The Black and White Knight

Posted on August 16th, 2008 by bryan.
Categories: General.

Nils Olav, Colonel-in-Chief of the Norwegian Army, was knighted yesterday.

Nothing particularly special about that, except that Sir Nils is a King Penguin living at Edinburgh Zoo! He has been an honorary member and mascot of the Norwegian King’s Guard since 1972, in recognition of the close links between Scotland and Norway.

To see the formal ‘ceremony’, click here.

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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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Edinburgh Fringe 2008: 1-3 August

Posted on August 4th, 2008 by bryan.
Categories: Restaurants, Theatre.

It’s August, so it must be time for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and our annual trip north.

Friday 1 August

We treated ourselves to a First Class trip to Edinburgh. For once, it was pretty uneventful, except for seeing my dad and his partner hanging out their bedroom window waving with towels to the train. The tourists in our carriage looked a bit bemused, but I’m sure they thought it was a quaint Scottish custom!

We spent the evening playing Wii Mario Kart at G’s sister’s.

Saturday 2 August

We spent the afternoon at Edinburgh Zoo, with my sister and her friend. It was our first visit to the Budongo Trail, the chimps’ new multi-million pound enclosure: it’s much more realistic and focuses more on visitor education, which is what zoos should be all about. We also saw the new patagonian sealion, which is still technically in quarantine and to be joined by some new ‘friends’.

After the zoo, we spent the evening relaxing, eating and ‘Wii-ing’ at G’s sister’s - have you spotted a trend?

Sunday 3 August

The first Sunday of August always hosts the Edinburgh Festivals’ Cavalcade, a series of floats that proceed through the centre of town advertising Festival and Fringe events. It started years ago as an opportunity for community groups to raise awareness of their work in and around Edinburgh, but I think this is now considered to be too ‘amateur’. There were still some community floats, including the annual entry from Radio Lollipop, a charity providing play, care, comfort and entertainment to children in hospital. I used to volunteer with RL, so it was a good opportunity to catch up with some old (and not so old) friends. In the past, we helped out on the float, but we had to leave before the Cavalcade started to go to our first show of Fringe 2008.

‘What’s wrong with angry?‘ (venue: C+1) is set during the Section 28 era, when British schools were prohibited from ‘promoting’ homosexuality and there was an unequal age of consent. The plot is simple - a 16 year old falls for, gets and then leaves behind the closeted school jock. Although at times emotional, the play is now slightly dated, with Section 28 (and Scotland’s Clause 2a) abolished and the ages of consent equalised. But as a ‘love story’ and a depiction of gay discrimination until only very recently, it is excellent. Rating - ****/5.

‘The Meeting’ (venue: Pleasance Courtyard - The Meeting Point) is a great concept - instead of performing a play in front of people, you perform it around them. We were taken to a real meeting room, sat around a table and then … subjected to an hour of discomfort, boredom and pretty poor acting: which served only to remind me of some painful meetings that I have attended! Rating - */5.

‘Russell Kane: Gaping Flaws’ (venue: Pleasance Courtyard - Cavern) is an hour of non-stop, top humour about the ‘flaws’ of Britain and our hatred of perfection. He covers everything from the Scottish diet to his father’s lack of pride about his son’s achievements, moving seamlessly from one tale to the next. G has seen Russell Kane a couple of times in London and promised a quality stand-up show - and that’s exactly what we got. This is likely to be the only show we see with G’s sister and brother-in-law, but we’d have struggled to find anything better. Rating - *****/5.

G and I had dinner at Edinburgh’s original Vittoria restaurant, a long-time family favourite. I recommend the mussels and the salmon pasta, but beware of the big portions!

I love this time of year!

The official website of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

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Festive Season 2007

Posted on January 29th, 2008 by bryan.
Categories: General.

Graeme and I spent the Festive Season in Edinburgh. For the pics - including the celebrations on the big day, Edinburgh Zoo, Rosslyn Chapel and general relaxation - use the links below.

Christmas Day 2007

Edinburgh Zoo - December 2007

Rosslyn Chapel

Country walk 2007

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Edinburgh - August 2007

Posted on October 5th, 2007 by bryan.
Categories: General.

Pics from The Fringe 2007 and Edinburgh Zoo.

Edinburgh - August 2007

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Four new photo albums …

Posted on May 14th, 2007 by bryan.
Categories: General.

Easter 2007 - Edinburgh, Family BBQ, Edinburgh Zoo and St Andrews

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Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Posted on September 9th, 2006 by bryan.
Categories: Holidays.

After Ibiza and our night at The Producers, Graeme and I made a flying visit to see family and friends in Edinburgh. As well as enjoying the unique atmosphere and entertainment of the International Festival and Fringe, we made the obligatory visit to Edinburgh Zoo. And wished my Dad a Happy Birthday!
The pictures, as ever, are in the Photo Gallery. There’s a few more of penguins, I’m afraid!

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