Sunday in Edinburgh: touring the sights

August 28, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 2 Comments

A little sleep in today. Lots of late nights trying to see everything is exhilarating but tiring. Steve headed off to two sessions of the Writers Festival. I’ll be going tomorrow.

With plans to meet at Holyrood Palace I set off to the Royal Mile and after getting off a bus made my way down the hill. The Royal Mile connects Edinburgh Castle with the Palace. And along the way you pass every tourist shop. Tartan galore, kilt making shop ( which I thought was very quirky) fudge shops, cashmere, a Scottish Christmas shop, Celtic jewellery , just to name a few.

I called into the a Museum of Childhood and tripped down memory lane. All the games and toys I remember using. Oh how old I feel. It was a fun interactive place for children. Further along was the museum of Edinburgh. This tell the story of the history of this fascinating town.

I made it to the bottom of the hill and into Holyrood we went. A very good audio guide with pictures on the hand set made touring the various rooms of this smaller palace just right. No photos allowed.

It brought history alive particularly with the reign of Elizabeth of England and Mary of Scotland, married to Lord Dunbar. I’m listening to a book called The Last Tudor by Philippa Weir. She’s a great author for retelling historical stories and this one is about Lady Jane Grey and her sisters Catherine and Mary.

Deciding to head back to our apartment I caught a bus to the Museum of Scotland for another quick look and Steve went home via the Museum of Edinburgh.

We had a quick turn around and out to Usher Hall. This is our third visit to this place. The orchestral type music is here. It’s a very comfortable theatre. Plenty of room for legs to stretch tonight was the Festival’s Closing Concert.

It featured the BBC Scottish Symphony with a dynamic American conductor Karina Canelakis . She had such control and was so expressive in her conducting. The program included a Rachmaninov Symphonic poem sung by a Soprano, Tenor and Bass with the Edinburgh Chorus. A full sound!

The Festival’s Director Nicola Benedetti.

After the concert, yet another bus back to the city for a quick dinner then into a line up for the Jazz Club. While in line we spied the cutest BMW bubble car.

A bubble car with band for tonight sitting waiting to go on .

I recognised the band sitting in the bar next door. Even they have to wait. The shows in these little downstairs bars are pretty much back to back! And if you get there late you might be standing. This is for the fringe shows. The big shows get you a numbered seat!

Tonight a fabulous performance by Valery Ponomarev on trumpet with a bass, sax , drummer and piano. It was a great night of jazz including some very funny chat by Valery. He’s 80. From Russia he has lived in the US for years. He’s played around the world including at this festival for 23 years.

He has written a book ‘On the Flip side of sound’ which he showed us and made many jokes about.

The whole night was great – also because we met some people in the queue. They are friends – one from Edinburgh and a couple from near Chester England. We had a fun night together.

Home to bed around 1am!

The Leith Water Walk

August 28, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 6 Comments

Saturday. The sun is shining. Everyone is out. Locals as well as tourists are making the most of this beautiful day. The festival officially ends this weekend so it’s a good chance to see things.

We chose to do a quiet activity. No loud musicals or street theatre. We caught the bus 26 to Roseburn Just a few km from the city centre. It’s a world away.

We got off the bus and crossed an old stone bridge which lead down the slope to the Water of Leith , a small creek which winds around the city to the port of Leith.

We started walking along a softly padded path under trees alongside the water. Immediately I felt relaxed and a million miles from the busy festival city.

There were Saturday joggers, lots of dog walkers and a few tourists like us.

We followed a few ducks as they splashed along and admired the luck of the people who lived on the opposite side of the water.

I was imagining being invited to a garden party in summer drinking a gin and listening to the splashing water.

It wasn’t long before we came to a bridge crossing the waterway then climbed about 80 steps to the Museum of Modern Art.

We arrived at it garden entrance. Set up with tables we stopped for coffee.

People sitting in the warming sun were locals with dogs : what a great place to walk to and meet friends.

Graduated paint colour as you walk down the hall.

We took the lift up to the gallery floors. A special exhibition was on. It was colourful and meaningful.

The main doors took us to the sculpture gardens and the main gates.

Crossing the road we arrived at the Modern 2. This was a school going back years. In fact I read a book where the school had a mention as some of the plot took place there! So I was ready for the beautiful building with the turrets.

Following the path down through the gardens we turned left through some iron gates and continued on the Leith Walk.

Around the next corner- a little waterfall.

The water meandered along coming to the very picturesque Dean Village.

Taking a break in a children’s playground we found another piece of history.

If you come to Edinburgh you really must do this walk. You can do a long version or this section.

We arrived at Stockbridge which was jumping.

