University and there is a huge park behind it called the Meadows. It used to be a loch - Burgh Loch and supplied the city's drinking water. It was then drained and is now the park we saw today. Very popular on a sunny day.
9 August - Sun was shining so decided to skip the Fringe today and went for a walk up Salisbury Crags. The crags are some very high cliffs (about 46 metres) at the top of a ''subsidiary spur of Arthurs Seat'' -basically runs underneath Arthurs Seat and assume part of the same volcano/glacier land mass as Arthurs Seat. They are rocks that are the remains of a glacier and when you get to the top there are some great views of Edinburgh. Read that apparently they were chipping (or eventually dynamiting) away at the rocks from the mid 17th century until the mid-1800's to use for the street cobble stones. They stopped when people started to notice that the crags were getting substantially smaller. Anyway glad they stopped as is interesting place to walk along. One online thingy says it is a cliff face that looks down on Edinburgh like a grand fortress. I thought that about summed it up. Off to dinner tonight in the west end near Charlotte Square to a place called Wigams. This is with our friends from London. Expecting a longish night and possibly not going to get to the pool early tomorrow morning.
Saturday, 5 August 2017
30 July - 5 August
Well car has been returned, fishing lines, hooks and boots are carefully washed and put away and the fisherman is now looking for other things to do. Fortunately the Fringe Festival has arrived so that should not be a problem. The place is packed - people everywhere but as in previous years the atmosphere is great. Just lots of people looking to have a good time.
Trying to remember what we did in the few days before the Fringe started. We did manage to find the Floddan Wall or bits thereof from when Edinburgh used to be a walled city and had an exciting time getting to know some of the local constabulary very early one Sunday morning when upstairs' burglar alarm went off at 1 am. They are in the south of France and trustingly left us a front door key and the alarm code but we were not going to venture into their house alone at 1am with their alarm blaring so called the local police. We handed over the keys and accompanied the police upstairs where I crossed my fingers and punched in the alarm code hoping it would work. It did. Nothing untoward had occurred and we assume an errant insect landed on a sensor or something like that. There has been no re-occurrence so hopefully we are not going to have to re-aquaint ourselves with the local law enforcement again.
Caught up with Scottish friend - David at the Cafe Royal for drinks one night and then to dinner at local Italian called Giovannis. Good fun. Also met some Australians at the Cafe Royal who were looking suitably confused at the largish Fringe booklet listing all the shows. Think we steered them in the right direction. Basically told them not to panic - just pick a few shows, see what the reviews say and enjoy the atmosphere. And we also tried out another local pub called The Compass. Good drinks and atmosphere. The local pubs are pretty good places for hanging out on a rainy afternoon
(or a dry afternoon for that matter).
Most excitedly though the Fringe has started and we have got to a few shows already. Given the length of time we have, we are trying to pace ourselves although is hard to resist when people keep handing you leaflets urging you to go to the ''best show at the Fringe". We did get free tickets to a couple of shows - a trick we learnt from previous visits - they hand out free tickets at the beginning of the Fringe for unknowns performing at the Fringe. Saw a brilliant one-woman show called Replay. The actor's name is Nicola Wren and she also wrote the show. She can act and script was very clever. She alternated between being a 10 year and a woman in her late 20's just by changing her facial expressions and body movements. Sad story about a sister dealing with her much older brother's suicide. Sounds grim but was not all sad. Uplifting ending and had humour in it as well. Other freebie was something called Great British Mysteries - a spoof of documentaries on supernatural events. Neh - was OK. Also saw a very good comedian called Daniel Sloss. He does stand up and has been performing since his teens. He is good - very good. Only 27 so also interesting for Stephen and I to see what ''young folk'' find funny these days. He has performed in Sydney and Will and his friends have gone to see him. I loved the way he talked about his parents - reminded me of Will. He wasn't condescending but clearly they bamboozle him sometimes.
The Fringe also has free shows that are part of the free Fringe. Unless however you are very hard hearted or are incredibly offended by a show, you always leave some money in a bucket at the end so at least they can eat dinner that night! We have visited a couple of free shows as well. They tend to be in very old parts of the old city - places like the Cowgate so for that alone it is interesting. One show we saw was in a place called The Attic in a building called The Counting House. Yep was in the attic of an old counting house. From past experience, these places are very warm once you are shut into the performance space (and sometimes very uncomfortable with bench seats). Favourite free show was one called Cow. Was stand up by a 53 year old woman who was making fun of how 53 year old women are meant to be ''lovely'' but she'd rather be a cow. There were parts I related to. Also saw a free show called The Bumper Blyton Improvised Adventure. Best bit was its title. OK maybe a bit harsh but did remind us how bad, bad impro shows can be. Lesson learnt.
Visited great pub between shows called The Peartree. They have live music in an open air courtyard. Poor musicians however often end up playing to themselves when the rain inevitably sweeps across at varying times and everyone runs indoors. Good beer and cider though.
We were mistaken for locals while sitting in The Pleasance Courtyard contemplating some show leaflets. A young man handing out leaflets could not believe we were Australians. Yah. Finally have a Scottish accent.....maybe.
Trying to remember what we did in the few days before the Fringe started. We did manage to find the Floddan Wall or bits thereof from when Edinburgh used to be a walled city and had an exciting time getting to know some of the local constabulary very early one Sunday morning when upstairs' burglar alarm went off at 1 am. They are in the south of France and trustingly left us a front door key and the alarm code but we were not going to venture into their house alone at 1am with their alarm blaring so called the local police. We handed over the keys and accompanied the police upstairs where I crossed my fingers and punched in the alarm code hoping it would work. It did. Nothing untoward had occurred and we assume an errant insect landed on a sensor or something like that. There has been no re-occurrence so hopefully we are not going to have to re-aquaint ourselves with the local law enforcement again.
Caught up with Scottish friend - David at the Cafe Royal for drinks one night and then to dinner at local Italian called Giovannis. Good fun. Also met some Australians at the Cafe Royal who were looking suitably confused at the largish Fringe booklet listing all the shows. Think we steered them in the right direction. Basically told them not to panic - just pick a few shows, see what the reviews say and enjoy the atmosphere. And we also tried out another local pub called The Compass. Good drinks and atmosphere. The local pubs are pretty good places for hanging out on a rainy afternoon
(or a dry afternoon for that matter).
Most excitedly though the Fringe has started and we have got to a few shows already. Given the length of time we have, we are trying to pace ourselves although is hard to resist when people keep handing you leaflets urging you to go to the ''best show at the Fringe". We did get free tickets to a couple of shows - a trick we learnt from previous visits - they hand out free tickets at the beginning of the Fringe for unknowns performing at the Fringe. Saw a brilliant one-woman show called Replay. The actor's name is Nicola Wren and she also wrote the show. She can act and script was very clever. She alternated between being a 10 year and a woman in her late 20's just by changing her facial expressions and body movements. Sad story about a sister dealing with her much older brother's suicide. Sounds grim but was not all sad. Uplifting ending and had humour in it as well. Other freebie was something called Great British Mysteries - a spoof of documentaries on supernatural events. Neh - was OK. Also saw a very good comedian called Daniel Sloss. He does stand up and has been performing since his teens. He is good - very good. Only 27 so also interesting for Stephen and I to see what ''young folk'' find funny these days. He has performed in Sydney and Will and his friends have gone to see him. I loved the way he talked about his parents - reminded me of Will. He wasn't condescending but clearly they bamboozle him sometimes.
The Fringe also has free shows that are part of the free Fringe. Unless however you are very hard hearted or are incredibly offended by a show, you always leave some money in a bucket at the end so at least they can eat dinner that night! We have visited a couple of free shows as well. They tend to be in very old parts of the old city - places like the Cowgate so for that alone it is interesting. One show we saw was in a place called The Attic in a building called The Counting House. Yep was in the attic of an old counting house. From past experience, these places are very warm once you are shut into the performance space (and sometimes very uncomfortable with bench seats). Favourite free show was one called Cow. Was stand up by a 53 year old woman who was making fun of how 53 year old women are meant to be ''lovely'' but she'd rather be a cow. There were parts I related to. Also saw a free show called The Bumper Blyton Improvised Adventure. Best bit was its title. OK maybe a bit harsh but did remind us how bad, bad impro shows can be. Lesson learnt.
Visited great pub between shows called The Peartree. They have live music in an open air courtyard. Poor musicians however often end up playing to themselves when the rain inevitably sweeps across at varying times and everyone runs indoors. Good beer and cider though.
We were mistaken for locals while sitting in The Pleasance Courtyard contemplating some show leaflets. A young man handing out leaflets could not believe we were Australians. Yah. Finally have a Scottish accent.....maybe.
Saturday, 29 July 2017
25-29 July
Postscript for the 24th - there was a headless fish in our fridge on the 24th. Stephen returned from Perthshire bearing a good sized trout. It was caught from a boat in Perthshire on a loch the name of which Stephen is not sure, but seems to think it sounds like Glenn Shorrick from the Little River Band. That will do. He cooked it whole (minus head) for dinner a day later and it was delicious. So fresh. Thinking of equipping him with bow and arrow so he can catch some deer.
Stephen excelled himself another night by cooking another delicious game stew, this time with mushrooms. He has also been purchasing some interesting wine from local place called Majestic Wines. Both enjoyed a very nice Italian red with the game stew called Copertino - lightish Italian red and a French beaujolais/burgundy from Macon on another night. Not the same as having our cellar on hand but we are managing.
We also tried out a local seafood restaurant down at The Shore at Leith called Fishers. It's in some old watchtower where Charles II famously ate some haggis before fleeing to France (OK made the Charles II bit up but is in old watch tower). Place full of tourists (wait so are we) - Americans, Italians, French, English and Irish sitting near us. Food was very good. Enjoyed some oysters and local fish. Decided to be decadent as well and creme brulle for dessert. We shared a bottle of wine and Stephen also had an affogato, so were very mellow by the end.
While on the food theme, this morning (Saturday) we visited the local Leith markets. Bought some rye bread and Italian cheese. One was an aged riccota. Never heard of aged riccota. Had some for lunch and very nice. Walked through Leith Links to get to markets (stopping off at Printworks coffee shop first of course) and passed one of my favourite dogs - brown and white spaniel with red frisbee in his mouth, trotting home. Discussed how we now recognised many of the local dogs. Funny spaniel down at the markets walking around with a soft toy reindeer in his mouth. Would put down carefully every now and then.
As I am writing, the place smells a bit fishy. It's Saturday afternoon and Stephen is busily cleaning fishing gear. The car is returned tomorrow and that is the end of the fishing trips. Much washing of boots and fishing lines. Fortunately is a mild day and we have doors and windows open to air the place (and disperse fishy smell).
We have both been reading and I have joined the local library. Borrowed a couple of good books. One is by an Irish author - Emma Donoghue called The Wonder. Very Irish - about a young girl who has supposedly stopped eating and it is deemed to be a miracle by The Church. Also reading one by a UK writer - Janet Ellis. The book is The Butchers Hook. I borrowed it because it is set in Georgian London - mid 1700's and it is set around the time of the first inhabitants of The Georgian House I visited in Charlotte Square. Not very glamorous times even if you had money. No running water even if you lived in a Georgian mansion. Many smelly people. Leith Library (of course being in another old 1800's building) is not large and was interesting seeing the types of books. Unsurprisingly lots of UK authors. A number are Irish and I really enjoy a lot of Irish writers (although can be a bit bleak) so that is good. Couldn't see any Scandi crime novels though so at least in Leith doesn't seem to be popular. Between the library and the numerous bookshops I think we will not run out of books.
We made use of the car on Friday and visited South Queensferry. This used to be where the ferries crossed the Firth of Forth before the bridges were built. Reminded me of numerous villages we have visited in various parts of the UK from Cornwall to the Isle of Skye. Many buildings from the 1800's and some from the 1600's - very pretty place. Actually a bit like the village the TV series Doc Martin is set in. Stopped in local tea shop as felt should do something there - bought almond and pear tart and cappuccino and drove back home. Area has usual Scottish tales of witch burnings, haunted houses, a connection with Robert Louis Stevenson, a brewery and the battles with the English. Also a house called the Black Castle which is neither a castle and nor was it black originally (although now painted black to ensure the tourists don''t miss it I guess ). It was built in 1626 and one of its inhabitants was burnt as a witch - she was blamed for her husband's drowning at sea but it now seems that the local Reverend may have wanted the place, so accusing here of witchcraft after her husband died, was as good a method as any. Queensferry is located right underneath a crossing of the first bridge - the red train bridge - and it is impressive seeing the first bridge up close. There are now 3 bridges crossing the Firth of Forth (the last is yet to open) and all 3 are pretty impressive. Also drove through some lovely suburbs in Edinburgh, so the trip was worthwhile for that alone.
