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Published: January 31st 2010
Just Like Home
There weren't too many photo ops during our day of movie viewing and shopping, but I did find it interesting that a Subway jointin Edninburgh was packed. Jared would be proud. Everybody got a break yesterday when we got to sleep in. Today we were up earlier, but not by much. We met in my room for breakfast at 9:00. We wanted to get to the Vue Cinema early because we were anticipating big crowds for the highly publicized, sure-thing blockbuster movie "Sherlock Holmes". Not only was this a movie about a British hero and written by a local Edinburgh lad, but based on our previous experiences in Europe, there would not be much else to do but see a movie on Boxing Day. When we used to visit Europe in previous years, everything closed at noon on Christmas Eve and remained closed on Christmas and Boxing Day. Since stores only remained open half a day on Saturdays and were closed on Sundays, we were not expecting to have much to tempt us. In fact, we were very concerned about having anything to do. The way the Holidays fell this year Christmas was a Thursday, Boxing Day Friday and the first day stores
could open, Saturday, was a day they only operated until noon. Sunday only museums and maybe the castle would be open.
But Gail and I were
So Glad I Don't Work in the UK
These are just some of the services the British postal service offers beyond the realm of postal products. On rural routes the mail carrier also transports hikers and sightseers along his postal route. still living in the 80's. Like America, a lot had changed in Europe over the years. Not only were the stores open all day Saturday, most were also open Sunday, and most amazing of all, 80% of the stores re-opened the day after Christmas. Good news entertainment-wise, but never very good news for our wallets.
At breakfast I finished off my chocolate trifle, Tyler and I had the last of our muffins and we wiped-out most of the rest of our refrigerated supplies. The tea was excellent once again and kept me fortified for the cold when we eventually made our way from the hotel down to the cinema complex. Edinburgh seemed to be much more vibrant this morning. We saw people hurrying about with their Starbucks' and McDonald's coffees, but couldn't figure out where they were running to. I might have been concerned had they been hustling in the direction of our movie theater, but they were going the opposite way. Thinking about it now I guess these were employees of the shops along Princes and George Street, but at the time I found it odd that so many were rushing about like maniacs and so few had
Everyone Out for a Day of Fun
Considering the fact that I expected the town of Edinburgh to be shuttered for the four day Holiday weekend, there sure were a lot of folks about on Boxing Day. The department stores were closed but almost every smaller shop was doing business as usual. adequate warm clothing on. It was cold!
Heading into a stiff breeze coming in off the Firth of Forth we had our hoods up and our heads down as we returned to Leith Street and the Omni Complex fighting a stiff wind. I wasn't expecting folks lining up outside, but I did anticipate a decent crowd assembled on the second floor where the ticket office was located. No crowd, no one in the ticket both and just two bored teenage employees working at the snack bar. We asked if they were open and how we might get tickets. They looked surprised that 5 Yanks were asking silly questions at 10:15 in the morning. They could sell us tickets but it was still 45 minutes until show time. We bought our tickets and forsook the £10 popcorn and the £7 sodas offered in the snack bar and hastened into the theater. We were so very fortunate to get great seats at this blockbuster flick. In fact, we had the entire theater to ourselves when we walked in. We grabbed the best seats in the house and made ourselves comfortable for the next half hour. We memorized the ads that were
She's Still at It
I spent a lot of time standing out on the street while Cassie stopped and shopped. I couldn't help but notice how Nordic many of the Scots looked. Centuries of Viking invasions I guess. continually replayed upon the screen over and over again. I think perhaps 5 other people showed-up by the time the opening credits rolled.
