Edinburgh Tattoo

We first did the Tattoo--the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo--in 2009, and were enthralled; again in 2013, perhaps our best visit; and again this year, 2019. It's hard to explain: military marching bands strutting their stuff, very international, production values that are rising to the top for an outdoor performance, all in the Esplanade (review field) in front of Edinburgh Castle. Perhaps you have to have Scottish blood in your veins, or other Scottish spirits in your veins, but for us it is still a great experience, much more than mere fun. This year's participants were (quoting from the website) "China, France, Germany, New Zealand, Nigeria and Trinidad, as well as homegrown talent from the UK at the centre of it all." All these "are reinforced by the legendary sound of the Massed Pipes and Drums--more than 250 pipers and drummers from Scottish Regiments, the Pipers Trail and around the world--and the dazzle and athleticism of the Tattoo Dance Company, along with enchanting tunes from the Hjaltibonhoga fiddlers from the Shetland Isles." [Rachel note]. BTW, in Scotland, the stress is on the second syllable of "tattoo." Must be Gaelic. We'd go again, every year, if we could.

Opening ceremonies, presentation of the something-or-other, very military, very
Scottish; Vicki adds that it is the presentation of a wee dram...seriously...how I
could have missed this is puzzling...

Entry of the massed pipes and drums, 250 strong, "Scotland the Brave," a real
heart-thumper

The German band, mit beer hall maidens putsching und schoving (Beer hall putsch;
look it up) 

The steel drum band from Trinidad

The French doing the can-can

Pretty incredible: the marching violin band Hjaltibonhoga from the Shetlands

Personal favorite, always: New Zealand; note lighting on castle walls...rivals
the best we saw at D-Land a few months before

They march and play, conventionally, and then do a haka, always the biggest
crowd-pleaser; see Vicki's interesting side-ways take below...

Massed bands

Now I've seen everything: a marching bassoon (saw marching oboes in Spain
in 2017)

Fireworks

The Lone Piper

How much longer, one wonders: Scotland voted overwhelmingly to Remain
and may well leave the Union in order to stay in the EU; thus also Northern
Ireland...

Maybe Little England and Wales can keep the colors

Scotland the Brave

Edinburgh Castle Scenes

And so it came to pass that one day we visited Edinburgh Castle, not for the first time, but because we could (English Heritage memberships) and it was there (on the way to something) and there are fine views of parts of the environs and it is a fine opportunity to mingle with the masses of non-European tourists who are wondering what day it is and what the Festival and Fringe are all about. They have already stopped at the Scotch Whiskey Experience and the Tartan Weaving Mill and thus their memories of Edinburgh will be of smoky, gray, tartan hangovers.

Castle (left); somebody else's photo although I have one just like it taken from
the Elephant House in 2009

Approaching from the west end of New Town; the bleachers and field are
backed up by the castle, on the right, out of view; the temporary stadium is
set up every August for the Tattoo (next post)

There's really not much to see unless you're deeply into Scottish history, or really
serious dioramas, or the Scone of Destiny and other family jewels

Thus; see my 2009 post from Scone for further important
background information 

Still aimed more or less at the National Gallery

Busy skyline

Possibly in the direction of Arthur's Seat, which I climbed in 2009

Looking down into New Town

In the distance, the spires of the new Firth of Forth bridge; the old (famous)
railroad bridge you can see just a bit of on the right

We think our flat is in the lower part of the center, left of the church tower; down
there somewhere, anyway

Fringe Scenes, 2

Continuing specimens from the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe...

We made it to the book festival just as it was opening,
August 10th

Only as far as the bookstore, however

Much of the satire had a richly-deserved US-orientation

Street acts everywhere

Among the tamer shows we saw were a "best of Broadway" songfest and the
full Legally Blonde musical

We saw both these...the Brexit very smart and funny (and educational); the
Trump, not so much...who can laugh at him?

Alas, not seen...

Another really good one, a one-woman show on the life of Josephine Baker

Schedule of acts for this outdoor venue

Scores of mimes and such

Still processing....

Ads for plays, musicals, etc.

As far as the eye can see...

Vicki said we could catch this when we get to Bangkok in
January

Whatever it takes to hawk your show...here, the Black Blues
Brothers

Fringe Scenes, 1

I couldn't hope to write anything definitive about the Fringe. A previous post conveys something of its scale, and the Fringe's own media release at the close of the 2019 edition sums up both the numbers and qualities. Obviously, we couldn't take pix inside the many musical, dramatic, and other events we attended. So I'll just post some of the outside shots and some of the posters, in part to comment on shows we saw and in part to further convey the scale of the thing.

A street performance, here at The Mound, outside the nation gallery of art

Just about every venue in the central city is involved in the effort

One is apt to see pretty much anything

Parody is big, as is satire

One venue was the Johnny Walker House; alas, no free samples

Ticket office at just one of the venues

Many shows of interest were sold out before we could get
tickets

HP is still fair game in the parody business

Note show posters outside Frankenstein's

One of the very best we saw was this one-woman show,
Clementine Churchill's reminiscences of her long marriage to
Winston

In the Fringe office, a wall of past-edition covers of the Fringe guide...this
year 450 pages; stacks of them at lower right

Jazzed-up piping

Typical venue...and line to get in...churches very much providing venue space

Aforementioned...all kinds of peripheral events

Even major cultural institutions getting into the act(s)

Another of the shows we very much liked was The Crown Dual, a parody of
The Crown (first season), featuring this superbly talented duo

My Land was a Ukrainean modern dance/juggling/contortionist show Vicki much
liked