Been interesting comparing what is considered important news by the BBC compared to the ABC and SMH, both of which I can read online. Australian news place more emphasis on Asia - North Korea etc gets reported here but generally reported after the first ''ad break'' and focus is very euro-centric. Although in common, all media outlets are continually reporting on the Trump administration - I think more in horror than anything else now. Focus here still very much on Brexit. On-going confusion. Today I read the Lord Mayor of London thinks there may be no Brexit and he is being held out as a possible Labor leader.
Had funny experience at local shop this morning. A ''colourful'' local was being served before us and a young woman bumped into him, walking off without apologising. He turned to us and said in broad Scots that she was very rude and was no doubt a foreigner. Aside from his comment being stupid, I just looked at him and thought - if I open my mouth he is going to know I too am a foreigner. Interesting to think what he would have said if I had spoken to him with a broad Australian accent.
We have just started watching season 2 of the Top of the Lake. It is set in Sydney. Is interesting to see the uniquely Australian bits but also how the setting and characters play I think somewhat to Australian stereotypes. I guess a scene shot at Bondi Beach is going to be more interesting to Brits than a view of Willoughby Road. Enjoying it and are still watching a US show called Blacklist which has 4 seasons and 68 episodes. We are onto season 3 and are hooked. Can't leave until we get to the end. Will be a close run thing.
Stephen excelled himself another night by cooking another delicious game stew, this time with mushrooms. He has also been purchasing some interesting wine from local place called Majestic Wines. Both enjoyed a very nice Italian red with the game stew called Copertino - lightish Italian red and a French beaujolais/burgundy from Macon on another night. Not the same as having our cellar on hand but we are managing.
We also tried out a local seafood restaurant down at The Shore at Leith called Fishers. It's in some old watchtower where Charles II famously ate some haggis before fleeing to France (OK made the Charles II bit up but is in old watch tower). Place full of tourists (wait so are we) - Americans, Italians, French, English and Irish sitting near us. Food was very good. Enjoyed some oysters and local fish. Decided to be decadent as well and creme brulle for dessert. We shared a bottle of wine and Stephen also had an affogato, so were very mellow by the end.
While on the food theme, this morning (Saturday) we visited the local Leith markets. Bought some rye bread and Italian cheese. One was an aged riccota. Never heard of aged riccota. Had some for lunch and very nice. Walked through Leith Links to get to markets (stopping off at Printworks coffee shop first of course) and passed one of my favourite dogs - brown and white spaniel with red frisbee in his mouth, trotting home. Discussed how we now recognised many of the local dogs. Funny spaniel down at the markets walking around with a soft toy reindeer in his mouth. Would put down carefully every now and then.
As I am writing, the place smells a bit fishy. It's Saturday afternoon and Stephen is busily cleaning fishing gear. The car is returned tomorrow and that is the end of the fishing trips. Much washing of boots and fishing lines. Fortunately is a mild day and we have doors and windows open to air the place (and disperse fishy smell).
We have both been reading and I have joined the local library. Borrowed a couple of good books. One is by an Irish author - Emma Donoghue called The Wonder. Very Irish - about a young girl who has supposedly stopped eating and it is deemed to be a miracle by The Church. Also reading one by a UK writer - Janet Ellis. The book is The Butchers Hook. I borrowed it because it is set in Georgian London - mid 1700's and it is set around the time of the first inhabitants of The Georgian House I visited in Charlotte Square. Not very glamorous times even if you had money. No running water even if you lived in a Georgian mansion. Many smelly people. Leith Library (of course being in another old 1800's building) is not large and was interesting seeing the types of books. Unsurprisingly lots of UK authors. A number are Irish and I really enjoy a lot of Irish writers (although can be a bit bleak) so that is good. Couldn't see any Scandi crime novels though so at least in Leith doesn't seem to be popular. Between the library and the numerous bookshops I think we will not run out of books.
We made use of the car on Friday and visited South Queensferry. This used to be where the ferries crossed the Firth of Forth before the bridges were built. Reminded me of numerous villages we have visited in various parts of the UK from Cornwall to the Isle of Skye. Many buildings from the 1800's and some from the 1600's - very pretty place. Actually a bit like the village the TV series Doc Martin is set in. Stopped in local tea shop as felt should do something there - bought almond and pear tart and cappuccino and drove back home. Area has usual Scottish tales of witch burnings, haunted houses, a connection with Robert Louis Stevenson, a brewery and the battles with the English. Also a house called the Black Castle which is neither a castle and nor was it black originally (although now painted black to ensure the tourists don''t miss it I guess ). It was built in 1626 and one of its inhabitants was burnt as a witch - she was blamed for her husband's drowning at sea but it now seems that the local Reverend may have wanted the place, so accusing here of witchcraft after her husband died, was as good a method as any. Queensferry is located right underneath a crossing of the first bridge - the red train bridge - and it is impressive seeing the first bridge up close. There are now 3 bridges crossing the Firth of Forth (the last is yet to open) and all 3 are pretty impressive. Also drove through some lovely suburbs in Edinburgh, so the trip was worthwhile for that alone.
Been interesting comparing what is considered important news by the BBC compared to the ABC and SMH, both of which I can read online. Australian news place more emphasis on Asia - North Korea etc gets reported here but generally reported after the first ''ad break'' and focus is very euro-centric. Although in common, all media outlets are continually reporting on the Trump administration - I think more in horror than anything else now. Focus here still very much on Brexit. On-going confusion. Today I read the Lord Mayor of London thinks there may be no Brexit and he is being held out as a possible Labor leader.
Had funny experience at local shop this morning. A ''colourful'' local was being served before us and a young woman bumped into him, walking off without apologising. He turned to us and said in broad Scots that she was very rude and was no doubt a foreigner. Aside from his comment being stupid, I just looked at him and thought - if I open my mouth he is going to know I too am a foreigner. Interesting to think what he would have said if I had spoken to him with a broad Australian accent.
We have just started watching season 2 of the Top of the Lake. It is set in Sydney. Is interesting to see the uniquely Australian bits but also how the setting and characters play I think somewhat to Australian stereotypes. I guess a scene shot at Bondi Beach is going to be more interesting to Brits than a view of Willoughby Road. Enjoying it and are still watching a US show called Blacklist which has 4 seasons and 68 episodes. We are onto season 3 and are hooked. Can't leave until we get to the end. Will be a close run thing.
Monday, 24 July 2017
17-24 July
As part of my cunning back up plan to become an Edinburgh tour guide I added to my knowledge by visiting a few more historic sites. Mostly without Stephen, as he has been making the most of having a car and has headed off fishing when I have been doing my tourist bit. Fishing seems to be a tricky thing. One day had to be aborted before a line was even cast due to the high winds. And sometimes as already mentioned, too much sun is no good. Anyway today (the 24th) he has ventured further afield to Perthshire as got a tip from a friend on another fishing spot not too far away. Hopefully he will have some success. Perthshire is very pretty anyway and today is a lovely sunny day.
While Stephen has been away I have re-visited Holyrood. Last time we went there it was pouring and freezing cold. This time it was sunny and mild. Much better, as also got to see the gardens and Holyrood Chapel or ye old ruined Chapel. Took the audio option this time which was worth it. Now better understand the different parts of the Palace. Saw where Mary Queen of Scots lived and is now obvious to me how it is a much older part of the Palace'. Even saw where her ''evil'' second husband Lord Darley killed her secretary in 1566 in a fit of jealousy - stabbed 56 times (or so the audio said). Anyway even with a degree of cynicism as to how much artistic licence is taken with describing these types of events, is always quite spooky to imagine that someone like Mary Q lived here at one stage. Found out another random fact. The Kings Bedchamber where there was the usual grand four poster bed was not really the Kings bedroom in baroque times. The King actually slept in a smaller bed in another less grand room. The grandly decorated bedchambers were for entertaining and impressing dignitaries. Not sure why you would want to impress people with your bedding. Also learnt that Louise XVI's brother escaped here from the French Revolution. Aside from running away from the guillotine he was apparently bankrupt and Holyrood Chapel offered a sanctuary for debtors. At its height there were hundreds of bankrupt people encamped near the chapel. And Louise's brother eventually returned to France and became Charles X. Saw where the current Queen entertains. Clearly very much a working Palace still. The grounds are also impressive as Arthurs Seat is in its backyard.
Also added to my knowledge about art and went to an exhibition on ''Beyond Caravaggio'' at the National Gallery. Very enjoyable. Paintings both by Caravaggio and artists who were inspired/influenced by him. Caravaggio's paintings were the stand outs for me. The paintings seem to extend out of their frames. Apparently he employed tricks used by photographers like unusual viewpoints and cropped figures pressed against the frames. It works. He was also an interesting and not particularly friendly character - being known to beat up his rivals and eventually having to flee as he committed a murder. One writer said that in comparing him to Rembrandt - Rembrandt makes things real in order to speak our language while Caravaggio does it to scare you out of your wits. Thought was most apt. Anyway another artist to add to my list of must see more of their works.
We have also managed to be sociable and had dinner down at Stockbridge with some friends who live in Edinburgh and nearby. Have not forgotten how to talk to other people so that is good. Also had a friends son over for dinner as he now líves in Glasgow. Was interesting chatting to an intelligent 27 year old to hear what he makes of the UK political scene. Seems to be continuing support for the Labor party among the younger voters. Stephen cooked some delicious slow cooked beef ribs - bought from our local butcher. Also discovered local second bookshop that sells some books out the front for 50p each. Have grabbed a few as are now reading more.
And also got to something called the Real Mary Close and The Georgian House. Complete contrasts. The Real Mary Close is a historic close from the 16 and 17th centuries in the old town (medieval part) which now lies underneath some Government offices on the Royal Mile. Basically a series of small streets with tenement houses on either side. The tenements were around 8 stories high, built on a slope. Due to the descent of the close some buildings were demolished down to their foundations, while at the bottom of the hill, whole houses were buried in tact. The City Chambers sit on top of it. Last resident left in the early 1900's. It was only opened as a tourist attraction in 2003 so they are still discovering things. Living conditions were not great. In one house (3 rooms - which was luxury), part of the original ceiling is in tact - lath and plaster and the rooms are meant to be haunted. Some little girl is meant to appear and people leave her dolls to play with. Bit creepy. Also a bit touristy but worth it just to get the chance to walk into these old houses and closes. And they were not all poor people who lived here. If you lived in Edinburgh before the New Town was built; this is where you resided.
By contrast also visited an old Georgian house in Charlotte Square. This is in the New Town. Built so the wealthier inhabitants of Edinburgh could escape from having to live in the Old Town. If you had money; you left the Old Town. First owner bought this particular place in 1796. Is now a National Trust property and was really well done. The place has been set up to show how a Georgian family would have lived, including the servants quarters and volunteers in each room with information sheets to answer questions. Surprisingly good and informative rather than just a tourist attraction. Charlotte Square was a prestigious address and they lived somewhat better than those in the Real Mary Close. Interestingly was initially landed gentry who lived here but as they ran out of money (heaven forbid they work) and had no more properties to sell - the middle class and professionals moved in like Doctors and Lawyers. Still a nice part of town - mainly commercial tenants in the buildings around the square now - banks and Government offices. Nicola Sturgeon's official residence is in a house that fronts this square.
And finished off my sights with a visit to St Cuthberts Church which is right near Charlotte Square. This is heading to the west end, which I do not know as well. Stumbled onto the graveyard and did not realise its location until I glanced up and saw Castle Rock with the castle perched on it; soaring above me. Thought that was worth a photo. Most of these graveyards claim to hold gravestones of various famous people, none of whom I can ever seem to find. However without even looking, this time I found a grave with the words "Sir Henry Raeburn"on it. Some famous Scottish artist I have discovered this trip. Checked when I returned and yep he was buried there. I wont be so dismissive in the future regarding 'the location of famous people's tombstones.
