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Scottish Fringe and a Tattoo

Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle

Sitting at the top of a dormant volcano in the very heart of the city, Edinburgh Castle dominates the skyline in this vibrant Scottish capital.   500,000 people live in this, the 4th most beautiful city in the world (according to the readers of the Rough Guide – a trustworthy travel companion).  While the city may be beautiful, the weather leaves a bit to be desired.  As Dr. Johnson noted during his travels to Scotland in 1775 “the weather is not pleasing”.  (He was a master of the understatement!)  But more on that later….

 If you’ve ever thought of traveling to Edinburgh, consider coming in August.  The weather is still likely to be un-cooperative, but you’ll never notice.  August is the month of: The Edinburgh International Festival, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Edinburgh International Book Fair and the Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo.  The place is hopping!

We planned OUR trip to Edinburgh (with friends Tom and Libby) because we’ve always wanted to see the Royal Tattoo.  (And, no, it is not the little “King Charles?  NFW ”  that the Queen has inked on her bum.)  I planned MY trip because I’ve always wanted to attend the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the world’s largest arts festival, with the 2015 event spanning 25 days and featuring over 3,193 shows from 51 countries in 299 venues.  I wanted to see them all.  I was unsuccessful.

The Fringe story dates back to 1947, when eight theatre groups turned up uninvited to perform at the (then newly formed) Edinburgh International Festival, an initiative created to celebrate and enrich European cultural life after the Second World War. Not being part of the official programme of the International Festival didn’t stop these performers – they just went ahead and staged their shows on the ‘Fringe of the Festival’ anyway – coining the phrase and the name ‘(Edinburgh) Festival Fringe’.   It’s grown like wildfire every year since as you can see from my stats, above.

The performances spill out into the street as the authors, musicians and performers try their creative best to encourage people to attend their events.  From a ghost asking if we were dead yet (how would we know?) to a guy rushing past muttering ‘a total waste of time!’ (as flyers promoting  “A Total Waste of Time” fluttered in his wake), walking the streets of Edinburgh provided endless street theater.

Good for Kids? Really??
No, you can’t see them in the photo
Flyers for SOME of the programs affixed to a wall on the Royal Mile
What’s he doing here?
She WAS the show!
Sinderella, kissing a frog
We were worried about his dog, at first
Ticket to Bollywood – an exhausting dance extravaganza
One of the Fringe Festival gates on the Royal Mile

Among the zillion performances, (and the five I actually saw), two Polish programs were my favorites.  The first was a life-sized puppet circus, with animals that ran amok during the performance.  It was charming and sweet (and a little bit scary!)

The show opened with tiny, harmless puppets
The full sized ones waited nearby
The elephant broke his leg
The lion was immobile. At first.
Then all hell broke loose
The audience mingled afterward

One that I wish I could share with the world was “Wojtek”, the true story of a bear who was adopted by a Polish artillery brigade during WWII.  The beer-drinking, dancing, wrestling bear learned to carry artillery to the front and found his way to England at the end of the war along with the displaced soldiers in his brigade.  There was no home in Poland for any of them (including Wojtek) to return to.  It was a powerful and powerfully acted 60 minutes.  (Click Wojtek to learn more. And please DO watch the video.)

The Festival Fringe Poster
The Festival Fringe Poster

The night of the Tattoo, the weather was cold and rainy and windy (surprise!).  Not to worry as we sat high in the bleachers at the TOP OF THAT VOLCANO, where nary a tree, a wall, a stout Scottsman blocked the gale that blew.  We layered everything that we’d packed – and we were still chilly – but the spectacle of the Tattoo (and the chance to root for the US Air Foce and The Citadel (both present and performing) kept us warm.  If you’ve not harbored a life-long dream to attend the Tattoo in person,  these pictures should do you nicely.

WAY before the Tattoo
JUST before the Tattoo
Tattoo begins
East Meeets West was the theme
Giant leaves projected on the castle because …??
Something’s going on, too cold to tell
Highland dancers, trying to stay warm
Tons and Tons of bagpipes
More bagpipes
Bagpipes in a yin-yang
Top Secret Swiss Drummers (that’s their name!)
No more kilts left in Scotland
End of Tattoo

Next time:  To avoid retirement,  Rog takes a job at Edinburgh Castle.

IMG_3526

Written by:
Elaine Haydock
Published on:
September 10, 2015
Thoughts:
10 Comments

Categories: Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo, ScotlandTags: Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Vic

    September 10, 2015 at 5:40 pm

    You need to have your own travel show. Beautiful and very informative. Thanks for sharing. Vic

  2. Roger

    September 10, 2015 at 6:27 pm

    Love it

  3. Gabriele Sweidel

    September 10, 2015 at 8:36 pm

    Must hand it to you both, your trips are the most interesting. I never heard of either the Tattoo or the Fringe Festival and now would love to see both. You are great cultural ambassadors!

  4. Libby

    September 11, 2015 at 3:41 am

    With the pictures, it makes me feel like I was there!

    • Elaine Haydock

      September 12, 2015 at 12:51 pm

      That’s so strange… I could have sworn YOU were there!!!

  5. Hallee Patterson

    September 11, 2015 at 6:24 pm

    As always thank you for taking me on your trip.The puppets look amazing. Did you know Edinburgh and Chicago have a”Cliff” in common. The Cliff I refer to is Prince Street. It is a one sided street, like our Historic Michigan Ave. There are only 5 places like this in the world.

  6. Steve

    September 11, 2015 at 7:30 pm

    Fantastic photos! Another patient of mine was there last week and had a great time.
    I was expecting you and Roger to come back with “tattoos”

    • Elaine Haydock

      September 12, 2015 at 12:51 pm

      I’m pretty sure our doctor has advised against tattoos. Unless they’re “Dr. Steve” inside a HUGE heart…

  7. Yvonne Flowers

    September 11, 2015 at 10:20 pm

    Fabulous as per normal Elaine. Cold in August??? Will be freezing in October!!! Have seen the Tattoo many times on TV but it must have been wonderful being there!!

  8. Mike the Judge

    September 28, 2015 at 3:27 am

    Question: why did you select ONLY Polish acts???
    Mike!

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