This is not the place for a movie review, but I will say it was not the worst movie I ever saw. Nor did the countless billions that stayed away feel that it was the best ever either. The story was a bit too convoluted for my taste and Robert Downey was too brooding a Sherlock Holmes for me. The computer generated scenery was awe-inspiring but not at all realistic. You could tell all along that it was a fake London you were looking at. People rave about how far special effects have come over the years but to me this was no more realistic than those stop action models used in the Godzilla movies. You instantly knew that Downey and Jude Law spent most of the time in a studio working in front of a blue screen. What was cool was the sound effects. Each seat in the cinema seemed to be on top of a bass woofer so whenever an explosion or loud sound occurred you could feel it in your rear end. Shattering
Yep, Still There
You can't ignore Edinburgh Castle because it simply dominates the landscape. All along the shopping street it rises above you. glass sounded like it was right above your head. And even though the movie is not one I will ever buy on DVD (too dark for good TV viewing), it did entertain us and made for a distinct memory of our trip. And the fact that the tickets were close to $15 each was also memorable.
As we fought our way through the crowd of 5 people leaving the theater we saw a real crowd across the street. Most were carrying shopping bags. Like bees drawn to honey we crossed the busy street and headed toward the very area the masses were leaving. We soon made our way into a small indoor shopping arcade - a mini mall. The place was packed. Not just kids off from school, but people of all ages and persuasions. There's no point in going into our shopping pattern, especially since we really had no plan in mind. We found a food court on the second level where we overpaid for "stuffed jacket potatoes", better known as "baked potatoes with chili on top". The girls got espresso. We checked out a number of stores but spent the most time in the £ Store. We
View from the Christmas Market
While we sipped our hot toddy after a long day of shopping we stood at the wall overlooking the park. For the duration of the Holiday season a circus and ice skating rink had been set up. found a few cheap trinkets including new breakfast items for the next morning. At Boots Pharmacy I picked-up a few cans of their spray deodorant that I love so much.
When we departed from the mall at the opposite end of the complex, we were in an even busier shopping district. This whole area of town was overrun by mad shoppers. We were lured into a souvenir/tourist shop advertising discounted scarves and soccer jerseys. I found a shirt I particularly liked at the discount rack. When we went to pay, the proprietor rang it up at a much higher price. He claimed it was different than all the other identically colored jerseys on the rack. Yeah, it was an XXL for a big fat American. When we started to leave he lowered the price a bit, but I said "forget it". Gail's mother offered to buy it for my birthday. I graciously accepted.
From there we eventually emerged on Princes Street once again. The rest of the afternoon was pretty much "Cassie Day. She shopped at a number of trendy young girl's spots where she bought soap, make-up, candles, shirts and such. We also stopped in that classier
Cockburn Street
After being denied dinner at "The Malt Shovel" we briefly considered some of the many other restaurants along the same street but Gail's suggestion of "The Advocate" sounded right. The way things were going most of these other establishments probably were also out of food. souvenir shop where we once again sampled the Scotch and where Gail's mother picked-up a few postcards and a bagpipe CD. After taking a nice long break on a sofa in "Urban Outfitters" while Cassie shopped, we decided to head back to the Old Town.
We crossed Princes Street and strolled through the Christmas Market. To our surprise we found it full of many German specialties we particularly love such as Glühwein and Würst. Tyler bought a hot Glühwein which we all sipped to warm ourselves. There were lots of Christmas decorations, furry hats and tasty but unhealthy foods for sale. I had to wonder how the workers were surviving the cold in those unheated wooden huts they were working in. That must be why they invented Scotch.
We then took our familiar route down past the train station and ascending Cockburn Street. On our way we saw a very atmospheric and "typical" pub, the "Malt Shovel". Painted a pale green on the outside and with dark wood and amber lighting inside, it seemed like a perfect spot for an authentic warming Scottish dinner. We walked into the very crowded bar area then toward the back of the
Cassie's in a Good Mood; I Wonder Why?
Could it be because we spent a whole day pursuing her favorite hobby, shopping? Yet she still wouldn't have a drink with us. Something tells me she isn't so reticent at college. establishment where we found a nice big vacant table among a crowded room of patrons. Just as we sat down and took off our coats, a waitress came by and informed us that the kitchen was closed that day. There had to be 40 people in there just to have a drink at 7:00 pm.