While Stephen has been away I have re-visited Holyrood. Last time we went there it was pouring and freezing cold. This time it was sunny and mild. Much better, as also got to see the gardens and Holyrood Chapel or ye old ruined Chapel. Took the audio option this time which was worth it. Now better understand the different parts of the Palace. Saw where Mary Queen of Scots lived and is now obvious to me how it is a much older part of the Palace'. Even saw where her ''evil'' second husband Lord Darley killed her secretary in 1566 in a fit of jealousy - stabbed 56 times (or so the audio said). Anyway even with a degree of cynicism as to how much artistic licence is taken with describing these types of events, is always quite spooky to imagine that someone like Mary Q lived here at one stage. Found out another random fact. The Kings Bedchamber where there was the usual grand four poster bed was not really the Kings bedroom in baroque times. The King actually slept in a smaller bed in another less grand room. The grandly decorated bedchambers were for entertaining and impressing dignitaries. Not sure why you would want to impress people with your bedding. Also learnt that Louise XVI's brother escaped here from the French Revolution. Aside from running away from the guillotine he was apparently bankrupt and Holyrood Chapel offered a sanctuary for debtors. At its height there were hundreds of bankrupt people encamped near the chapel. And Louise's brother eventually returned to France and became Charles X. Saw where the current Queen entertains. Clearly very much a working Palace still. The grounds are also impressive as Arthurs Seat is in its backyard.
Also added to my knowledge about art and went to an exhibition on ''Beyond Caravaggio'' at the National Gallery. Very enjoyable. Paintings both by Caravaggio and artists who were inspired/influenced by him. Caravaggio's paintings were the stand outs for me. The paintings seem to extend out of their frames. Apparently he employed tricks used by photographers like unusual viewpoints and cropped figures pressed against the frames. It works. He was also an interesting and not particularly friendly character - being known to beat up his rivals and eventually having to flee as he committed a murder. One writer said that in comparing him to Rembrandt - Rembrandt makes things real in order to speak our language while Caravaggio does it to scare you out of your wits. Thought was most apt. Anyway another artist to add to my list of must see more of their works.
We have also managed to be sociable and had dinner down at Stockbridge with some friends who live in Edinburgh and nearby. Have not forgotten how to talk to other people so that is good. Also had a friends son over for dinner as he now líves in Glasgow. Was interesting chatting to an intelligent 27 year old to hear what he makes of the UK political scene. Seems to be continuing support for the Labor party among the younger voters. Stephen cooked some delicious slow cooked beef ribs - bought from our local butcher. Also discovered local second bookshop that sells some books out the front for 50p each. Have grabbed a few as are now reading more.
And also got to something called the Real Mary Close and The Georgian House. Complete contrasts. The Real Mary Close is a historic close from the 16 and 17th centuries in the old town (medieval part) which now lies underneath some Government offices on the Royal Mile. Basically a series of small streets with tenement houses on either side. The tenements were around 8 stories high, built on a slope. Due to the descent of the close some buildings were demolished down to their foundations, while at the bottom of the hill, whole houses were buried in tact. The City Chambers sit on top of it. Last resident left in the early 1900's. It was only opened as a tourist attraction in 2003 so they are still discovering things. Living conditions were not great. In one house (3 rooms - which was luxury), part of the original ceiling is in tact - lath and plaster and the rooms are meant to be haunted. Some little girl is meant to appear and people leave her dolls to play with. Bit creepy. Also a bit touristy but worth it just to get the chance to walk into these old houses and closes. And they were not all poor people who lived here. If you lived in Edinburgh before the New Town was built; this is where you resided.
By contrast also visited an old Georgian house in Charlotte Square. This is in the New Town. Built so the wealthier inhabitants of Edinburgh could escape from having to live in the Old Town. If you had money; you left the Old Town. First owner bought this particular place in 1796. Is now a National Trust property and was really well done. The place has been set up to show how a Georgian family would have lived, including the servants quarters and volunteers in each room with information sheets to answer questions. Surprisingly good and informative rather than just a tourist attraction. Charlotte Square was a prestigious address and they lived somewhat better than those in the Real Mary Close. Interestingly was initially landed gentry who lived here but as they ran out of money (heaven forbid they work) and had no more properties to sell - the middle class and professionals moved in like Doctors and Lawyers. Still a nice part of town - mainly commercial tenants in the buildings around the square now - banks and Government offices. Nicola Sturgeon's official residence is in a house that fronts this square.
And finished off my sights with a visit to St Cuthberts Church which is right near Charlotte Square. This is heading to the west end, which I do not know as well. Stumbled onto the graveyard and did not realise its location until I glanced up and saw Castle Rock with the castle perched on it; soaring above me. Thought that was worth a photo. Most of these graveyards claim to hold gravestones of various famous people, none of whom I can ever seem to find. However without even looking, this time I found a grave with the words "Sir Henry Raeburn"on it. Some famous Scottish artist I have discovered this trip. Checked when I returned and yep he was buried there. I wont be so dismissive in the future regarding 'the location of famous people's tombstones.
Sunday, 16 July 2017
13-16 July
Stephen found out that his fishing expedition near Edinburgh was at the beginning of the Water of Leith - a place called Harperrig Reservoir. Very pretty anyway and he did manage to catch 8 trout all up. After speaking to one of his fishing buddies, apparently fishing at twilight is the thing to do so he is planning a return visit.
Stephen has excelled himself with his culinary skills even if no trout has yet appeared on our dinner plates. He cooked a game stew with potatoes and a delicious mushroom risotto the last few days. Been very spoilt. Loved the game stew and been making the most of eating mushrooms as it is something that Will refuses to eat.
We drove to Glasgow on Friday as is only about an hours drive and visited the west end which is a very buzzy area - lots of cafes, restaurants and shops. Also lots of students as near Glasgow University. Reminded me of the different buildings to Edinburgh - the stones used in the housing are much lighter or a deep red. Different quarries I guess. Also a ''cheekier'' place overall than Edinburgh I think. We had lunch at a place Stephen knows well called the "Ubiquitous Chip" - the name is to poke fun at Scotland's culinary reputation. Funny signage out the front with variations on its name - ''Exigious sip'', ''Ubi ubi dubh'', ''Wee chippy'' etc. Lovely meal -pork belly and not a chip in sight. Both been to Glasgow before so decided could not be bothered trying to move the car and find another carpark so headed back after lunch and a short walk around the west side.
Spent the weekend in Edinburgh. Attempted to hand in VAT refund documents at tourist info place but gave up after finding out that we would be charged another 3% on top of the usual admin charge plus the exchange rate charges if we wanted a credit on our credit cards. In fact after all the charges it appears that we will be paying the UK Govt and/or banks for shopping in the UK (well it felt that way). Wandered down to Canongate on Saturday (on the Royal Mile) and found little whiskey shop selling whisky, cigars and some gin. Got to sample a lovely 8 year old cask strength whisky from around the Isle of Mull (can't believe I just wrote that). Tasted very nice. May go back to purchase a bottle to take home. Also revisited Cadenheads - iconic whisky shop - and put name down for some bottle coming in the end of July. New shipments talked about in whispered tones and only those in the know get to put name down in special book for reserving a bottle. Also sampled another oak strength whisky - quite sweet with honey undertones (there I go again). Stephen also been waxing lyrical about wine can buy at Tesco - is pretty impressive and quite a novelty for us to be able to buy French wine and Guinness in the same shop as our milk and yoghurt.
Were going to do some sightseeing after visiting whisky shops but decided Nah we'd head back and watch women's finals at Wimbledon. Saw Venus Williams soundly beaten. I'm not a great fan of the Williams family so not unhappy but did agree was sad watching her total collapse in the second set.
Slept in Sunday morning and skyped Will. Can't believe how well he looks. He ran through the food he had just cooked ready for the week. Very impressive. Definitely not relying on 2 min. noodles and take away pizza. Then coffee at favourite place - the Printworks. They now recognise us and we have been handed a coffee card. Almost feels like home.
Sent Will a picture of some tartan trousers and told him that was planning on buying him and girlfriend a matching pair. Disturbingly he said Em would like the trousers. Told him was not going to try and squeeze matching tartan trousers into our bags. Glad did not show him matching tartan ''onesies'' that had also seen. They were hideous.
Weather looks to be good at the beginning of the week so Stephen planning another foray off fishing on Monday. I will probably go and see a Caravaggio exhibition that he is not so interested in. Also just happy pottering around the city centre. Lots of buskers and people around. The Jazz and Blues Festival has started and there is a general air of anticipation about the Fringe starting in a few weeks time.
Weather definitely slowly warming up. Wore fur-lined boots, jumper and gortex coat on Saturday into town and was too hot. Given it is mid-summer, would be pleased if could at least put the fur-lined boots away.
Stephen has excelled himself with his culinary skills even if no trout has yet appeared on our dinner plates. He cooked a game stew with potatoes and a delicious mushroom risotto the last few days. Been very spoilt. Loved the game stew and been making the most of eating mushrooms as it is something that Will refuses to eat.
We drove to Glasgow on Friday as is only about an hours drive and visited the west end which is a very buzzy area - lots of cafes, restaurants and shops. Also lots of students as near Glasgow University. Reminded me of the different buildings to Edinburgh - the stones used in the housing are much lighter or a deep red. Different quarries I guess. Also a ''cheekier'' place overall than Edinburgh I think. We had lunch at a place Stephen knows well called the "Ubiquitous Chip" - the name is to poke fun at Scotland's culinary reputation. Funny signage out the front with variations on its name - ''Exigious sip'', ''Ubi ubi dubh'', ''Wee chippy'' etc. Lovely meal -pork belly and not a chip in sight. Both been to Glasgow before so decided could not be bothered trying to move the car and find another carpark so headed back after lunch and a short walk around the west side.
Spent the weekend in Edinburgh. Attempted to hand in VAT refund documents at tourist info place but gave up after finding out that we would be charged another 3% on top of the usual admin charge plus the exchange rate charges if we wanted a credit on our credit cards. In fact after all the charges it appears that we will be paying the UK Govt and/or banks for shopping in the UK (well it felt that way). Wandered down to Canongate on Saturday (on the Royal Mile) and found little whiskey shop selling whisky, cigars and some gin. Got to sample a lovely 8 year old cask strength whisky from around the Isle of Mull (can't believe I just wrote that). Tasted very nice. May go back to purchase a bottle to take home. Also revisited Cadenheads - iconic whisky shop - and put name down for some bottle coming in the end of July. New shipments talked about in whispered tones and only those in the know get to put name down in special book for reserving a bottle. Also sampled another oak strength whisky - quite sweet with honey undertones (there I go again). Stephen also been waxing lyrical about wine can buy at Tesco - is pretty impressive and quite a novelty for us to be able to buy French wine and Guinness in the same shop as our milk and yoghurt.
Were going to do some sightseeing after visiting whisky shops but decided Nah we'd head back and watch women's finals at Wimbledon. Saw Venus Williams soundly beaten. I'm not a great fan of the Williams family so not unhappy but did agree was sad watching her total collapse in the second set.
Slept in Sunday morning and skyped Will. Can't believe how well he looks. He ran through the food he had just cooked ready for the week. Very impressive. Definitely not relying on 2 min. noodles and take away pizza. Then coffee at favourite place - the Printworks. They now recognise us and we have been handed a coffee card. Almost feels like home.
Sent Will a picture of some tartan trousers and told him that was planning on buying him and girlfriend a matching pair. Disturbingly he said Em would like the trousers. Told him was not going to try and squeeze matching tartan trousers into our bags. Glad did not show him matching tartan ''onesies'' that had also seen. They were hideous.
Weather looks to be good at the beginning of the week so Stephen planning another foray off fishing on Monday. I will probably go and see a Caravaggio exhibition that he is not so interested in. Also just happy pottering around the city centre. Lots of buskers and people around. The Jazz and Blues Festival has started and there is a general air of anticipation about the Fringe starting in a few weeks time.
