Edinburgh Fringe 2008: 8-10 August

Posted on August 11th, 2008 by bryan.
Categories: Restaurants, Theatre.

Friday 8 August

We had good intentions for today, but then I remembered it was the opening ceremony for Beijing 2008. I’m a bit of an Olympics fanatic, so we retired to the couch for four hours of the biggest, brightest and most extravagant ceremony that I have seen. I’m sure the money could have been put to better use, but to me this is the sporting event. It’s also China’s opportunity to tell the world what it is and what it can be. And boy did it do that! Here’s to 16 days of sporting excellence.

The ceremony was obviously too much for us, because we didn’t move far from the couch. My sister and two of her friends were having a night in and we decided it would be rude to leave them - so it was Chinese food and wine all round. We also watched The Kite Runner (2007), a moving film about the life of two boys born and brought up in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, it had subtitles, so it was not the best film to have on in the background, but I will be looking out for it in the shops.

Saturday 9 August

We have been members of The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland for ages, but we only ever visit Edinburgh Zoo. Today we changed that, with the shorter than expected drive north to the Highland Wildlife Park, near Aviemore. I have always thought of the Park as the poor cousin of the Zoo, and to an extent that’s true: it’s in the middle of nowhere, it’s smaller, the animals are less ‘exciting’ and its layout is not very visitor friendly. But there is evidence of things changing, with more exotic animals being transferred from the Zoo to the Park, including red pandas, Amur tigers and Japanese macaques. It also offers something different - a main reserve, that allows you to get up close to the animals (including reindeer, yak, elk and bison), with only a car door in between. We have been wanting to do this trip for a couple of years, and it was no disappointment - we even avoided rain and the infamous traffic jams on the A9. The Zoo will remain my favourite, but we’ll be back to the Highland Wildlife Park soon.

Sunday 10 August

All good things must come to an end, including holidays.

My dad, sister and I had lunch at the Royal Ettrick Hotel, which to be honest was nothing special; in fact, it was pretty awful. We waited ages to be served, the food was average, the restaurant too hot and it took them forever to calculate the bill. Rating - */5.

My sister then took me to the station, where G and I started a very uneventful First Class return to London.

As ever, the break was over in no time at all and I am now gutted to be away from my home, friends and family. There is something very special about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (not least its location), especially when you can enjoy it with those that you love. The 2008 season is over for me, but I’m already looking forward to next year. For now, it’s back to London, fully rested and re-charged.

The official website of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

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