It’s a little village with pubs, restaurants & cafe and yet another charity shop. I’ve noticed these charity shops everywhere . A bit like our St Vincent’s de Paul. But lots of different types of charities. With some great looking clothes and items in their windows. If you like vintage these shops are for you.

We rested our feet at Hectors with a beer and a fish cake for me and a pie for Steve. Not just any old pie. A pie that won an award. every pie seems to have won an award.

Did I say we love our apartment. It’s so handy to everything including buses to all parts of the city. So home we went for an hours rest before dinner with Bill & M-F at the Brassiere near us.

But first another bus ride and a laid back guitar player. Very cool.

Delicious prawns and a gin and we were off to Usher Hall again to hear Simon Bolivar.

This is a world renowned orchestra from Venezuela. And it’s a young orchestra. Aged up to 28.

They started with a piece composed by a Venezuelan Paul Desenne, a man who helped establish the orchestra.

The next was a composition by another Venezuelan Gonzalo Gray-who was in the orchestra and it featured the cuatro. This is like a small guitar.

Jorge Glem came on stage and had wonderful presence.

The conductor obviously knew him well and boy could he play. It was such a lively piece. The Venezuelan people in the audience were on their feet cheering. It was infectious.

The audience demanded an encore and he played the most amazing arrangement-based on a Viennese waltz which turned into a Venezuelan bear. Maracas were out. Feet are stamping. Fabulous.

After interval they played a more Mahler Symphony 1in D Major. Beautiful energy in the playing. And then the audience demanded more.

So they delivered. The musicians brought our their symbolic medals on a Venezuelan coloured ribbon hung them around their necks. And the rhythmic beats started. The drums, cymbals the hand clamping. The shouting, the standing , sitting. An in stage party!

The orchestra wearing their medals and ribbons

You couldn’t help smiling when it was all over. We met our friends again outside and said a fond farewell. For 2 weeks. We’ll be seeing them in NY for our Galapagos swim trek reunion.

Bills car with Steve & M-F squeezed in the back

Home to bed with feet still tapping !

Take a Tour of the Royal Britannia !

August 26, 2023August 27, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 3 Comments

Fans of the Royal family or not there is always a fascination with their castles, palaces and this ship.

Decommissioned in 1997 as a working ship for the Queen, it’s clocks were stopped at 3 minutes past 3 when she stepped off the ship for the last time.

I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. As usual everything was well organised. No crowds to battle. Tickets are sold in entry times to stagger the people coming on board.

It took us first to the Captains bridge. All the important equipment for driving this ship! Beautiful shiny instruments now looking outdated.

We explored the crew’s areas. The mess for the officers, the seaman’s quarters.

Of course the Royal bedrooms were understated elegance. The Queen and Prince Phillip had adjacent rooms with single beds. Mmmm.

The only Royal bedroom with a double was the honeymoon suite. Charles apparently requested a double when he and Diana married. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for them.

The sundeck room was fun with its bar and games and great views.

We followed the numbered trail around the ship with our little audio handheld set pressed to our ears.

The officers’ dining room looked quite formal except for the wombat sitting in the fan ! Thrown there at one drinks session and never taken down.

As we moved around the ship there were lots of family photos. I think the Royal family loved being on board.

We saw the laundry, the hospital and the formal dining room room where many Presidents and Heads of State have been entertained

By this time Steve would have enjoyed a beer. So he sat at the Officers bar. Unfortunately these were fake beers.

The ship is docked at Leith – the port about 20 minutes by tram from the centre of Edinburgh. Such a great tram system. One tram does a route from Leith through the city and then out to the airport.

And a big applause for the buses. We have worked them out and you can get a tap-tap-cap fare where after 2 rides the fares are capped for the day at £4.80 in total. So we’ve been jumping on and off the buses. Great bonus with a sore knee.

Being in Leith had me singing the Proclaimers’ song ‘Sunshine on Leith’ – it’s beautiful and is one of my choir songs. This clip shows scenes in and around Leith filmed in a cafe there.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Iesps9w4HFw&si=9uAUjKuyYmtiZ_xt

From Musical to the best of Irish Comedy to the Tattoo.

August 26, 2023August 27, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 3 Comments

There is so much on in this Festival city. Everywhere you walk someone puts a brochure in your hand.

One of the Irish comedians. It was F#^#%ing funny.

We went to The Best of Irish Comedy. In a basement with a bar, of course, and a very funny MC who reminded the people in the front row perhaps they should have chosen seats further back. Lots of ribbing for them.

There were three comedians. The first a young woman who was great – very funny.

The second, a young man, a bit of a storyteller in a very funny way.