Weather definitely slowly warming up. Wore fur-lined boots, jumper and gortex coat on Saturday into town and was too hot. Given it is mid-summer, would be pleased if could at least put the fur-lined boots away.
Wednesday, 12 July 2017
8-12 July
Hanging around Edinburgh and its environs for the last few days. Given had spent the last few weeks travelling on and off was ready for a bit of a break. Edinburgh is getting more crowded - definitely more tourists around. Oh those annoying tourists. The Festival brochures are all out now and we wandered into the main Fringe Office on the Royal Mile - like the pros we are, to print off some tickets for 3 shows we have booked. We feel like old hands at this. Stephen made an important purchase, visiting our local Majestic Wines to top up our "cellar" . He is missing having his cellar handy but we are getting to sample some interesting wine that we do not generally drink at home. Will apparently had some great bottle of French wine when out to dinner for his birthday. He sends photos of wine labels to his father and Stephen answers with copies of wine labels from our purchases here. It seems to work for them.
We visited my favourite pub from past visits called the Cafe Royal. It is smaller than the Standing Order pub and is decorated with artworks made of ceramic tiles from Royal Doulton, depicting celebrated inventors and scientists like Stephenson and Watt. I think it is a pretty classy place. Read that Edinburgh has more licensed premises than any other part of Scotland. Thought Glasgow would have beaten them to it. Saw another funny pub name today - "All Bar One". Sydney really has to lift its game.
Been doing some shopping while sales are on. We visited a place called Livingstone (about 30 mins west of Edinburgh) as were told it has an outlet store and we were curious. Was expecting Birkenhead and got about 4/5 times that size. It was massive. We were suffering from shopping fatigue before we finished with the first building. Stephen got a coat (his second one for the trip I must say - given luggage restrictions he will now be wearing 2 coats onto the plane going home) and we found a nice shirt for Will. I bought nothing but did make up for it today.
Stephen has headed off fishing today as has located a loch that is only 30-40 mins drive from here. Sent him on his way this morning with all his equipment. It is actually lovely and sunny today but was told that is not ideal for catching trout - something to do with the trout being able to see you better with the sun or it glints on....things. Given the vagaries of Scottish weather I think you just fish whenever there isn't a howling gale. I did a dash to the shops as the sales are ending. Very sneaky of them before most tourists arrive. I may have bought a few items of clothing and given weight restrictions on luggage, I too may be wearing home a strange combination of clothing flung around my body.
We also used the car to visit a place called Granton. Never heard of it? Me neither. But it does have a fishing mega store. Stephen in ecstasy. It does also have a huge harbour - part of the waterfront along the Firth of Forth so funny why Leith is so well known and this place isn't. It became part of Edinburgh after WWII and actually had a more useful harbour than Leith due to tidal flows etc. Unlike Leith though was no long standing settlement or village there (Edinburgh basically was a series of villages that eventually all joined together). Rows of tenement houses for the workers. Even had a castle at one stage but certainly doesn't appear in any tourist brochures. Not that I am recommending a visit. Basically an old industrial area - some cute houses, bigger ones up the hill and a huge fishing mega store.
Discovered that Edinburgh is also famous for having one of the world's worst poets. I have come across him a few times. There is a pub named after him (naturally) called "The Captain's Bar" as he lived his last few years above the bar. His name was William Topaz McGonagall and he also got a mention in the Guardian literature review this week so I assume the poet in question who was reviewed, was not thought highly of. His poems are widely regarded as some of the worst in English literature - his only understanding of poetry was that it needed to rhyme. Amused myself last night googling him. He also thought that he was a talented actor and played Macbeth in one production but was so bad he had to pay the theatre to put the play on and when he believed the actor playing Macduff was trying to upstage him; McGonagall just refused to die. I am late to the party as Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers had a character called McGoonagall; Monty Python featured a McGonagall - esque poet and the Harry Potter books have a Professor McGonagall.
We got back to Stockbridge this week and visited George Bower - the butcher with the animal heads in his shop. Stephen bought some game to make a game stew so got to watch Wimbledon one rainy afternoon, smelling a delicious game stew cooking on the cooktop. He has been cooking some impressive meals. We also purchased 2 little liquor glasses at a charity shop at Stockbridge for a total of one pound. Stockbridge has an impressive number of charity shops for reasons that escape me. The shop we visited had some rather nice things including some Italian Art Deco style demitasse coffee cups. Anyway stuck with 2 liquor glasses as decided was too difficult to drink the chocolate and cherry liquor we bought back from Poland in the kitchen glasses we have .
Was also so excited by sun shining this morning (been a bit dreary last few days) that when walked back from gym, decided to do a circuit of Leith Links before ventured back inside. Is difficult to stay inside when sun actually shines here. Recognise some of the early morning dogs now - favourite is a cocker spaniel with a feather duster tail who I see trotting back from Leith Links with his favourite hollow frisbee in his mouth. The dogs love Leith Links. We also went for a walk around Leith Links after dinner last night - the best sun of the day is often from 7.30pm onwards. Could have worn sunglasses.
The gym has been refurbished in my absence. Lots of shiny new weights and some strange black box with thick ropes attached. You grab the ropes as best I can tell, stand back holding ropes and flick them towards the box in wave like motions. Looks ridiculous. Am told by Sydney based adviser from Martin Street that it is a full body high intensity thing. I kid you not. Told son and heir the other day that I was developing a Scottish accent. He asked if that meant I couldn't understand myself then. No respect.
We visited my favourite pub from past visits called the Cafe Royal. It is smaller than the Standing Order pub and is decorated with artworks made of ceramic tiles from Royal Doulton, depicting celebrated inventors and scientists like Stephenson and Watt. I think it is a pretty classy place. Read that Edinburgh has more licensed premises than any other part of Scotland. Thought Glasgow would have beaten them to it. Saw another funny pub name today - "All Bar One". Sydney really has to lift its game.
Been doing some shopping while sales are on. We visited a place called Livingstone (about 30 mins west of Edinburgh) as were told it has an outlet store and we were curious. Was expecting Birkenhead and got about 4/5 times that size. It was massive. We were suffering from shopping fatigue before we finished with the first building. Stephen got a coat (his second one for the trip I must say - given luggage restrictions he will now be wearing 2 coats onto the plane going home) and we found a nice shirt for Will. I bought nothing but did make up for it today.
Stephen has headed off fishing today as has located a loch that is only 30-40 mins drive from here. Sent him on his way this morning with all his equipment. It is actually lovely and sunny today but was told that is not ideal for catching trout - something to do with the trout being able to see you better with the sun or it glints on....things. Given the vagaries of Scottish weather I think you just fish whenever there isn't a howling gale. I did a dash to the shops as the sales are ending. Very sneaky of them before most tourists arrive. I may have bought a few items of clothing and given weight restrictions on luggage, I too may be wearing home a strange combination of clothing flung around my body.
We also used the car to visit a place called Granton. Never heard of it? Me neither. But it does have a fishing mega store. Stephen in ecstasy. It does also have a huge harbour - part of the waterfront along the Firth of Forth so funny why Leith is so well known and this place isn't. It became part of Edinburgh after WWII and actually had a more useful harbour than Leith due to tidal flows etc. Unlike Leith though was no long standing settlement or village there (Edinburgh basically was a series of villages that eventually all joined together). Rows of tenement houses for the workers. Even had a castle at one stage but certainly doesn't appear in any tourist brochures. Not that I am recommending a visit. Basically an old industrial area - some cute houses, bigger ones up the hill and a huge fishing mega store.
Discovered that Edinburgh is also famous for having one of the world's worst poets. I have come across him a few times. There is a pub named after him (naturally) called "The Captain's Bar" as he lived his last few years above the bar. His name was William Topaz McGonagall and he also got a mention in the Guardian literature review this week so I assume the poet in question who was reviewed, was not thought highly of. His poems are widely regarded as some of the worst in English literature - his only understanding of poetry was that it needed to rhyme. Amused myself last night googling him. He also thought that he was a talented actor and played Macbeth in one production but was so bad he had to pay the theatre to put the play on and when he believed the actor playing Macduff was trying to upstage him; McGonagall just refused to die. I am late to the party as Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers had a character called McGoonagall; Monty Python featured a McGonagall - esque poet and the Harry Potter books have a Professor McGonagall.
We got back to Stockbridge this week and visited George Bower - the butcher with the animal heads in his shop. Stephen bought some game to make a game stew so got to watch Wimbledon one rainy afternoon, smelling a delicious game stew cooking on the cooktop. He has been cooking some impressive meals. We also purchased 2 little liquor glasses at a charity shop at Stockbridge for a total of one pound. Stockbridge has an impressive number of charity shops for reasons that escape me. The shop we visited had some rather nice things including some Italian Art Deco style demitasse coffee cups. Anyway stuck with 2 liquor glasses as decided was too difficult to drink the chocolate and cherry liquor we bought back from Poland in the kitchen glasses we have .
Was also so excited by sun shining this morning (been a bit dreary last few days) that when walked back from gym, decided to do a circuit of Leith Links before ventured back inside. Is difficult to stay inside when sun actually shines here. Recognise some of the early morning dogs now - favourite is a cocker spaniel with a feather duster tail who I see trotting back from Leith Links with his favourite hollow frisbee in his mouth. The dogs love Leith Links. We also went for a walk around Leith Links after dinner last night - the best sun of the day is often from 7.30pm onwards. Could have worn sunglasses.
The gym has been refurbished in my absence. Lots of shiny new weights and some strange black box with thick ropes attached. You grab the ropes as best I can tell, stand back holding ropes and flick them towards the box in wave like motions. Looks ridiculous. Am told by Sydney based adviser from Martin Street that it is a full body high intensity thing. I kid you not. Told son and heir the other day that I was developing a Scottish accent. He asked if that meant I couldn't understand myself then. No respect.
Friday, 7 July 2017
3-7 July
Just spent a few days in Krakow, Poland. Our first impression was that it reminded us very much of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, which we visited last year. Similar architecture. Not surprising given Poland and Lithuania were the one "Commonwealth"" at one stage. If we ever attend a trivia night that focuses on the Hanseatic League and/or Baltic States, I think we would cream it. Did enjoy Krakow. Very pretty city in a similar way that Riga and Tallinn are (Vilnius less so as poorer). Favourite place was probably the old market square - the current layout having been set out in 1257. Large Catholic church - St Mary's in the square as is a much smaller one and a Cloth Hall - old merchants building that now houses museums and lots of tourist ""tat"". All around the edge of the square are shops and restaurants - mainly restaurants. Great people watching place. The weather was lovely so we spent a bit of time sipping on drinks, eating gelato and enjoying the passing parade. Lots of European tourists. It is pretty inexpensive for Western Europeans and Americans so very popular place. A local told us that Krakow is however expensive for them. Their wages must not be great.
Our hotel was a family run smaller hotel just outside the old city which was interesting because you had to step outside of the tourist bubble that is in the old city. Not far out but far enough to see that a lot of Krakow is still comprised of run down buildings - reminded us of many old Eastern Bloc countries we have visited at other times. Krakow is very geared towards the wealthy tourists - you basically pay for everything and there are touts everywhere looking for business. Having said that it felt like a very safe place - large number of police around all the time and people very friendly.
There is the obligatory castle on the hill overlooking the old city. Not so easy to visit inside as so many people around and visits are only for certain times plus you sometimes have to take a tour to see certain parts. Ended up opting for visiting the State Apartments. The castle complex is really a combination of a number of buildings - all confusing. The State Apartments were interesting - full of old Belgian tapestries from the 1500's and paintings of members of the Vasa royal family. The Vasa references confused us as we came across the Vasa in Sweden. Then remembered that the Polish royal family and Swedish royal family were related at one stage - didn't stop them fighting each other though. Was also trying to hypothesise why the tapestries - wondering whether it had something to do with the Hapsburgs who ruled both here and in the Netherlands. Nope. Tapestries were just a result of one King Sigismund II Augustus (love the name) who was a spendthrift and spent much of the country's money on expensive tapestries (and various other paintings and sculptures). I over thought the whole thing. Tapestries were stunning though as you could still see the gold threads.
