Edinburgh - Day 12 - De plane! De plane!

Today, we started our day going to another Patisserie Valerie. We each had an apricot danish. We took them to go and headed out on our journey to climb Calton Hill. 

Calton Hill is one of the many hills in Edinburgh.  It has a number of monuments, as well as an outstanding panoramic view of the city. 

Before heading to the top, we visited the Calton Burial Ground. In addition to being an interesting old cemetery, it also has a Civil War memorial in memory of Scottish-American soldiers. 

Next, we started the climb to the top of Calton Hill. It was a pretty easy climb. There were stairs. It's not like we were rock climbing or anything, and the hill isn't that high or steep. 

The River Forth:

The National Monument was intended to be a replica of the Parthenon but they ran out of money and it was never completed. 

Here we are with Arthur's Seat in the background. 

After Calton Hill, we split some chicken nachos at Hard Rock Cafe. 

Then we headed to see another Fringe show, "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs."  This is a one-man show that examines both the history of Apple and the way Apple products are made in China. It looks at the conditions the Chinese workers are living and working in and forces you to question why you are willing to buy products made this way.  The writer was sued by Apple for embellishing the facts so the show has been revised a bit from its original form.  

After the show, we went back to the hotel to take a quick nap and get ready for our evening. We had tickets for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the package we purchased included dinner and Scotch Whisky tasting at the Scottish Whisky Experience. 

We had a little crisis in the morning when I discovered that our tickets said that the attire for the dinner was "smart."  The problem was that it is COLD in Scotland and we were going directly to the Tattoo, which is outside, after dinner. I didn't have anything smart to wear in 55 degree weather. Well, that depends on your definition of smart. 

To me, being smart in cold weather means wearing layers upon layers of whatever is most comfortable but typically smart means something a bit dressier. Whenever specifying the attire, you should always give examples of what you consider appropriate. I wasn't sure if I needed to buy something. After trying in vain to call the Tattoo office, we went there and they said jeans were fine. Crisis solved. 

Anyway, back to dinner...  We had the following menu. We liked just about everything. We both could have done without the chicken liver parfait, but neither of us are fans of paté. 

Before each course we were taught a little about the Scotch Whisky we were tasting. We learned that adding a splash of water to your Whisky can bring out the flavors. Mark says adding the water dilutes the flavor!

After dinner, we walked through the world's largest collection of Scotch Whisky. 

After heading out to the Tattoo, I realized that Mark was no longer around. Oh no, the Scotch room!!  Kidding...  Anyway, then it was on to the Tattoo!  This is what we look like waiting for the Tattoo to start:

A military tattoo is basically a performance by a military band. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is the most famous tattoo in the world and has sold out every performance for years. The event began with a performance by the Massed Pipes and Drums, which I think is all of the UK's military bands together.  Two military jets flew directly over the venue.

This year's performances are in remembrance of the Korean war.  One of my favorite performances was by the Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defence Traditional Band and Dancers. 

The Imps Motorcycle Display Team was a lot of fun. These are kids ages 6 to 16 and they did all kinds of tricks, including riding backwards, crossing each other at high speed on  the field, and riding in a pyramid!

This is the Monumental Jaguares Marching Band and Mariachi Oro De Mexico. I liked the background they had on the castle. 

The New Zealand Army Band were a surprise. They played Gangnam style and even did the dance!  

The Central Orchestra of the General Staff of the Mongolian Armed Forces did a performance with a Genghis Khan theme. They had fake snow and even made the castle snowy. 

All of the performers came out for the finale. There were fireworks and then the Lone Piper came out and played on top of the castle. It was beautiful. The evening ended with everyone, including the crowd, singing Auld Lang Syne together. What a great event!

Postscript from Mark:  Well, another day and another few CD and Record stores.  Seriously, this is what it used to be like to visit Toronto or New York City as far as music shopping is concerned.  Anyway, found a rare Jamie Cullum CD this time.  Also, Calton Hill overlooks the Queen's Holyrood Palace.  So, I now know where I can build my palace (those of you following the blog regularly should know why).  And what a great way to end the day.  An amazing Military Tattoo in our honor.  OK, now I have to figure out how to get out of this Scotch Whiskey room...seems that they have locked the doors...Um, Karen?  Karen?!?!

