Blogs from Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe - page 14

So I’ve had some… interesting experiences on trains. Mostly the good type of interesting I think, but I could be wrong. In addition to the experience on September 27 as told by a previous blog, I’ve met a woman who knits for the Royal Family, and more than one struggling rock band. These interactions really only occur when I’m travelling alone, which I don’t do often but I’ve done enough to realise that I seem to attract a certain brand of person when out alone. The overwhelming majority of people I meet when out alone, regardless of the mode of transport I have employed, are musicians of the hard rock persuasion. They also seem to want something from me, whether it’s help muling drugs or a pound to buy a CD or recommendations for places to ... read more

Loooonnnggg flight. Air Transat has modeled their business platform after those successful sardine canning companies. The flight was smooth but we were packed in tight. A little bumpiness but other wise very smooth. We were wondering if the pilots had made a wrong turn over Greenland because after landing in Glasgow there was a slight sprinkle & then the clouds cleared out and we had blue skies over Edinburgh. Check the map...we are in Scotland right? The first stop was at the Falkirk Wheel. Nope it is not a tire swing in a farmers field. It is an engineering marvel. Designed to connect the canal system between Glasgow & Edinburgh it raises and lowers boats over 35 meters. Extremely quiet and very smooth. Elke was in the gift shop and didn't see it run the first ... read more

On September 27, 2014, I went to see a concert in Glasgow. Normally, this wouldn’t really be blog worthy but I didn’t really go under normal circumstances. First of all, the show I went to was a rap show. As many of you know very well, I have spent the majority of my life looking down my nose at rappers and those who enjoy such lowbrow rubbish. I would like to take this moment to issue a formal apology to the world for that. I’ve learned and I am sorry. While I still maintain that rap is largely derogatory towards women and overly glorifies material wealth, it has occurred to me that rap is not the only genre to do so and thus I’m a bit of a hypocrite for ignoring that flaw when enjoying music ... read more

Some highlights since last time: On Thursday, October 2, the GUU hosted their annual Oktoberfest party. I went with Ashlee, and we were really impressed by the event. They had long tables in the debate room, and a live band that played music and got everyone involved in different movements. There was a lot of swaying back and forth and raising your glass. They were selling beer steins, which I got as a souvenir from the evening. They were supposed to be charging more to fill them, since they hold around 2 pints. However, I got there early enough in the evening so they hadn't figured that out. Basically, I got two pints for the price of one. Always a great start to an evening. Saturday evening there was a whisky tasting at the QMU that ... read more

I checked this place out yesterday. It's a nice walk from my accommodation to the castle, which is about 3 miles outside of Edinburgh. Craigmillar Castle is a late-medieval stone castle built around the 1400s. Mary, Queen of Scots 'vacationed' at the castle at least two times that historians know of. The location was highly desirable because of its convenient distance from Edinburgh and because the area was rich with game. Mary and many other affluent people enjoyed the castle as a way to escape the constant scrutiny of the people in the city and to partake in hunting activity. Unfortunately, as time progressed, the castle was regarded as old and outdated; thus, it was abandoned for some time and fell into disrepair. There's virtually no props throughout the castle so all of the rooms are ... read more