We did our own walking tour of Kazimierz - the old Jewish Quarter. The area was abandoned and very run down until the 1990's. A lot of money has been spent here although still not a huge amount to see other than various synagogues and many Jewish American tourists being shown around. Sounds a bit cynical on my part but is really not a lot there. Perhaps most interesting was a central marketplace -Plac Nowy - basically a flea market selling everything from old nazi helmets, uniforms and ID cards to Jewish memorabilia, Catholic memorabilia and lots of coffee cups (?). Quite an eclectic collection. The old town also sells all these wooden Jewish figures - Jewish men wearing prayer shawls clutching the Torah etc. Assume is to sell to Jewish tourists. Thought was a bit odd.
Loved the food here - similar to Hungarian. We tried Perogi (dumplings) - good hearty food which if I ate every night would result in me quickly resembling a dumpling. Stephen got to eat herrings so was very happy and they have the best gelato. Remembered the best gelato shop in Crows Nest used to be run by a Polish family. They have a talent for it. Stephen also discovered Polish chocolate and vodka, a sample of both accompanied us home.
Doing my usual hunt around the internet I discovered Poland is now the most homogenous nation in the EU (maybe Europe). Was not surprised based on own observations. An article I read said it was ""determinedly homogenous, racially and religiously."" Apparently a result of WWII including the loss of territories with various different ethnic groups all exiting Poland.
We braved Auschwitz on our last day. Think my jaw was clenched throughout the entire tour. We were both effected by it in different ways. Stephen could not get over the size of the operation and wandering around on a lovely sunny day - he kept looking up at the blue sky imagining the people trapped in there, also perhaps looking up at a similar sky. I found the cattle train, train tracks, gas chamber (you can walk into one) and photos of Hungarian Jews arriving, confronting and when the guide read out the names of some people whose names were written on suitcases you could see, you held your breath hoping that you did not recognise a name. Also sped through a lot of the items left by the people exterminated - not the sort of thing you want to spend a lot of time looking at. Felt to me a bit like going to a funeral. Lots of Israelis there and our guide (who was young - in her 20's) was Jewish. No idea how you could run these tours. Was prepared for some odd behaviour too - people (not many) - were taking selfies. Our guide had to speak to one woman who was taking a smiling selfie in front of the famous entrance gates, telling her to please stop. Both glad we went but would not ever re-visit.
After that we enjoyed dinner in a very nice calm restaurant in the old city that Stephen had located. Very nice meal including some very nice Italian wine and a chocolate liquor that is not our usual drink but is some Polish speciality and went well with the desserts we both thought we needed to have. Did enjoy Krakow but would be a one-visit place I think. We think we have been on ""all the rides"" as Stephen says.
Our hotel was a family run smaller hotel just outside the old city which was interesting because you had to step outside of the tourist bubble that is in the old city. Not far out but far enough to see that a lot of Krakow is still comprised of run down buildings - reminded us of many old Eastern Bloc countries we have visited at other times. Krakow is very geared towards the wealthy tourists - you basically pay for everything and there are touts everywhere looking for business. Having said that it felt like a very safe place - large number of police around all the time and people very friendly.
There is the obligatory castle on the hill overlooking the old city. Not so easy to visit inside as so many people around and visits are only for certain times plus you sometimes have to take a tour to see certain parts. Ended up opting for visiting the State Apartments. The castle complex is really a combination of a number of buildings - all confusing. The State Apartments were interesting - full of old Belgian tapestries from the 1500's and paintings of members of the Vasa royal family. The Vasa references confused us as we came across the Vasa in Sweden. Then remembered that the Polish royal family and Swedish royal family were related at one stage - didn't stop them fighting each other though. Was also trying to hypothesise why the tapestries - wondering whether it had something to do with the Hapsburgs who ruled both here and in the Netherlands. Nope. Tapestries were just a result of one King Sigismund II Augustus (love the name) who was a spendthrift and spent much of the country's money on expensive tapestries (and various other paintings and sculptures). I over thought the whole thing. Tapestries were stunning though as you could still see the gold threads.
We did our own walking tour of Kazimierz - the old Jewish Quarter. The area was abandoned and very run down until the 1990's. A lot of money has been spent here although still not a huge amount to see other than various synagogues and many Jewish American tourists being shown around. Sounds a bit cynical on my part but is really not a lot there. Perhaps most interesting was a central marketplace -Plac Nowy - basically a flea market selling everything from old nazi helmets, uniforms and ID cards to Jewish memorabilia, Catholic memorabilia and lots of coffee cups (?). Quite an eclectic collection. The old town also sells all these wooden Jewish figures - Jewish men wearing prayer shawls clutching the Torah etc. Assume is to sell to Jewish tourists. Thought was a bit odd.
Loved the food here - similar to Hungarian. We tried Perogi (dumplings) - good hearty food which if I ate every night would result in me quickly resembling a dumpling. Stephen got to eat herrings so was very happy and they have the best gelato. Remembered the best gelato shop in Crows Nest used to be run by a Polish family. They have a talent for it. Stephen also discovered Polish chocolate and vodka, a sample of both accompanied us home.
Doing my usual hunt around the internet I discovered Poland is now the most homogenous nation in the EU (maybe Europe). Was not surprised based on own observations. An article I read said it was ""determinedly homogenous, racially and religiously."" Apparently a result of WWII including the loss of territories with various different ethnic groups all exiting Poland.
We braved Auschwitz on our last day. Think my jaw was clenched throughout the entire tour. We were both effected by it in different ways. Stephen could not get over the size of the operation and wandering around on a lovely sunny day - he kept looking up at the blue sky imagining the people trapped in there, also perhaps looking up at a similar sky. I found the cattle train, train tracks, gas chamber (you can walk into one) and photos of Hungarian Jews arriving, confronting and when the guide read out the names of some people whose names were written on suitcases you could see, you held your breath hoping that you did not recognise a name. Also sped through a lot of the items left by the people exterminated - not the sort of thing you want to spend a lot of time looking at. Felt to me a bit like going to a funeral. Lots of Israelis there and our guide (who was young - in her 20's) was Jewish. No idea how you could run these tours. Was prepared for some odd behaviour too - people (not many) - were taking selfies. Our guide had to speak to one woman who was taking a smiling selfie in front of the famous entrance gates, telling her to please stop. Both glad we went but would not ever re-visit.
After that we enjoyed dinner in a very nice calm restaurant in the old city that Stephen had located. Very nice meal including some very nice Italian wine and a chocolate liquor that is not our usual drink but is some Polish speciality and went well with the desserts we both thought we needed to have. Did enjoy Krakow but would be a one-visit place I think. We think we have been on ""all the rides"" as Stephen says.
Sunday, 2 July 2017
28 June-2 July
4 days in Edinburgh before head off to Krakow. Edinburgh turned on cold and rain and we turned on the heaters for the first 2 days. Our main heating - radiators - are controlled from upstairs and that is thermostat driven. Made we wonder if you ever turn off the central heating in Edinburgh. Probably not. Weather suited us as did not mind staying inside to catch up on washing, work for me and SA staring at spreadsheets which thank goodness he does not mind doing. I get a gold star for dedication by venturing out in an anorak Friday morning to visit the pool. At times you have to be dedicated to get some exercise.
And then our luck turned and the sun returned. We re-walked the Restalrig track - an old train path near home and excitedly discovered an even better coffee place near us called Printworks. Assume was old printing place. Coffee even better than at the Bad Tempered Baker. Will have to slink past them from now on. Bit like changing hairdressers.
Actually on one of the rainy days we ventured into town as noticed summer sales had started and SA had his eye on a jacket. Did eventually get one for him of course not on sale but not before we first detoured to bag shop for me. Not sure how that happened. Anyway after dripping wet we decided a pint (and half pint) was in order so we visited The Standing Order which was conveniently near the jacket shop. I discovered a new favourite cider - something called Thistle Cross Cider which has a hint of strawberry. Eschewed the one with whisky as that was 7% alcohol and not sure about cider and whisky. We agreed that the pubs are much better than at home - at the very least they have more interesting names and generally a more interesting history. I like the ""Kings Wark"" down at Leith only because ""wark"" is such a strange word. I think it is Scots for ""building"" and it is located where James 1 built the original Kings Wark in 1438 - set of buildings to get trade going down at the Leith port. ""The Last Drop"" is also good - being where convicted criminals had their last wee dram of whisky before being executed down at the Grassmarket. Cheery thought. ""The Worlds End"" is situated where the main gateway into the city once stood and where a toll had to be paid. It commemorates the fact that many citizens were unable to pay the toll to re-enter, so they never left the city.
Also made the most of the sun by walking into town on Sunday and re-visiting the Portrait Gallery. Seeing things before all those tourists arrive! Discovered Sir Henry Raeburn this time. Had heard of him and then remembered the Skating Minister in the National Gallery that he may have done. His portraits remind me of some Spanish artists as there is a brooding darkness about them. Surprised myself with my perspicacity as then read somewhere that he has been likened to Velazquez - scary. Anyway he was Scottish born and bred, probably largely self-taught and rarely ventured out of Scotland. Also lucky to be painting when some pretty impressive people were around like Sir Walter Scott so lots of interesting subjects to paint. There was also a mixed media exhibition consisting of a Jamaican man singing the words of a Robbie Burns poem - The Slaves Lament and the music was a mixture of reggae and traditional classical music. The whole thing was filmed and was just playing on an endless loop. Pretty impressive. Not sure why Robbie Burns was writing about slavery - sounds like he was an interesting man. We also went back through the portraits of the usual array of kings, queens and assorted hanger-ons. Completely confused again as to who was king when, who bumped off who and when and why. Give up. They were all Marys, James' and Charles' until they became Hanoverian and George's were in favour. That's my version.
Lastly there was an exhibition on the male image. Basically portraits of men from Van Dyck to Lucian Freud and how the male image has changed/varied over time. Interesting although did not really say anything too new as I think the fact men used to wear wigs, frills and high heels in the 16th century and that this would be considered less usual today is pretty well established. I did like one portrait in particular. It was painted just 4 years before Pride and Prejudice was published apparently and the young man in the painting was said to perfectly reflect the look of the men who J Austen wrote about. In particular the young man has come to be associated with Mr Darcy - the image has appeared on numerous editions of the book. It is something called ""Portrait of a Man"" by Francois - Xavier Fabre who does not however sound very English to me. Did look very like the Mr Darcy's that have appeared in screen/TV adaptations so I suppose there is something there.
Back home to pack for Poland. Took me about 5 minutes as got it pretty down pat now. Crazy early flight though - 6:40am. At least being Summer the sun will be well and truly up.
And then our luck turned and the sun returned. We re-walked the Restalrig track - an old train path near home and excitedly discovered an even better coffee place near us called Printworks. Assume was old printing place. Coffee even better than at the Bad Tempered Baker. Will have to slink past them from now on. Bit like changing hairdressers.
Actually on one of the rainy days we ventured into town as noticed summer sales had started and SA had his eye on a jacket. Did eventually get one for him of course not on sale but not before we first detoured to bag shop for me. Not sure how that happened. Anyway after dripping wet we decided a pint (and half pint) was in order so we visited The Standing Order which was conveniently near the jacket shop. I discovered a new favourite cider - something called Thistle Cross Cider which has a hint of strawberry. Eschewed the one with whisky as that was 7% alcohol and not sure about cider and whisky. We agreed that the pubs are much better than at home - at the very least they have more interesting names and generally a more interesting history. I like the ""Kings Wark"" down at Leith only because ""wark"" is such a strange word. I think it is Scots for ""building"" and it is located where James 1 built the original Kings Wark in 1438 - set of buildings to get trade going down at the Leith port. ""The Last Drop"" is also good - being where convicted criminals had their last wee dram of whisky before being executed down at the Grassmarket. Cheery thought. ""The Worlds End"" is situated where the main gateway into the city once stood and where a toll had to be paid. It commemorates the fact that many citizens were unable to pay the toll to re-enter, so they never left the city.