Edinburgh - Day 11 - Heart of Lothian

Last night, we were awoken at midnight by loud explosions. No worries, it was fireworks!  Right over the castle...right out our window...at midnight. It was so beautiful!  What a cool thing to wake up to. We could see them right from the bed. We didn't take any pictures, but here is the view from our room:

This morning we slept in a little. Probably because we were tired from watching fireworks in the middle of the night.  We had a bigger breakfast than usual (eggs, bacon, toast) at a place called Patisserie Valerie. It was good and the portions were large. They made the bacon very crispy, just how I like it. 

After breakfast we went to a few shops, including Jenner's department store. It wasn't as fancy as the London department stores but I did find this Ralph Lauren sweatshirt bearing the name of my hometown!

We also went to THREE more CD stores. Do the Scottish people not know about iTunes?  Does Mark love CDs so much because of his Scottish heritage???  So many questions...

Early in the afternoon we saw a Fringe play called, "Banksy: The Room in the Elephant."  It was based on a true story about Tachova Covington, a homeless man living in Los Angeles. In 2011, the street artist Banksy painted the words, "THIS LOOKS A BIT LIKE AN ELEPHANT," on a water tank Covington had made into a home. Covington's world was turned upside down when the water tank, suddenly considered valuable art, was sold and moved. The play was very thought-provoking and I really enjoyed it. 

Later, we found Scottish Parliament. It has very interesting architecture. 

Here's a wee bit of Scottish Parliament with Arthur's Seat in the distance. Arthur's Seat is one of the many hills in Edinburgh. Look closely and you will see some tiny people on the hill.  Well, I'm pretty sure they are normal-sized people and not some undiscovered tribe of tinies...but you know what I mean.

Later in the afternoon, we went to yet another palace - the Palace of Holyroodhouse. This is the Queen's official residence in Scotland. We learned a little about the history of Mary, Queen of Scots. 

We also saw the remains of the Holyrood Abbey. It's connected to the palace. 

Keeping watch.  I'm not entirely sure I was allowed to be in the guard house...but not entirely sure where the guard was either...wait, should I go back? Is the Queen counting on me?

We found the Royal Daddy Longlegs. (Mark said that even the Queen's house has spiders.)

Trudging back up the Royal Mile, we spotted some great Edinburgh scenery. 

Edinburgh was much quieter today than yesterday and we were able to find the Heart of Midlothian. It marks the entrance to a prison located here in the 15th century. People used to walk by and spit on the door of the prison to show their disgust for the prisoners. People continue to spit on this spot today!  

After our long walk, we stopped for a break at a place called Maxie's. It had a great terrace with a view. That is George Heriot's School in the distance (the school is the inspiration for Hogwarts). 

We had dinner at a place called The Grain Store. It was recommended by Mark's work colleague, Nitasha. I had the free-range chicken and Mark had the rib-eye. It was a pretty good meal. 

We're back at the hotel now and I'm enjoying my peppermint tea and cookies, while Mark sips wine and searches the Internet to find stories for us to talk about during our meals tomorrow!

Postscript from Mark:  You might notice the beer in the picture above.  Well, it turns out that my heritage is Scottish...and I am from the Gunn clan (which eventually became the Wilson clan...so I can wear the Tartan of both clans!  So many kilts to buy...).  Anyway, Innis and Gunn.  Well, there you have it. Also, Heart of Lothian is a classic Marillion song from their Misplaced Childhood album.  I understand the song much better after learning the history of the Heart.  Oh, and for Pigeon, there was a certain dish on the menu tonight that she didn't order!  So, I think you're safe for another day.  OK, I have to go to yet another CD and Vinyl LP store now...oh my, I need to live here.

Challenge winner!

Congratulations to my good friend, Dave!  Dave guessed correctly that the pictures all related to the band Marillion. He will soon be receiving a fun surprise from the UK!

Here's a picture of Dave, with his beautiful bride Olga, at their backwards April Fool's Day wedding twelve years ago. They look so young!

Edinburgh - Day 10 - He Who Must Not Be Named

This morning we started out our day doing a wee bit of laundry. We were planning to do it before we left London, but we had enough clothes to get by for a few more days so we procrastinated. Who wants to do laundry when there are so many cool things to see and do?

