Inundated

I always feel like I put weight on at festivals such as the Fringe. Not because of the beer and burgers but for the sheer amount of flyers I am given. 

Although it may be too late, if anyone is heading up to Edinburgh right now I highly recommend these guys. They are called LOVEHARD and the performance is called ‘Murdered by Murder’.

I saw them perform in a pub called The Newsroom, although this may have changed since. There was a stage with two actors and a coffee table, the room darkened with a third person playing piano along to the scenes. Set in the 1930’s, a group of friends play a murder mystery game on Christmas Eve at a stately home when an actual murder takes place. The performance takes you through the night and all of the accusations, twists and turns with plenty of wit and improv along the way.

What was unique about this performance was that the multiple characters were played by the two young actors you can see above. The stage must have only been ten feet wide in the basement of this pub, enough room to switch character with a ‘whoosh’ sound. The character changes must have been every ten seconds or so, and it worked both perfectly and hilariously.

It was completely unique and I don’t often throw recommendations out there, however this deserves one. Not in Edinburgh? If the great ratings keep coming I am sure they will be seen elsewhere. What I love about the Fringe Festival is that most of these shows are free and promoted via word of mouth. I paid a fiver towards it, into a bucket whilst leaving as they asked for donations. 

Sometimes the best things in life are free, and sometimes these things deserve a little money.

@LoveHardComedy
Facebook: LoveHardComedy

An effective system

It took me about thirty seconds to realise I was the only one in the wrong lane. Amazingly, everyone adhered to the ‘bikes only’ rule, which surprised me considering how many tourists must have been walking down here for the first time, right in the middle of the festival month.

Whoops.

Edinburgh crockery matches the geography

I was having a drink in the beautiful Balmoral Hotel when I noticed the plate that we were served nuts, vegetable crisps and seaweed (in the style of a pork scratching, which was delicious) on.

It reminded me of Salisbury Crags, rising up from the surface, right in the city centre. The bridge seen below leads to the Balmoral Hotel to the left, just out of the shot.

The hotel can be seen below, viewed from that same bridge at night. The above picture was taken in 2012 and is probably floating around my blog somewhere already. The image below was at the Fringe Festival this month.

Notice the road sign/bollard trying to steal all of the attention.

Edinburgh Fringe: Daytime

The occasion: My sisters birthday.

The problem: My sister has decided to stay a little longer in Milan (could you blame her?), where she has been for the past week or so.

The solution: Take the trip up to Edinburgh anyway with my mum. There’s no chance we will let the tickets go to waste- now more than ever- the most exciting month for Edinburgh.

Train journey: 9/10. Purely down to the coastal views and my lack of train journeys, I know this is somewhat generous. Comparing to rail journeys in the UK the views are top notch, hugging the coastline all the way until we reach the historical buildings of Edinburgh. I have fell in love with this route from Newcastle, the place I call home and Edinburgh, my mothers home city. 

I know there are train journeys out there that will blow my mind, if you have ever had such a journey, let me hear of it.

I went to Edinburgh and had Thai food. Served above currency from around the world and a pane of glass. I hear so many accents from around the world in Edinburgh and love it. It is certainly a world renowned city.

Sometimes, the timing is just right. This guitarist, Matthew Lennox, was fantastic. And Canadian, although I’m not sure where he lives currently. He did say that he could tell he was in Scotland by asking people that put notes into his collection case to place them under coins so they wouldn’t blow away. Apparently, he has lost a lot of hard earned money that way.

What do you do with anti-terrorist barriers? Make them visually stimulating, of course.

As you can see below, acts use all kind of techniques to advertise their shows. Sometimes it works, sometimes dogs lick your face. The face licking happened 30 seconds before I snapped the pic below, my timing was not perfect by any means this time round.

The sun goes down, the lights come on. Day turned to night and this was a great thing. Edinburgh made the most of the night sky and decent weather, as will be seen in my next post highlighting the night-lighting.

Have you ever been to Edinburgh? If you haven’t, put it on the list. Especially in August, as long as you don’t mind the jam packed streets. 

It is well worth it, I promise.