Also made the most of the sun by walking into town on Sunday and re-visiting the Portrait Gallery. Seeing things before all those tourists arrive! Discovered Sir Henry Raeburn this time. Had heard of him and then remembered the Skating Minister in the National Gallery that he may have done. His portraits remind me of some Spanish artists as there is a brooding darkness about them. Surprised myself with my perspicacity as then read somewhere that he has been likened to Velazquez - scary. Anyway he was Scottish born and bred, probably largely self-taught and rarely ventured out of Scotland. Also lucky to be painting when some pretty impressive people were around like Sir Walter Scott so lots of interesting subjects to paint. There was also a mixed media exhibition consisting of a Jamaican man singing the words of a Robbie Burns poem - The Slaves Lament and the music was a mixture of reggae and traditional classical music. The whole thing was filmed and was just playing on an endless loop. Pretty impressive. Not sure why Robbie Burns was writing about slavery - sounds like he was an interesting man. We also went back through the portraits of the usual array of kings, queens and assorted hanger-ons. Completely confused again as to who was king when, who bumped off who and when and why. Give up. They were all Marys, James' and Charles' until they became Hanoverian and George's were in favour. That's my version.
Lastly there was an exhibition on the male image. Basically portraits of men from Van Dyck to Lucian Freud and how the male image has changed/varied over time. Interesting although did not really say anything too new as I think the fact men used to wear wigs, frills and high heels in the 16th century and that this would be considered less usual today is pretty well established. I did like one portrait in particular. It was painted just 4 years before Pride and Prejudice was published apparently and the young man in the painting was said to perfectly reflect the look of the men who J Austen wrote about. In particular the young man has come to be associated with Mr Darcy - the image has appeared on numerous editions of the book. It is something called ""Portrait of a Man"" by Francois - Xavier Fabre who does not however sound very English to me. Did look very like the Mr Darcy's that have appeared in screen/TV adaptations so I suppose there is something there.
Back home to pack for Poland. Took me about 5 minutes as got it pretty down pat now. Crazy early flight though - 6:40am. At least being Summer the sun will be well and truly up.
Tuesday, 27 June 2017
26-27 June
Just finishing 2 days in Paris. Did something different on the Monday and visited Pere Lachaise- very old cemetery with many famous people buried there and is a lovely leafy cemetery with lots of trees. It has around 1 million people buried there and is about 44 hectares. You can get a map that shows where the graves of the better known people are. Still a bit confusing. Did find Jim Morrison and took a photo of SA in front of it being the closest we had to a flower child. Also saw Edith Piaf and Oscar Wilde. Wildes was strange. Was almost Art Deco looking I guess and had a Perspex barrier around it to stop it being defaced. The Perspex has all these kisses on it from where people have kissed the Perspex. Lots of little mausoleums the size of telephone boxes and some quite beautiful with weeping statues on them. Less austere than the graveyards we have seen in Edinburgh. Also memorials to various victims of wars. After the cemetery we walked to the Canal Saint Martin area. All the guide books say it is a lovely quirky area with a canal running through it. A typical Audrey Tatou whimsical movie- Amelie was shot there. Mmm we didn't get it. We endeavoured to find the whimsical part but just couldn't find it. We ended up in a cross between a fairly seedy African/ Chinese part of town. My aunt who is in Paris said she went on the canal a few years back and she thought there was nothing to see. One of her daughters came along with us thinking she must be missing something because she had never found anything interesting there. I don't know where the guide book writers went but we gave up after a while and jumped on the metro. Had very nice dinner in traditional restaurant in Bastille area called Bofinger ( sounds like a James Bond movie).
Day 2 we coincidentally found ourselves in Paris with a friend - Pamela so caught up or coffee. Was good to catch up and see a friend from home. After that we decided to explore the 8th arrondisement. Wandered in and out of shops and after attempting to locate Gallerie Lafayette, found Printemps instead. Decided that would have to do. Summer sales about to start so shop assistants madly rushing around putting different coloured dots on things to signify the discount. There really is no excuse to be badly dressed if you lived in Paris I think but I'm going out on a limb and don't think they are as elegant as they used to be. Some of the young people, which we also noticed in Spain are also disturbingly overweight. A number of the older people still have that French style but I don't think as many of the young people are as stylish. Probably part of the global nature of the world these days.
Dinner with family again tonight and then we farewell them and head back to Scotland for a few days before our next adventure.
Day 2 we coincidentally found ourselves in Paris with a friend - Pamela so caught up or coffee. Was good to catch up and see a friend from home. After that we decided to explore the 8th arrondisement. Wandered in and out of shops and after attempting to locate Gallerie Lafayette, found Printemps instead. Decided that would have to do. Summer sales about to start so shop assistants madly rushing around putting different coloured dots on things to signify the discount. There really is no excuse to be badly dressed if you lived in Paris I think but I'm going out on a limb and don't think they are as elegant as they used to be. Some of the young people, which we also noticed in Spain are also disturbingly overweight. A number of the older people still have that French style but I don't think as many of the young people are as stylish. Probably part of the global nature of the world these days.
Dinner with family again tonight and then we farewell them and head back to Scotland for a few days before our next adventure.
Sunday, 25 June 2017
25 June
Going to sneak in one more post for today as just back from the opera and did not want to forget. Saw La Cenerentola at the Palais Garnier. ( Cinderella). Opera is by Rossini so lots of lovely music- recognised a lot from Barber of Seville and General Rossini craziness. The Palais Garnier would probably be the most opulent opera house I have been in. Marble, gold, statues everywhere you look. We ended up with a very good view- downstairs about one third of the way back. The stage is huge- read it is the biggest in Europe- over 400 people can apparently be on stage. The gold leaf everywhere and opulence reminded me of the palaces in St Petersburgh. They called it Russian Baroque so I guess this is French baroque.
The production was not the best I have ever seen of a Rossini opera. The staging was ridiculous. The singers had to walk over this somewhat slippery looking rough terrain complete with a trench in the middle. Mind you have also seen some equally crazy stages in Sydney. Enjoyed the singing. The performers were Italian, French, Spanish and Swiss- Belgian. The 'prince' ( Juan Jose De Leon) has sang in the Barber of Seville in Australia. Cinderella also had a very good voice- Teresa Iervolino. I have never seen the opera before and just read a synopsis- aside from the staging, the rest of the production looks to have been pretty faithful to the synopsis. Very enjoyable- even just sitting in the auditorium looking around at the decor and audience was a great experience.
Getting worried I'm becoming too knowledgeable. I quite rightly it turned out explained to SA that the ceiling in the auditorium looked like Chagall and the building looked 1870's with much baroque architecture being evident. Evidentially I have too much time on my hands. Dinner afterwards was in a street called Rue Montorgueil- full of restaurants, cafes, bakeries etc. SA and I know this street from past trips. It's very lively and Will and SA have been known to purchase the odd chocolate here. Place was packed. People everywhere. Saw a few police around - including at the opera house but not overly evident where we have been so far.
The production was not the best I have ever seen of a Rossini opera. The staging was ridiculous. The singers had to walk over this somewhat slippery looking rough terrain complete with a trench in the middle. Mind you have also seen some equally crazy stages in Sydney. Enjoyed the singing. The performers were Italian, French, Spanish and Swiss- Belgian. The 'prince' ( Juan Jose De Leon) has sang in the Barber of Seville in Australia. Cinderella also had a very good voice- Teresa Iervolino. I have never seen the opera before and just read a synopsis- aside from the staging, the rest of the production looks to have been pretty faithful to the synopsis. Very enjoyable- even just sitting in the auditorium looking around at the decor and audience was a great experience.
Getting worried I'm becoming too knowledgeable. I quite rightly it turned out explained to SA that the ceiling in the auditorium looked like Chagall and the building looked 1870's with much baroque architecture being evident. Evidentially I have too much time on my hands. Dinner afterwards was in a street called Rue Montorgueil- full of restaurants, cafes, bakeries etc. SA and I know this street from past trips. It's very lively and Will and SA have been known to purchase the odd chocolate here. Place was packed. People everywhere. Saw a few police around - including at the opera house but not overly evident where we have been so far.
18-25 June
Well we started this week in Edinburgh and am now in Paris. Edinburgh continues to surprise with weather and enjoyed having a week to catch up on not so exciting things like washing and all these English/UK serials we have got addicted to. Some very depressing Irish Catholic series called Cardinal that Stars Sean Bean. Apparently he always dies in the shows he features in so not expecting a happy ending. Also watching an American series called Blacklist- only 78 episodes to go. Continuing to enjoy their comedic current affairs shows- they are very funny and clever. Also saw very interesting show on the issue of immigrants. One reporter basically called them some not very nice names and was called out on it for lacking any humanity. Her take was that the elite press were Dr Frankenstein and she was the monster they created. Similar issues to home but the UK seem about 6-12 months ahead of us in the way the media deals with issues. Bit unsettling how some parts of the media are appealing to people's baser instincts and enjoy stirring up trouble.
Arrived via metro to hotel in Paris. Easy trip as no large bags to carry. Large metro near hotel and armed guards in army uniform and Syrian refugees holding up signs asking for help. Also saw families sitting in street- with signs saying they are Syrian refugees. If they are this far north can just imagine what other European countries must be like. Very sad.
Large number of tourists here, especially Americans. I gather the US dollar is doing well so no surprise. We are in the 8th arrondisement. Nice area. Walked into a local park this morning- Parc Monceau. Full of Parisians enjoying the sunshine. The park was established by a cousin of Louis XVI- very wealthy and even though said he was a republican, no one believed him and he lost his head in 1793. The park is full of these follys-an Egyptian pyramid, Roman collanade etc. and of course being Europe, at one stage the park was the site of a massacre of Communards when the Paris Communards was crushed in the 1870's. It's unusual as was based on the style of an English garden. Was not so keen to be here but it still is quite a beautiful city. Walked back from the left bank last night after dinner with family and people everywhere. Difficult to resist not taking many photos. People here seem defiant- they are going to keep going out and enjoying themselves, regardless of resident lunatics and random acts of violence. Out to opera this afternoon but lunch first with family.
Arrived via metro to hotel in Paris. Easy trip as no large bags to carry. Large metro near hotel and armed guards in army uniform and Syrian refugees holding up signs asking for help. Also saw families sitting in street- with signs saying they are Syrian refugees. If they are this far north can just imagine what other European countries must be like. Very sad.
Large number of tourists here, especially Americans. I gather the US dollar is doing well so no surprise. We are in the 8th arrondisement. Nice area. Walked into a local park this morning- Parc Monceau. Full of Parisians enjoying the sunshine. The park was established by a cousin of Louis XVI- very wealthy and even though said he was a republican, no one believed him and he lost his head in 1793. The park is full of these follys-an Egyptian pyramid, Roman collanade etc. and of course being Europe, at one stage the park was the site of a massacre of Communards when the Paris Communards was crushed in the 1870's. It's unusual as was based on the style of an English garden. Was not so keen to be here but it still is quite a beautiful city. Walked back from the left bank last night after dinner with family and people everywhere. Difficult to resist not taking many photos. People here seem defiant- they are going to keep going out and enjoying themselves, regardless of resident lunatics and random acts of violence. Out to opera this afternoon but lunch first with family.
Saturday, 17 June 2017
16-17 June
16 June was a travel day from Toledo to Madrid to Edinburgh. A few trains, bus and a plane trip later landed in Edinburgh. Much much cooler. Very much enjoyed Spain. Madrid was pleasanter than we anticipated. Very easy to get around. Felt safe and people very friendly. Food was great - lovely and fresh and loved the flamboyance of the people - their clothing, the jewellery etc and the lifestyle. Also really enjoyed the art we saw - the Prado is probably better than I was expecting. Well thought out explanations of the art work and no photos allowed. Brilliant. So annoyed by the people who never look at the artwork and just stand there photographing or videoing them. Crazy. Very classy city. Also really enjoyed Toledo. The history is fascinating. So dark in many ways with the confrontation between the 3 religions and then the Franco era. Will have to come back and see the South.
Seems still quite strange, arriving back to our home in Edinburgh from Spain - just 3 hours later. Anyway Edinburgh has found the sun again so we made the most of it and walked up Arthurs Seat - the giant extinct volcano at one end of the city. Terrific views of the city and we sat in the sun enjoying some lunch. Loved watching all the locals and tourists and were rewarded with a pheasant flying past us at a terrific speed. I thought it was a hawk but SA - ever the intrepid fly fisherman - recognised the feathers from some fishing flies and advised it was a pheasant. Stunning looking anyway.