None of us had any complaints when Gail suggested we return to "The Advocate" for dinner. This time when we walked in nobody greeted us or directed us to a table. We made ourselves comfortable, grabbed the menus on the table, and now that we knew the way things work in the UK, Tyler and I headed to the bar to order. There one of the barmaids, who turned out to be the owner, informed us that they had had a mass sick-out that day and there were only 3 of them working. At first she told us that they had no one to make the fish and chips Cassie and Gail wanted, but upon further checking she said they'd make them for us. The first thing I tried to order was not available (a trend that would continue during our Holiday visit to
More Jolliness
Perhaps that fish they dug up for the girls' dinner has a bit too much mercury in it. Scotland). We think the shortage of items we would encounter in this and other establishments was due in part to the long Holiday weekend and the constant near blizzard conditions. Supplies were not getting through. Tyler and Grandma had sausage platters and I had a meat pie.
It was around 9:00 when we left "The Advocate". Tyler stopped on the Royal Mile to try an old traditional Scottish delicacy, a deep-fried Snickers bar. We then decided to take a walk the opposite way,
down the Royal Mile. Once again the place was like a morgue. Few cars and fewer people. Again a light sleet fell on us and we had to pay particular attention to the icy pavements. After taking many more photographs along the way, we returned back up the hill. Cassie and Grandma left us as we drew near the Ibis Hotel.
We then proceeded down to the Grassmarket which was also dead as a doornail. But walking in the snow that was now falling on deserted streets was so much fun we just kept walking. Tyler spotted a souped-up MINI Cooper that we started photographing. The owner happened to come out then so we quickly
explained our passion for MINI's. He was polite but didn't seem all that impressed with our claim of owning three MINIs between us. We joked about his bald tires and trying to get around in all the snow and ice. He was quick to point out that he was not drinking that night, however. Tyler later explained to Gail and I that the car really wasn't a special edition MINI - the guy just stuck a bunch of stickers and badges to make it look "flash".
Gail, Tyler and I decided to keep walking. We had no plan in mind when we somehow found ourselves near the entrance to Greyfriars Churchyard. Almost on a dare I walked into the graveyard while Gail and Tyler followed. I half-expected to feel an eerie chill or spot an apparition as the heavy wet snow fell all around us. We looked all around the graveyard finding some interesting photo ops and then spotted the Hogwarts Academy on the other side of the churchyard fence. We traversed the length of the whole cemetery looking for a way out, but all the gates on that side were locked. That whole time nothing creepy happened, but
Inside the Advocate
When we first arrived inside the pub was rather empty, but by the end of the night as more Edinburgh diners discovered no food elsewhere, The Advocate started to get rowdy. I heard the proprietress telling another large table of diners that their food selection was limited, but somehow 20 minutes later large heaping platters of grub were coming out to their table. It's beautiful how people come together and adjust during a Winter disaster. the beauty of the snow falling under the dim yellow lights will remain a favorite memory of the trip for me.
As we headed back toward our hotel we passed a couple of bars or clubs that looked like they were just gearing up for some festivities. I hoped that the revelers would not be out again later that night and cavorting in the alley below my window. Back at the hotel we went back to our rooms to enjoy more of that fascinating British television programming.
Addendum - since returning home I recently watched one of those ghost story hours on the Travel Channel detailing the haunts of Edinburgh. Imagine my shock to learn that a large segment of the show highlighted the mysterious hauntings at Greyfriars cemetary. It seems that poltergeists have been known to take particular pleasure in attacking tourists visiting the church grounds - often in broad daylight. The tour guide they interviewed claimed that his audience had been attacked more than once. The tourists were scratched and bloodied by unseen demons. One described a numbing coldness that would'nt go away for a long time. And there we were traipsing through that same One Too Many Deuchers
Perhaps he was thinking about getting a deep fried Snickers or hopefully he was thinking about Gen, but after his second brew Tyler was all smiles. graveyard all by ourselves in the middle of the night taunting the spirits. I still don't believe in any of that silliness but it does seem kind of dumb to tempt fate. I've been wrong about stuff before.
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