Tea Party

A few weeks (couple of months?) ago, my friend, Ashli, (who is always in the know about what's on in Edinburgh) got tickets to a tea party at the Rutland, a trendy hotel, restaurant and bar near my flat. The party was to introduce a new line of teas to the menu and to raise money for Maggie's Centre, a local bereavement organization. So a few girlfriends (Ashli, Rebecca, Katy and Stephanie) made our way over for the evening tea party!

Rebecca, Stephanie, Ashli, and Katy

The bar of the Rutland was snazzied up with a piano player and a selection of delicious teas from a local tea shop (Eteaket). The tea shop loaned their beautiful china for the occasion and the Rutland put out some amazing cupcakes. We even got goodie bags full of teas, soaps, and coupons! A fun night, benefiting a great organization. What more could you ask for?!

Perth

Back in August, I took a quick trip to Perth for a work meeting. I had a bit of time between the end of the meeting and my train, so took a little walk around the town. It's a pretty place and definitely a place I'd like to explore a bit more.

Blackford Brae

Back at the beginning of September, the service I work for moved office from the trendy, happening Shore, to the quaint, quiet Blackford. It's still a really pretty commute, possibly a bit shorter, but I have had to give up using the cycle paths are there just aren't any between home and work now.

The new building, called Blackford Brae, is situated in a very posh, scenic neighborhood on the south side of the city. It's a beautiful old building, built in 1871, with old stables and lovely wooded grounds. The house, which is done in the Scottish Baronial style, was initially a residence before being purchased by Barnardo's for use as a children's home, then a day-care unit, before becoming a school. The school closed in May and the building now houses our service. As I've said, it's a pretty building, though some of my clients (and coworkers) believe it is haunted!

The "Gin and Tonic" terrace, planned for use during warmer days!
(my desk is on the other side of the window)

As a funny aside, when we moved in, this was found sitting in the staff room (that is, the former teacher's lounge!)


Just a short 5 minute walk from the office is Blackford Pond, a really sweet area just at the foot of Blackford Hill. It I ever get myself organized enough to take a proper lunch break, this would be the perfect spot for a mid-day stroll.

This cat seems to enjoy Blackford pond as well!

Princes Street Gardens

I have a confession to make, dear readers. Over the summer I made a most startling discovery: the main street running through New Town is not called Princess Street, as I have led you all to believe. Rather, it is actually called Princes Street. Named for King George III's sons, not daughters (did he even have daughters?). I apologize for leading you astray on this matter! (but, do say it out loud and I think you will see how it is easy to make this mistake!)

View of the Castle from Princes Street

Anyway, I came upon this realization when we were out walking one summer's evening, when I happened to see a street sign indicating that I had been mis-hearing this name for 9 months! Soon after discovering this, we discovered another interesting find: BBC Radio recording a weekly show from the middle of Princes Street Gardens. I'm not sure what show it was (nor which BBC Radio station), but that week's show featured a traditional Scottish band playing various country dance tunes. Although obviously not included in the broadcast, the event also featured Scottish country dancing. Loved it. There was a group of 8 who did several dances for the crowd which was really great.


But, the best part was when the whole audience joined in the dances. We must have come in towards the end, but were still able to witness several large country dance numbers, complete with nearly 100 dancers. So fun. Most of the dances require fairly large "sets" of 8-10 people all doing the (quite complicated) steps together. There was one dance, however, that was done in pairs and was relatively simple--so Joe and I joined in for that one. It was really fun and I loved thinking of the country dance parties that use to happen. I think those would have been the highlight of my week!



The broadcast also featured a few numbers by a most talented Scottish Pipe Band.

Scottish Prom

Back in the spring, I got an email about the Royal Scottish National Orchestra's Summer Pops festivities. For £1.00, you could get any seat in the house for any of a number of special and fun events. So, we got a few friends together, bought a block of seats and made our way out for a fun night.