Politics getting ever more complicated here. Large protest outside the Scottish Parliament which we ran into - people marching protesting against the Conservative Government's deal with the DUP (the Irish Unionists) so they can form a government. The DUP are ultra - conservative. The protesters were largely basically pro-gay and diversity. Lots of rainbow coloured banners. Interestingly a number of companies such as major banks and their employees there and some had rainbow coloured flags inside their offices. The country does not seem happy. Lots of news about the Grenfell fire in London as well. Theresa May booed when she turned up there. What a mess. Have continued my buying of various UK papers. Onto the Guardian today. Definitely not buying The Sun again - not even for the TV Guide. Just can't do it.
No tapas tonight. Sigh. Will be enjoying a Tesco chicken and fresh vegetables however. They do have very nice fruit and veg. Bought some lovely looking raspberries.
Seems still quite strange, arriving back to our home in Edinburgh from Spain - just 3 hours later. Anyway Edinburgh has found the sun again so we made the most of it and walked up Arthurs Seat - the giant extinct volcano at one end of the city. Terrific views of the city and we sat in the sun enjoying some lunch. Loved watching all the locals and tourists and were rewarded with a pheasant flying past us at a terrific speed. I thought it was a hawk but SA - ever the intrepid fly fisherman - recognised the feathers from some fishing flies and advised it was a pheasant. Stunning looking anyway.
Politics getting ever more complicated here. Large protest outside the Scottish Parliament which we ran into - people marching protesting against the Conservative Government's deal with the DUP (the Irish Unionists) so they can form a government. The DUP are ultra - conservative. The protesters were largely basically pro-gay and diversity. Lots of rainbow coloured banners. Interestingly a number of companies such as major banks and their employees there and some had rainbow coloured flags inside their offices. The country does not seem happy. Lots of news about the Grenfell fire in London as well. Theresa May booed when she turned up there. What a mess. Have continued my buying of various UK papers. Onto the Guardian today. Definitely not buying The Sun again - not even for the TV Guide. Just can't do it.
No tapas tonight. Sigh. Will be enjoying a Tesco chicken and fresh vegetables however. They do have very nice fruit and veg. Bought some lovely looking raspberries.
15 June
Woken by a 21 gun salute as part of Corpus Christi celebrations. Tried to avoid it for a bit so could do some sightseeing before actual procession started. Gave up. All roads seemed to lead to the Procession. Eventually found ourselves alongside one side of the Cathedral watching the parade. Nearly all the women in the procession were wearing white or black (mainly black) mantillas with the high comb (a peinta) . Not sure why some in white and some in black. Thought black was for married women and white for unmarried but did not seem to be quite right .
Checked out some websites afterwards as was curious and noone seems to know these days. Essentially you wear what you want it seems. As I am unlikely to convert to Catholicism and start wearing a mantilla, probably not of great importance. The women looked stunning however - very dignified. Also lots of children- the girls wearing very formal white dresses like confirmation dresses and the boys in military type outfits. After the service a small group of horse riders appeared- believe they are part of the Civil Guard and behind them the processional cross was carried. Some of the horse riders wore hats that look like what a matador wears. All fascinating to us. Apparently they have been doing this procession since 1418. Loved looking at the women in particular in their black lace dresses with the mantillas and often fanning themselves with lace fans. Could have been in medieval times.
Should have brought my fan from home. The women and even some men use fans to cool themselves- thought was only a tourist thing but clearly not. Wandered to Jewish sector after procession and passed an old monastery on the way- the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes. Also walked through only structure that remains from Muslim period- the Cambron Gate. Then onto San Martin bridge- a medieval bridge across the river Tagus. The Jewish sector had little Jewish symbols in blue tiles on the cobbled road to signify was old Jewish sector.
Quite sad I thought. Are some synagogues and a mosque elsewhere but all now Catholic Churches. The Moorish influences in particular on the buildings is very clear. Quite beautiful really especially some of the tile work. Heat continues apace - high 30's. We exited to hotel by 3pm as just unbearable by then. SA has had some successful using the 'maps me' application on his iPad to navigate us around. We still tend to wander in circles a bit as very confusing layout. Lovely salad for lunch. Curious but they have a lot of fish. Their salads often have tuna in them and calamari/squid is very popular. We're not sure why given we are nowhere near the sea. Not complaining though.
Finished day with another lovely tapas meal. Cheated and went back to same restaurant. Waiter recognised us and this time when we ordered drinks we got a small plate of green olives -just like the locals. We must have passed some secret test. More tapas for dinner. Lovely fresh salad, a cold soup dish - like a gazpacho and some calarmari. The helpings are large so that was enough washed down with a beer and wine.
Would like to come back here for another day lovely just wandering around. Would like to have gotten to see one of the old mosques and synagogues out of interest. Oh and after deciding buying a knife was a stupid idea, we bought a paring knife. SA could not resist. Going to have to book a bag in tomorrow - that is not going through the cabin bags security check.
Wednesday, 14 June 2017
10-14 June
Hola! One night in Madrid and already fluent in Spanish. Had fun day in Leith before flew to Spain (we flew to Spain on the 11th). Very nice lunch at a restaurant called Onedin seafood restaurant on George IV Bridge. Enjoyed some lovely mussels in broth and SA enjoyed some cod, a fish he does not eat at home. Visiting cousin sampled some Loch Fynne oysters. All agreed was very good. We then went to the Leith Fair which was on the Leith Links across the road. Favourite part was just wandering around enjoying the community feel. My latest semi- formed view is that this part of Leith is like Glebe. Second favourite part was seeing some owls and hawks;- some sort of wildlife rescue group. Fascinating birds. Went home to pack a few very light summer clothes for Madrid.
There are a few things I prefer about living in Australia but one very big advantage of living in Europe is that it took us just under 3 hours to fly to Madrid and that was flying into a headwind. Each packed a small bag, wheeled them onto our easy jet flight and a very short while later, we are in a very different culture. Even the plane trip heralded a change- from reticent Scots to much louder Spaniards.
Have two and a half & days in Madrid. Enjoyed a big seafood paella for our first dinner in Madrid at a restaurant with a strange picture of a devil split in half holding a cooking pot. Not sure but food great. Forgot how little English is spoken compared to say Italy and France. Should have brought little language book but am sure will manage. Already taken by architecture. Filigree balconies everywhere, giant fountains in the middle of intersections with roads running off them. Impressive statues of men on horseback with ruff collars. Lots of people out walking before dinner. We managed to wait until 8 for dinner but of course too early for locals. Booked a walking tour for first full day. Feels too short a time for a visit but suspect in part this is due to contrast with oddles of time in Edinburgh.
Just finished first full day in Madrid. I learnt from our walking tour that the Hapsburgs ruled Spain for some time- 1500-1700s until they inbred themselves to extinction and the French Bourbon Kings took over. Our walking tour took us through Hapsburg Madrid basically. Saw their main Cathedral that took some
100 years to finish- guide said Spaniards don't like to rush. Also saw the Royal Palace that is apparently the largest in Europe- well has the most rooms. Basically nothing medieval remaining or from the time of the Moors we were told. Were shown a piece of land alongside the cathedral where there was a fountain in the shape of the Star of David, above which is the only surviving section of the city wall from when the Moors ruled and looming above these 2 is the Cathedral. Guide said that all 3 religions lived relatively peacefully under the Moors but the Catholic Church was not happy with this arrangement and decided was a good idea to throw out the Jews and Moors and take charge. Possibly somewhat simplistic but it was only a 3 hour tour that took in a lot. Lucky for me though as Grandmother's family would never have found their way east if hadn't been thrown out.
The guide also said no one talks about the Franco era. It was interesting that could find no tourist things about the Franco era as you can in Berlin re. Hitler etc. People were just expected to transition
peacefully to democracy and forget the past. People who lost relatives and friends have not been able
to find out what happened to them and there are most likely mass graves around, the location of which is not publicised. The guide was also scathing about the level of corruption in government. She was pretty young so given the 50% unemployment rate for young people recently- not surprising she was
cynical. Many interpretations of history are of course possible but always interesting to get a locals take on things.
Love the street signs- there is the street name with an illustration in a lovely looking tile eg 'Elbow Street' had a picture of an elbow. After tour went to Reina Sofia Museum to see Picasso's Guernica. A giant picture where everyone just stands in silence to stare and absorb it. Very moving painting. Also saw some other Picassos and snuck in some Salvador Dali and Joan Miro. I like the surrealists- so clever and bizarre at the same time.
Were going to large city park - Retiro-to sit in shade but in classic tourist style couldn't find
entrance. Could see the greenery tantalisingly close but could only seem to walk parallel to it. After a while we decided we were too tired and hot after 3 hours walking tour and visit to museum, so wandered back to hotel via a bar where we re- hydrated. It's around 38 degrees. Will be returning to Scotland with suntan.
Also learnt Madrid much like Canberra- formed because of strategic location (in middle of country). A made up city. Probably not the best analogy. It came to me after a cider or 2. Also learnt many buildings may look old but are relatively new- early 20th century. Catholic Church did a good job destroying evidence of all that came before. And I suppose Civil War didn't help. Pity.
Lots of shops with such colourful clothing and shoes and great jewellery. Very flamboyant. So different to UK. Cars honking horns, having to boldly stride onto pedestrian crossings, assuming the cars will stop. Reminds me of Italy in that way.
Loved a place called Plaza Mayor- large square built in 1600's with various uses over time- markets, bull fights, executions. All the usual. Also like new town hall- huge white gothic looking building although built in 20th century.
Disturbingly found we are again staying in a hipster neighbourhood. Not sure how we managed it. Anyway Will will be impressed ( or just sigh in a 'hope you did not embarrass yourself' way). Lots of good cafes, bars etc and not very touristy. The street is called Marlasana - think is known as bohemian area. Good but challenging when attempting to order food as lttle English spoken. No disasters yet.
And lots of legs of ham around. And cakes . Madrid likes its food. Had lovely crispy bread with ham and cheese for lunch. Simple but very nice and fresh. Finished the day with tapas. Had calamari, potato dish ( looked like a Spanish scotch egg on a bed of green sauce), fried green tomotoes and a pork dish. Delicious. Sorry Scotland but we agreed on a not so random survey of the 2 of us- Spanish food leaves Scottish food for dead.
Second day in Madrid- tried the metro to get to Prado Museum. Easy. Had plan of attack for museum as is vast. Read somewhere to concentrate on Spanish painters so sought out El Greco, Goya and Velasquez. Also viewed some Dutch and Italians.- some Ruben and van dyke and something called 'The Garden of Earthly Delights' by Hieronymous Bosch. Very strange surrealist triptych but painted in 1500's. Esp. taken with El Greco and Goya- very dark ( in style and sometimes content). Had siesta and then visited Salamanca area in afternoon. Upmarket area. Lovely apartments, shops with usual name brands and great deli/ cafe called Mercado ( thanks Cherry).
Had another great tapas dinner. Even waited until 9pm to eat. Daring.Enjoyed Madrid more than anticipating. Felt very safe- Safer than Paris or Rome. Relaxed and very pleasant place, great museums and friendly people.
Then today ( 14th) caught fast train to Toledo. Easy trip- only 30mins. Toledo is predictably very pretty. Many windy cobbled streets. Definitely lots of medieval architecture here. No idea where we are most of the time- streets very confusing. Visited their huge impressive Cathedral. Spent about an hour there. Many different styles- baroque and gothic with a bit of Muslim influences ( was built on top of a mosque) and a bit of Judaism. We took the audio option- definitely worthwhile. Spain is still so religious in many ways, is necessary to listen to all the religious stories/explanations to get a feel for the culture.
We have inadvertently arrived the day before a huge religious procession- the Corpus Christi. The streets are all decorated with flowers, banners, tapestries and chairs line the streets- all chained together. These are reserved by locals and they are often just their household chairs I assume by the look of them. The houses of Toledo have been emptied of chairs it seems. Hoping to see some of the procession tomorrow- should be interesting. The whole town will be watching or participating, so may as well.
