Tag: scotland

Scratch your name 

There is something beautiful about carving your name into history when it isn’t in a toilet cubicle.

This was below a bar if you’re wondering, I took a snap whilst waiting to be served.
When it is welcomed it’s fun. It is fascinating to read who it is and when it was, where they are from and the reason for being there. I love being able to glimpse into the lives of other people, even if it is for a second.  Whole lives glanced at for a few short moments, marriages and anniversaries, birthdays and first dates… Interesting stories that would be missed if I was to simply look elsewhere.

This is our everyday. We walk by amazing stories daily without knowing, as do others when they walk right by us. I built a tolerance for other people in the street when they seem mad, rushed or genuinely ignorant when I considered the fact that they may have similar problems to me. It is easy to judge a person instantly without the experience behind the scenes.

Thankfully, everyone seems content in this image, even Lucky despite losing her phone and wallet.

If you can’t be lucky, be happy.

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

Where we choose to look in life 

We are a very proud species. What is better than admitting defeat is to keep looking the wrong way, hoping something on the horizon looks vaguely like the thing we are wanting to see.

I felt this picture deserved a post of its own. I knew right away what that post would be as I looked beyond the spyglass and onto the horizon and its constantly changing weather patterns. 

Taking a step back and viewing the horizon as a whole can be much better for gaining an accurate perspective. It may seem better to keep looking deeper and deeper into something to find meaning, sometimes the true discoveries are found by looking elsewhere. 

This is how I try to see life. If I am looking somewhere and get no results I will look elsewhere, even if that takes me out of my comfort zone. Looking elsewhere isn’t admitting defeat, and defeat may well lead to quicker success.

Boarding the Royal Yacht Britannia

More images from my recent trip to Edinburgh, this time away from the craziness of the festival.

It was pretty fascinating to see the The Royal Yacht Britannia as it was whilst the Queen sailed on her between 1954 to 1997, from the dining rooms to the public toilets. I also particularly enjoyed seeing how the workers on the lower decks lived on board, they had their own bar in the style of a British pub. I would much prefer to be there than the surgery room I had a glance at.

Oh and brownie points if you can spot the corgi on your way…


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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.

A beautiful Tattoo!

The fireworks ceased and the sound of bagpipes grew louder in the darkness. The military parade made its way down the hill from the castle toward the onlookers, it sure was a beautiful sight and well worth the wait.

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The only complaint I had was that the bright screen was a little distracting and made photo opportunities difficult. 

Onlookers before security put the barriers in place.
The colours were constantly changing as well as the roles of the people marching. Kids and adults in suits of armour, drummers and dancers. In only a few minutes the last ones walked by and the barriers removed.

I am not religious but there is something magical about fireworks and light performances around religious and historical buildings. This reminds me, I have some Harry Potter images which I will put in my next post. 

Enjoy the display!

Sam 


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.

Respect existence or expect resistance

I love this quote! The eerie graffiti is located on the west coast of Scotland, the location of the UK’s nuclear warheads. My sister currently lives in Scotland and recently had the opportunity to visit Faslane Peace Camp set up nearby by protesters.

 

I was reading this post by My Simple Life on her visit to Hiroshima and thought it would be silly if I didn’t offer a glimpse of my sisters brief day visit. Around the camp, trees hold posters with nails and cable ties, displaying the reasons why we should abandon our Nuclear Deterrent. The UK has four Vanguard-class submarines, one on patrol whilst the other three undergo maintenance and prepare for patrol. Each submarine can carry 16 Trident missiles, each missile carrying 8 nuclear warheads. Each warhead, eight times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima. To think these warheads are located a three hour drive from where I type this is a little concerning. I’m out of range if something was to go wrong, right?

The Internet has slightly differing stats, although the message is still powerful

The Trident nuclear deterrent is in question here. Some say it is way too costly, operating Trident each year costs the UK roughly £2 billion. Some say it is pointless to run, if we were to be attacked by another nation, the deterrent clearly didn’t work and it would be too late to do anything. Of course, it is also seen as immoral, we have seen how deadly such an attack can be. At the peace camp, two Hiroshima survivors planted a tree that can be seen below.

Pretty powerful and I can certainly see the appeal of a world without nuclear bombs. If only it was that easy.