We had a quick cheeseburger lunch at a little stand called The Log Cabin, right off the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile is the main road going through the Old Town of Edinburgh. It runs between Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace, and it's approximately a mile long. There are shops and restaurants up and down this street, as well as some sights of historic significance. During festival time, there are buskers up and down the Royal Mile and it is packed with people!  

Bellies full, we went on a Sandeman's NewEurope free walking tour of Edinburgh. We took a Sandeman's tour in Amsterdam last year and thought it was pretty good, so we thought we'd try the one here. The way it works is that they ask you to pay whatever you think the tour is worth. So if you don't want to pay, you really don't have to. Fortunately, we enjoyed it!  

The tour lasted 2 1/2 hours and went through the Old Town.  One thing we learned about was the Mercat Cross...where royal announcements are still made today.  They announced the birth of Prince George here three days after his birth. It's tradition to make announcements three days later because that's how long it took them to ride to Edinburgh from London back in the day on a horse riding at full speed.  However, we understand that nobody actually rides a horse from London to Edinburgh anymore.  (Of course, Mark is now trying to purchase a horse to see if he can make it in three days.)   

Also, in medieval times, they used this spot to punish people who broke the law.  If you were caught stealing, you would be nailed to the Cross by your ear for 24 hours!  Ack!

We also saw a bunch of cool stuff related to Harry Potter. This is George Heriot's School, which was J.K. Rowling's inspiration for Hogwarts. 

Here's the grave of "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named"!

In the picture below, the window above the word "FURNITURE" is where she did much of her writing in a little cafe. It overlooks the graveyard and the castle, and George Heriot's School is just steps away. 

And here is the front of the cafe. 

Moving on from Harry Potter, below is a shot of the Covenanters Prison. It's said to be haunted!  

We also saw the grave of Greyfriars Bobby, the most famous dog in Scotland. After his master died, Bobby stood by his grave for years.  Bobby was actually given the keys to the city...which was good because it protected him in a time that wasn't nice to stray dogs!   To this day, people leave presents for him. 

After the tour, we walked back over to the Royal Mile to buy tickets for some Fringe Festival events. As I mentioned yesterday, it's festival time in Edinburgh. While we are here we can enjoy the Art Festival, the Book Festival, the International Festival, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and the Fringe Festival. 

With approximately 3,000 shows over a three week period, the Fringe Festival is the largest arts festival in the world.  Many other cities (including Rochester, NY) now have fringe festivals, but Edinburgh was first. It began more than sixty years ago when a group of theatre companies showed up uninvited to the Edinburgh International Festival. Each year, more groups showed up. It is still an uncurated festival - any group that wants to participate can. There is no programmer or selection committee. As I said previously, in addition to the many shows (comedy, music, cabaret, theatre, etc.), there are street performers everywhere, giving the Royal Mile a carnival atmosphere. 

My nephew, Tyler, will like this shot of me with Predator! 

They have the coolest balloon creations I've ever seen here:

We stopped at the oldest pub in Scotland and then had dinner at an Italian restaurant in the Grassmarket area. This is a nice market square with many restaurants and pubs. We split the cannelloni with meat sauce and a picante sausage pizza. It was yummy.

After dinner, we went to our first Fringe show. It was an improv comedy show put on by Mischief Theatre and we both thought it was funny.  We might try to go to another one of their shows. 

Walking back to our hotel after dinner, we discovered again how small the world really is. I saw a guy wearing a Genesee Bock Beer t-shirt, so I had to stop and ask if he was from Rochester. He was, of course, and once we started talking to him we realized that we knew the woman he was with!  She used to play Ultimate with Mark. So strange and wonderful to run into them. We should have taken a picture for the blog!  

We ended the night in Peacock Alley...a classic take on the original Waldorf's bar.

Postscipt from Mark:  A good thing about having to do laundry is that we had the chance to visit multiple CD and record stores.  For some reason, Edinburgh is loaded with these types of stores while they are closing everywhere else and being replaced by Forever 21 stores.  (I will not set foot in such stores as result.)  They were going to close the HMV store here until the public protest made them renegotiate the lease and keep it open!  I think I was meant to live here.  Anyway, I bought rare CDs from Men At Work (we love Colin Hay) and Tears For Fears.  Also, I need to note that Bobby looks a lot like Taco (our dog when I was growing up).