Found out that Toledo is famous for steel- lots of knives and swords for sale. Not planning on bringing any through customs although cheese knives do look pretty good. Also known for marzipan. Last year we visited Riga in Estonia and they said they were famous for marzipan. And there is the Italians . What's going on. Someone is telling fibs as to who has the best marzipan. Will have to sample some I fear. Delicious tapas dinner- full of locals. SA did excellent job navigating us there ( and choosing the place). One great thing they do here is spray little bits of water over you from little sprinklers affixed above you in the restaurants. Very refreshing. Don't suppose would be allowed at home.Everyone out walking after we finished dinner. Great fun. People selling balloons and very festive atmosphere - getting ready for tomorrow. And how do those little children stay awake so late? 10pm and they are happily wandering around with families. Practice I guess. Glad staying overnight so can experience the evening atmosphere.
Friday, 9 June 2017
5-9 June
Been a week of politics for the locals. Woke to news that will be a hung Parliament. Conservatives trying to form a coalition with an Irish unionists party. The mind boggles. How out of touch must the politicians be (and their advisers) to think the Conservatives were going to increase their majority. The Scottish National Party also did very badly - hopefully Nicola Sturgeon will get the hint that the Scottish majority really don't want another vote on independence. The country is clearly very fractured. Met one of our landlords early Friday morning and she said - well what now?
Been enjoying the current affairs shows. The journalists are generally much more aggressive to the politicians. Totally fed up it seems with all politicians refusing to answer their questions and giving ''pat'' answers instead. Saw hilarious one with Jeremy Corbin who could not answer the questions and the interviewer started calling him out - pointing out that he was checking his ipad, his phone, his written materials and called an adviser, but still couldn't answer the questions. It's almost as if they have moved on from the patience that Australian journalists (well better quality ones) still show. Although I guess the UK journalists have always been a bit more aggressive than ours. Makes interesting viewing if the journalists are good quality.
Caught up with visiting cousin - Eddy and went to dinner at local cafe/restaurant called Nobles. Good fish and chips dinner. Weather turned cold and rainy - around 11/12 degrees so jumpers back on. Can't believe I worried that I would not be wearing fur lined boots. Visited Holyrood. Very well maintained and saw a lock of Mary Queen of Scots hair. Mmmm not sure if similar to some of those authentic religious icons one sees in churches. Also took Eddy to Cadenheads - authentic whisky shop and got her to taste full strength whisky. Her face was priceless - she is not a convert and will stick to gin and tonics we believe. Also took in fudge shop - very good fudge. Finished with half pint at The Standing Order - old pub in George Street - used to be a bank in 1800's. Very grand old building. Bought summer dress (for Madrid where is around 35 degrees). Not anticipating much use will be made of it in Edinburgh.
Took Eddy for drive in countryside to Perthshire and in particular a giant shopping complex called the "Harrods of the North"(House of Bruar). She loved it. Much trying on of clothes and checking out the food on sale. Some items of clothing may have been bought. Even Stephen bought a jumper (and showed us the fishing section, including fishing flies).
Had another meal at local restaurant called Cafe Tartine. Won some best restaurant award in 2016. Goodness knows what that means. Was very nice though and we caught up with our Scottish friends, Barbara and David. Barbara has a very strong west coast accent. Was pretty funny seeing Eddy trying to follow Barbara's conversation (and vice versa I imagine). David - who has a softer accent - found it all pretty funny and said he was enjoying the general confusion. He has a similar sense of humour to SA.
Going back to The Bad Tempered Baker for coffee this morning. Taking Eddy there and then off to the Grassmarket to show her some of the old city. Meeting Barbara for lunch at the Grassmarket. No doubt general confusion will continue to prevail.
Been enjoying the current affairs shows. The journalists are generally much more aggressive to the politicians. Totally fed up it seems with all politicians refusing to answer their questions and giving ''pat'' answers instead. Saw hilarious one with Jeremy Corbin who could not answer the questions and the interviewer started calling him out - pointing out that he was checking his ipad, his phone, his written materials and called an adviser, but still couldn't answer the questions. It's almost as if they have moved on from the patience that Australian journalists (well better quality ones) still show. Although I guess the UK journalists have always been a bit more aggressive than ours. Makes interesting viewing if the journalists are good quality.
Caught up with visiting cousin - Eddy and went to dinner at local cafe/restaurant called Nobles. Good fish and chips dinner. Weather turned cold and rainy - around 11/12 degrees so jumpers back on. Can't believe I worried that I would not be wearing fur lined boots. Visited Holyrood. Very well maintained and saw a lock of Mary Queen of Scots hair. Mmmm not sure if similar to some of those authentic religious icons one sees in churches. Also took Eddy to Cadenheads - authentic whisky shop and got her to taste full strength whisky. Her face was priceless - she is not a convert and will stick to gin and tonics we believe. Also took in fudge shop - very good fudge. Finished with half pint at The Standing Order - old pub in George Street - used to be a bank in 1800's. Very grand old building. Bought summer dress (for Madrid where is around 35 degrees). Not anticipating much use will be made of it in Edinburgh.
Took Eddy for drive in countryside to Perthshire and in particular a giant shopping complex called the "Harrods of the North"(House of Bruar). She loved it. Much trying on of clothes and checking out the food on sale. Some items of clothing may have been bought. Even Stephen bought a jumper (and showed us the fishing section, including fishing flies).
Had another meal at local restaurant called Cafe Tartine. Won some best restaurant award in 2016. Goodness knows what that means. Was very nice though and we caught up with our Scottish friends, Barbara and David. Barbara has a very strong west coast accent. Was pretty funny seeing Eddy trying to follow Barbara's conversation (and vice versa I imagine). David - who has a softer accent - found it all pretty funny and said he was enjoying the general confusion. He has a similar sense of humour to SA.
Going back to The Bad Tempered Baker for coffee this morning. Taking Eddy there and then off to the Grassmarket to show her some of the old city. Meeting Barbara for lunch at the Grassmarket. No doubt general confusion will continue to prevail.
Sunday, 4 June 2017
1-4 June
Hoots Mon - I believe that is a greeting over here although never actually heard anyone say it. Will stick to Hiya. I like that one. Very excited, as have found 2 places near home that serve decent coffee. Favourite would be ""The Bad Tempered Baker"". Baristas are very wary of Australians - we have a fiercesome reputation when it comes to judging coffee. Weather still ridiculously good. It can't last. Will have to wash some T shirts soon.
We did the Water of Leith walk from Leith to Dean Village. Very scenic walking mainly alongside the Leith stream/water. Some parts looked like wooded paths in the Lord of The Rings movie with the Dark Riders tearing along the path. The part between Stockbridge and Dean Village, which gets the tourist vote for most scenic part, was especially pretty. Stephen kept on glancing longingly at the water for evidence of any fish. You can actually fish in the stream although we saw no evidence of anyone doing so. Passed ye ancient well (St Bernards Well) where people used to take the waters. Some hermit called St Bernard lived in a cave nearby or so one version of history says. Where we finished our walk - Dean Village, is this strange almost separate little village in the middle of Edinburgh, situated in this deep valley. It was where the milling occurred as well as weaving, tanning and dying many moons ago (technical term used by serious historians). Just read - there was grain milling here for over 800 years and was a separate village until the 19th century. It's all dark red buildings, purely residential now, with tourists blundering around. Edinburgh seems to have been made out of a few separate villages until the burgh of Edinburgh absorbed them all eventually. Found out today that Leith was bought and sold a few times. Mary Queen of Scots also apparently sold Leith to Edinburgh at one stage - before it was bought back... and resold etc.
Discovered a new suburb -Broughton, which is in the New Town. Lots of little shops, tenements being done up etc. Could live there. Also re-visited the National Gallery with SA. Tried to replicate what the guide told me during the tour - not sure how successful I was. The extra security had been dropped but woke this morning to the attack on London Bridge and Borough Market, so no doubt things will change again. Feels a bit like the 1970's which I just remember, with the regular terrorists attacks. Will not be visiting London any time soon at this rate. News of course filled with this story.
Making the most of the weather by still doing lots of walking. Walked to Portobello from Leith. It's a sea-side resort(ish) place complete with beach. Ahh the British seaside. There are some things we can feel superior about and the beach is one of them. Enough said. Like Leith, Portobello was a separate burgh until...Edinburgh absorbed it. Many dogs tearing along the beach - in and out of the water and digging frantically burying their toys. Portobello faces the Firth of Forth. Was reliably informed that the Firth of Forth means the estuary of the Forth River. I just thought it was a tongue twister. Supposedly some interesting things happened at Portobello at some stage. Names like Cromwell and William Wallace appear in wikipedia as having been here - secret meetings, preparations for battles etc but essentially it's now a little sea-side place for Edinburgh peoples to visit on sunny days.
Found great little pub down at The Shore - the hipster part of Leith on the water. It is tiny and had a board out the front with a hipster joke on it. Thought it was either going to be full of skin heads and we were going to back out quickly or we'd feel at home. We felt at home. SA drank a Bellhaven Best although he tells me was not as good as Caledonian Best. Half pint just had a draught cider.
Local allotment on the edge of Leith Links was having a mini market, selling fresh veg (grown in the allotment), fresh bread and... gift cards. No scented candles though. Unusual. Bought some bread as looked rather nice.
Walked back to flat and as we opened the front gate noticed we were being spied on by Hugo (one of the littler residents living upstairs) through the letterbox in their front door. Hilarious.
We did the Water of Leith walk from Leith to Dean Village. Very scenic walking mainly alongside the Leith stream/water. Some parts looked like wooded paths in the Lord of The Rings movie with the Dark Riders tearing along the path. The part between Stockbridge and Dean Village, which gets the tourist vote for most scenic part, was especially pretty. Stephen kept on glancing longingly at the water for evidence of any fish. You can actually fish in the stream although we saw no evidence of anyone doing so. Passed ye ancient well (St Bernards Well) where people used to take the waters. Some hermit called St Bernard lived in a cave nearby or so one version of history says. Where we finished our walk - Dean Village, is this strange almost separate little village in the middle of Edinburgh, situated in this deep valley. It was where the milling occurred as well as weaving, tanning and dying many moons ago (technical term used by serious historians). Just read - there was grain milling here for over 800 years and was a separate village until the 19th century. It's all dark red buildings, purely residential now, with tourists blundering around. Edinburgh seems to have been made out of a few separate villages until the burgh of Edinburgh absorbed them all eventually. Found out today that Leith was bought and sold a few times. Mary Queen of Scots also apparently sold Leith to Edinburgh at one stage - before it was bought back... and resold etc.
Discovered a new suburb -Broughton, which is in the New Town. Lots of little shops, tenements being done up etc. Could live there. Also re-visited the National Gallery with SA. Tried to replicate what the guide told me during the tour - not sure how successful I was. The extra security had been dropped but woke this morning to the attack on London Bridge and Borough Market, so no doubt things will change again. Feels a bit like the 1970's which I just remember, with the regular terrorists attacks. Will not be visiting London any time soon at this rate. News of course filled with this story.
Making the most of the weather by still doing lots of walking. Walked to Portobello from Leith. It's a sea-side resort(ish) place complete with beach. Ahh the British seaside. There are some things we can feel superior about and the beach is one of them. Enough said. Like Leith, Portobello was a separate burgh until...Edinburgh absorbed it. Many dogs tearing along the beach - in and out of the water and digging frantically burying their toys. Portobello faces the Firth of Forth. Was reliably informed that the Firth of Forth means the estuary of the Forth River. I just thought it was a tongue twister. Supposedly some interesting things happened at Portobello at some stage. Names like Cromwell and William Wallace appear in wikipedia as having been here - secret meetings, preparations for battles etc but essentially it's now a little sea-side place for Edinburgh peoples to visit on sunny days.
Found great little pub down at The Shore - the hipster part of Leith on the water. It is tiny and had a board out the front with a hipster joke on it. Thought it was either going to be full of skin heads and we were going to back out quickly or we'd feel at home. We felt at home. SA drank a Bellhaven Best although he tells me was not as good as Caledonian Best. Half pint just had a draught cider.
Local allotment on the edge of Leith Links was having a mini market, selling fresh veg (grown in the allotment), fresh bread and... gift cards. No scented candles though. Unusual. Bought some bread as looked rather nice.
Walked back to flat and as we opened the front gate noticed we were being spied on by Hugo (one of the littler residents living upstairs) through the letterbox in their front door. Hilarious.
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