The last act was a man with a stammer I thought he was pretending. But no, he had quite a stammer. Which became the theme of an ongoing joke. He was funny but I found it a bit excruciating. I kept wanting to give the words to him.

Deciding what to see is the problem. When we got the program a few months ago we were choosing blind! That is, we didn’t know anything about any of the Fringe shows.

We knew the Oslo Philharmonic, the Simon Bolivar Orchestra. But with the Fringe it’s pot luck. We booked a few winners and a few we should have left alone. Not that they were bad. They just weren’t us. It’s probably better to come and check out things here. There a much more to take in than looking in a programme!

Today we saw Big Fish. an American short musical. It had appeal, but for us in a crowded theatre we felt out of it for young people loud, music thumping and actors singing loudly. And the most uncomfortable seats!

We fitted a drink in on the roof terrace of Harvey Nicholls. Beautiful views. Nice gin.

Then off to the a Royal Mile. Across to the Old City.

Yes, the Tattoo. We were looking forward to this so much. There were so many people. But we managed to find a little Mexican (!) place for a quick bite. Then a slow walk up the Mile …..

It was very well organised. Thousands of people. They have little mobile bars set up in the Castle forecourt. So people were milling around. We made our way up to our seats. Nice & high so we could take everything in.

Then the show started. Bands of all kinds from Norway, Switzerland, USA, Scots College Sydney, Irish fling dancers, drummers and dancers from Trinidad, more Pipe bands, precision marching. And all the time projected colours and images into the castle walls.

Each year there is a theme. This year “Stories”. Unfortunately there was no commentary like you get on the tv version of the Tattoo. It would have been good to have someone tell you who was on. I was right as Steve knows about bands and which countries they were from. Our friends found the theme Stories hard to follow.

I tend to just go with the flow. And loved it. The whole experience. We chatted to the people around us. There was quite a party atmosphere. We had New Zealanders, Sydneysiders, English, Japanese.

The show finishes with all the performers on the forecourt. Marching , singing, dancing. And fireworks.

We made our way down from the Castle. It was so busy but orderly and friendly. And home by midnight! Poor Bill and M-F had a 40 minute drive to their little village outside of Edinburgh.

Festival Fever with a Friends

August 23, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 3 Comments

It’s always fun to meet up with friends to share a great experience so we thank Bill and Marie-France for driving up from Sussex to spend a few days in Edinburgh.

We were meeting them at midday for lunch before our Acoustic Blues at the Jazz Club.

So we set out early to go to the Writers Museum and St Giles’ church first.

The Museum dedicated to Scotland’s 3 famous authors : Scott, Stevenson & Robert Burns

We had passed it yesterday on our walk but didn’t have time to call in. Today we did. A very beautiful constrained tribute to these three authors. Back in Australia it is Book Week for Children and our grandson loves Dr Seuss! He dressed as The Cat in the Hat and it fits well with my visit to the Writers Museum.

He may grow up to read Stevenson’s
Treasure Island.

We continued onto St Giles’ Cathedral, founded in 1124 by King David I, has been a working church for almost 900 years.

Just one of the many stained glass windows.

A little more walking brought us to the top of pretty West Bow Street to Howies Restaurant. I had read about it being great food and its special £17.95 lunch and made a booking. It was perfect for a reunion with Bill and M-F. We met Bill a few years ago on a swim trek in Galapagos and then met M-F when last in London.

Lunch was terrific. Haggis for Bill and Steve’ entree!

From lunch we walked to nearby Chambers Street and the Jazz Club. Down the stairs we went into a suitably dark jazz club atmosphere even though it was 2.30 in the afternoon.

An hour of mellow jazz and a G&T followed.

Then off to the Museum of Scotland. What a place! M-F and I went to the special exhibition ‘Beyond the Little Black Dress’

From design classics to cutting-edge catwalk creations, Beyond the Little Black Dress deconstructs this iconic garment and examines the radical power of the colour black in fashion.

It was lovely to share it with the French M-F as she is very interested in textiles and fashion. We had a lot of fun deconstructing the LBD’s on display.

Bill and Steve checked out some other galleries but truely you need a day to see it all.

Steve ran off to the Writer’s festival so I had to make my way back to our little apartment. Not too far. About 2km. I hobbled along until in the traffic jam around the Grassmarket I spied a taxi. I jumped in and encouraged the driver to do a 3 point turn to get out of the traffic and into the direction I wanted to go! he says I’m not supposed to but did!

I was home and resting withered in 10 mins. Because after an hour we headed out again to go back across to the Festival Theatre to see the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Founded in 1958 by dancer, choreographer, and visionary Alvin Ailey, to bring African American modern dance to audiences.