The event we chose was the Scottish Prom, a showcase of Scottish music. This particular event was jammed packed with the orchestra, a pipe band, a choir, and a special performance by the world's first full time percussionist. It was capped off with a sing-a-long and a balloon drop!


A couple of the most interesting aspects of the evening were the inclusion of a pipe band (that's bagpipes, folks) with the orchestra for one piece. I was a little skeptical about this as I just could not imagine the sometimes quite harsh sound of bagpipes fitting well with the melodious sounds of the orchestra. But, I was surprised. It was fantastic and such a fitting display of Scottish music.


The other particular highlight was the performance of the percussionist. Although, I wouldn't have expected the showcase of percussion to be so interesting, it was really a treat. Evelyn Glennie, a Scottish woman, is the first person ever to make a full time career as a solo percussionist. We all noticed that she played barefoot and later learned this is because she is profoundly deaf, since the age of 12. I recall reading, at the time, that she does not want her deafness to be the focus of her accomplishments, but it certainly does make her work even more remarkable.

Open Doors

The last weekend in September was Open Doors Day in Edinburgh. During this weekend, various places in and around the city open their doors to guests. Typically, these are places that are typically closed to the public or that usually charge for admission but allow you in for free. With all the various things we've been up to lately, I didn't get a good chance to look through the program and pick out anything really great. But, there were a few places that caught my eye during my brief perusal and I was able to visit a couple of nice spots with my friend, Rebecca.

First on our list of stops, were Drummond Gardens, a private locked garden in the New Town. It, like all the secret gardens in the city, are kept locked and you must purchase a membership to visit the garden. Since it was open and a glorious day outside, we decided to stop by and take a short stroll (it is a small garden).



After that, we cycled on over to Stewart's Melville College, a private boys' school, just around the corner from our flat.

A view from the steps of Stewart's Melville
(which happens to look right onto another private school, Fettes College)

On Sunday, Joe and I headed over to the vaults under South Bridge; underneath this bridge are 19 vaults, each separated into three stories of smaller rooms. There is a long, sad, history to these vaults which were originally intended to be used for workshops. Poor water sealing meant that the space wasn't good for much and workers moved out, making way for the homeless and the criminal (as well as animals and vermin) to move in. This dark, damp placed housed thousands, most of whom died from disease contracted (once living in the vaults, the average life expectancy was eight months). Apparently, the police would not enter and so criminals used it as a refuge to escape arrest. The vaults were eventually filled in and have only recently been excavated by a local businessman, who has now transformed some of the vaults into a posh venue for weddings and other events. (You can check out Rebecca's blog for some more pictures of the vaults, as it was so dark, we didn't get very good ones.)



I think Open Doors Day is a great idea and I'm looking forward to seeing what's on for next year!

Pentland Hills

Just south of Edinburgh is a range of hills--The Pentland Hills, to be exact. They really aren't far away from the city's centre and are easily accessible by bus. You can't really see them from where we live, but as you travel south of the city, you can start to get a glimpse of these green rolling hills.

While Alex was here, we decided to check out Pentland and made our way there for a little hill walking. We decided to follow the Capitol View trail, with a planned detour to hit the peak of Caerketton Hill. It isn't high, but it is a straight, steep climb. The labour of the hike is worth it, though, to see the views of the city from the summit (which, oddly, I can't find pictures of).

On the hike up

We happened to reach the peak just as a storm was coming in. It was crazy windy up there, but really breathtaking to watch the storm come right in and pass through. From where we stood, you could see sheets of rain coming down and moving to the east. I've never seen a storm from such a vantage point and it was truly amazing.


No sooner had we come back down to the main trail did the rain stop and so we decided to keep going. Our efforts were again rewarded when we stumbled upon this pastoral scene.

Apparently, April begins the lambing season and so, in mid May, you are quite likely to encounter sheep grazing along the hillside either tending to their newly born lambs or preparing for the event.

The Pentland Hills are actually quite expansive and there area apparently some really great trails to take. It's so close to the city, and easily accesible by bus (or even bike), so I'm sure we'll be back to try some other hikes! Anyone want to come along?