We worked out the bus routes and times and caught it to the Festival Theatre.

The theatre itself appeared more traditional.

It was described as a mix of dance with ballet and modern technique, it exudes an easy, carefree energy. It was exciting. The recorded music was jazz in the first part then the second dance was a mixtape’ of soul, hip-hop and R&B . I liked it – Steve not so much!

Back on the bus through the streets heaving with Festival goers.

Going Back in Time. Museums In Shetlands

August 22, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

Pack up time in our very good apartment. It was perfect for a few days stay. We had decided to stay in last night and get some fish n chips. No. Sunday night and nothing much was open. Except Indian.

This morning was another lovely day so we headed to the little main street to see a big cruise ship coming for a day. The street that was so quiet yesterday was awash with people today.

I wanted to visit the bookshop to get a few picture books for my little grandsons so Steve bravely drove down the little Main Street.

We heard ‘Steve!’ We were moving so slowly Steve glanced up and saw a friend from Brisbane. He and his wife were on the cruise. Naturally we parked and had a catch up.

This led to a very late breakfast and a late start at Scalloway. This small community is on the western side of the island about 15 minutes from Lerwick on the east.

A contrast to the two island Yell and Unst.

It has a lovely little harbour and lots of little boats tied up at marina bobbed and glistened in the sunlight.

The museum is next to the castle which is closed for repairs. Fortunately the museum was open as it had a great display on the Shetland Bus. For those who haven’t heard of the Shetland Bus it is a WW2 very moving story about the cooperation between the English, Shetland and Norway. During the war they needed to get fugitives and those trapped in an occupied Norway out. They started to use fishing boats.

Read about it here. It’s a fascinating story of incredible cooperation and bravery.

Read about it here:

https://www.scallowaymuseum.org/the-shetland-bus.html

We drove south through Trondra a series of small islands. You can see the influence of Norway here. Even the houses have a distinct Norwegian appearance. Very well kept, painted bright colours, even made from timber a material in very short supply here the Shetlands.

Next stop was the Quendale Water Mill which has been restored to working condition. It’s a water wheel that was used for milling grain.

The crofters house museum was our next call. We arrived after the lunch break as it said ‘closed for lunch’ 1-2pm. We arrived at around 2.30 and walked in – actually ducked down and in and all was quiet. Finally a man opened the little door to the main crofters room. Rubbing sleep from his eyes he admitted he’d had a wee nap.

He made himself a coffee and then chatted to us for ages about the crofters life. Not that he was one but he has a good knowledge of it. This house is a project taken up by a a New Zealand architect in 1960. He had connections to the Shetlands …… read about it here.

A box bed in the Croft house. Doors for keeping you warm & cosy.

The Croft house was great to see. It wasn’t like a museum display. It was an original house as through someone had just walked out.

Our last stop today was Jarlshof. This is one of the most important archaeological sites in the UK. A whole village was found buried. it’s a wonderfully presented history of not only had one group of people lived here but several subsequent groups.

Neolithic people first settled at this site in Shetland around 2700 BC, and it remained in use until the AD 1600s. Discoveries made here include oval-shaped Bronze Age houses, an Iron Age broch and wheelhouses, Then Norse long houses, built by Vikings, a medieval farmstead, a large broch and a laird’s house dating from the 1500s.

I have learned such a lot in a few days. Shetland has been an eye opener.

We got to little Sumburgh airport quickly by crossing the runway after watching a plane takeoff and stopping at a little petrol station – run by ….. the car hire company. Five minutes later we got to the airport entrance, & parked the hire car when a man came up and said I’ll take the keys! He identified himself as the car hire man so after a laugh together we did hand over the keys.

‘Would you like to inspect it ‘ I asked helpfully. ‘Oh no – and I saw you filling up with petrol before‘ he replied. It’s all good. Obviously he thought we looked trustworthy of no one bumps their cars in the Shetland.

Then the down side of our trip.

The flight was delayed for 2.5 hrs. They gave us a voucher for the tiny cafe where the women who ran it said she was ‘ off home soon’ We’d better spend our money. The most nutritious offering was a ham & salad sandwich. Or perhaps a rather hard sausage roll ? We bought crisps, chocolate, a sandwich for me and sausage roll for Steve. Great dinner. We had to buy our own beer as the voucher didn’t cover alcohol. Wouldn’t want us sozzled on the flight.

We now get to Edinburgh-at 10pm. Poor Steven our host, who is meeting us at the apartment with our bag. Hope he’s at a good Fringe show tonight! He’s a saint.

Later: We made it. 10.15 pm. Our host was great delivering our bag and waiting for us. The apartment is just right for 19 days in this beautiful city.

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Edinburgh Festival